Well, posting this note about this band is probably scratching the same itch as did my posts about Lily Allen and the Arctic Monkeys, as they are another band whose music I really like, whose lyrics are clever, and yet still rather sketchy at times. I don’t know why exactly, but the music just makes me happy, almost enough to dance; almost, but not quite 😉
Evidently Vampire Weekend has some connection with African pop music that they evidently gleaned from listening to African records, but they do not have much connection with Africa other than that. In an email exhange, Kirk, asked some interesting questions of what it means for artists to lift musical styles from a culture without having any connection to that culture. A great thing to discuss. I suppose cross-pollination of music across cultures has been going on for a long, long time, and while I do not have much use for fusion cooking, though I love to experience diverse cuisines on their own terms, I do often like the fusions of styles in music. And, I have figured out that I really like chimey guitars. Again, I think they make me happy. And I really like the percussion on this album, too. Oh, yeah and VW members wear preppy nineties clothing and sing largely about the priviliged life of wealthy east coast college students. It all is a bit of a weird combo.
Without further ado, here are some samples from Vampire Weekend, here is their web page which has lyrics, here are some rave reviews they have been getting, and here is one and two videos of them singing their songs in the streets of paris; pretty creative. Also, the creator of the last two videos, Blogotheque, produces some pretty cool videos of artists which can be found on youtube, such as Sufjan singing “Lakes of Canada” by the Innocence Mission. Other artists receiving the blogotheque treatment:
More Sufjan
Arcade Fire (“Neon Bible” in an elevator)
Arcade Fire “Wake Up”
David Bazan
Andrew Bird
Andrew Bird too
My Brightest Diamond (this one is for Jesse)
More MBD
Enjoy.