Review Summary: "I see a mansard roof through the trees"
What do you get if you mix Peter Gabriel with a bunch of new yorkers? Vampire Weekend. And this is their debut.
Before you ask me, despite the name, they aren't a goth band. Instead they were named after the student film made by singer/guitarist Ezra Koenig in his college years. Their combination of african music and danceable indie is really great, as the pairing of the two aren't so common. What we get is an album which barely clocks in at over 30 minutes as a whole. And i don't like it just for it's singles.
I mean, the singles were great; well picked out, but the real highlights are in songs like Campus, One and Walcott. The Kids Don't Stand A Chance is a beautiful song, and the orchestra suits in well. M79 too, about a bus journey through Cape Cod. Speaking of Cape Cod, Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa is a danceable number. A-Punk is a danceable, catchy song, Oxford Comma even educated me with it's use of English explanation and Mansard Roof taking us to French architect.
To me, though there was too much hype, though not the band's fault, this is a great album. Seeing them was a treat too, with an orchestra. Contra? Well i'll leave that to another time. In the meantime put on your best shoes and get down to enjoyable music!
