Vampire Weekend Debut Review

Album Rating:

8.9 / 10.0

The start of a new year is almost like a restart in music. New albums cease to be distributed within the few months of the holidays, and bands plan for their arrangements within the next year. Everyone has most likely chosen their favorites of the previous year and may still continue to listen to under the radar CDs. Chances are, music reviewers and dedicated music listeners alike will be frantically seeking that one album that will start the year off in a successful path. Vampire Weekend is that one landmark album (among many) that will contribute to the latter of landmark albums to be seen in the future and has luckily been one of the best albums so far within the first couple months. Undeniably, Vampire Weekend’s debut is an excellent effort to a surprisingly new band that has only been around for the past few months.

From the band’s name, you might initially assume that they have some sort of darker or more decrepit sound to them, but that isn’t true in any way. This NYC based band from Columbia University is quite the opposite, creating music that could easily be defined as either a mix of African Pop and Western Classical or Oceanic Indie Pop and New Wave. This mix of music immediately creates a unique sound for the band and stalwartly creates what best defines them for their originality. You can unquestionably tell that they have put in a good amount of effort into creating a consistent and focused theme to their music. From the light and mellow keyboard compositions, to the generic yet catchy guitar, and the comfortable yet eccentric vocals, Vampire Weekend has created a flawlessly flowing sound that works almost perfectly.

This debut album is a great start to Vampire Weekend’s career. Featuring charming, but simple melodies, the album starts out with music that is no where near overwhelming to a new listener. “Mansard Roof” and “Oxford Comma” are both very memorable songs that will catch the listener’s attention instantly, but in a subtle and relaxing way. For a more familiar sound, “A-Punk” relates to much of the Indie Punk/Ska sound that many Long Island gig hoppers are used to. However the song also keeps to its Oceanic and Western Classical feel and doesn’t stray too far from the initial sound that has already been represented by the previous two songs.

While many of the songs share a similar college theme and stay to their original genre, there are also many other songs that stick out from the rest just like “A-Punk” does. I’m not saying this is necessarily bad thing, I’m just making note that the album switches themes to keep each new song you listen to engaging. For instance, songs like “M79” and “Walcott” both feature string arrangements that adapt to that Western Classical feel and also create a significant sense of variety within the album.

Although I’d love Vampire Weekend’s album to be flawless, there are just a few things that any normal listener would either deny or overlook about the album. As much as the album is memorable and catchy, I found that the entire experience becomes a bit old after a couple listens through. Unfortunately, that seems to be a trend to bands who sound more unique than other bands at the current age. Although I found this to be a let-down, I’m sure other people would probably completely overlook this factor. And to be honest with you, it really doesn’t change my overall opinion about the band themselves. Besides this, I felt some songs strayed from the original theme a bit more than others did. For example: Albeit a good change of pace and stature to the album, “I Stand Corrected” feels a bit unfocused compared to much of the album. However, this track is nothing to be overlooked and is definitely a respectable and dependable song like the rest. Other songs such as “A-Punk” or “M79” also share a similar trend, but overall, they do tend to blend with the album.

Overall, Vampire Weekend’s debut album is indisputably a refreshing and surprisingly acceptable indie album to start off the New Year. Their sound does a significant job sharing the knowledge of different cultural genres from around the world, and I really appreciate that and their great diversity from the bands that are currently producing albums this year. It would be a mistake to miss out on such a quaint and bracing release. This is just one of those albums that you must listen to before the years end.