Preppie Columbia Grads Make Indie Splash

Simple, clean, and fresh are the first three words that jump out at me as I listen to Vampire Weekends debut album Vampire Weekend. With a name with ‘vampire’ in it, the sound and band members are not what you would expect. Not only is the music fun and jaunty, the band-mates all hail from Columbia University. Not to shabby. It’s also hard to pinpoint a certain genre while listening to their laidback sound. I’ve seen ‘afro pop’ thrown around a lot, but to me it’s still a indie-pop album with a dash of reggae and a hint of clean afro guitar.  ”Oxford Comma”, “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”, and “Campus” are the catchiest tunes on the album, and if I had to vote for my favorites on the album, they would have to be “A-Punk” and “Boston”, the two edgiest songs. 

 Vampire Weekend is receiving great reviews for a debut album. Although the album definitely has a refreshing quality about it, my biggest critique would be that it lacks substance. The songs don’t really get me emotionally involved. I think it’s the clear cut simplicity and innocence in the songs that make them different from a lot of the indie acts out there. Vampire Weekend is not trying to change the world with this album, they just want to play good music. This album is just that. Good music for chillin’ at the beach on a relaxing summer weekend.  

~TJK

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