Sink your teeth into Vampire Weekend’s debut album

By Maggie Malach

Courtesy of Maggie Malach

With Twilight mania in full swing, anything related to vampires seems to be all the rage. While the band Vampire Weekend has absolutely nothing to do with a certain blood-sucking literary heartthrob in Forks, Washington, they are certainly on the radar as a hot new artist.

Although they debuted their self-titled EP a year and a half ago, Vampire Weekend is starting to gain some steam among America’s youth, especially after touring with the Shins and being featured on soundtracks for movies such as Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist .

The members met while attending Columbia University in 2006, and took their name from the title of an amateur film made by lead singer Ezra Koenig.

“We’d worked on music together and knew each other’s interests, so it just seemed like it would be exciting to start a band with rock instruments,” he says in the online edition of The Independent.

When it comes to the theme of the album, mentions of academic life and references to a little old university called Oxford set the mood for heading back to school. One such track that encompasses the entangled drama of dealing with a broken heart while still attending class is “Campus.” Aptly titled, it gives a mournful eulogy to love lost and the struggle of constantly running into an old boyfriend or girlfriend.

The album provides a range of tempos, from the upbeat “A-Punk” to the bongo-heavy “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.” The synth-driven speed of “A-Punk” allows the lyrics to zip along at a perky pace, while the bridge,“’ey! ‘ey! ‘ey! ‘ey!” is reminiscent of the 1960s. Although the song is just over two minutes long, it in no way feels incomplete or lacking.

In contrast, “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” channels an entirely different continent. In Rolling Stone’s 2007 Hot Issue, Koenig explains his inspiration for one of the band’s first songs, “I’d taken a trip to India the year before and stopped in London for a few days on the way there. It got me thinking a lot about colonialism and the aesthetic connections between preppy culture and the native cultures of places like Africa and India.” The song was also recognized by Rolling Stone as one of the 100 Best Songs of 2007.

The band’s Ivy-league origins are reflected in album, which exudes an image of prep school. The band members make numerous New England references, including that to Manhattan and of course, Cape Cod. Their location fuses into the music and conjures up a visual of blazer-clad students walking amongst brick buildings overgrown with ivy.

Other standout tracks include “M79” and “Walcott.” Both are undeniably catchy and guaranteed to brighten up a rainy day. Fans of other upcoming New York City based bands such as MGMT and the Strokes will find that Vampire Weekend’s overall sound is a product of the current indie rock scene, but is definitely unique from any other artist’s.

Vampire Weekend is an ideal album—it spans a range of emotions while still staying true to one central sound. Reveling in love, loss and just a hint of politics, it is a must-have for every iPod and will be a fabulous soundtrack to the new school year!