Vampire Weekend’s “Vampire Weekend”

Not since the Strokes seven years ago has New York band garnered such buzz and had the press drooling so much.  Vampire Weekend are the real deal and deserve every bit of buzz.  These Columbia graduates have a lot in common with the Strokes in the way that that they are both keen on tightly-wound, catchy melodies, but whereas the Strokes’ Jesse Casablancas has always sounded a little bored and a little worn, Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig has nothing but joy in his voice.  He doesn’t sound like he’s trying to be cool.  He just sounds like he’s having fun.
  Not only that, but among their stacks of post-punk influences, Vampire Weekend must’ve slipped in some old Calypso and African rhythm influences.  It sounds like they’ve been listening to both Harry Belafonte and Leiber and Stoller’s work with the Drifters.  One gets the feeling that they could probably do a great cover of Ben E. King’s “Spanish Harlem.” 
Somehow beneath the new-wave elements of their sound, they are able to stick plenty of older elements into place.  Like another hipster New York band, the Walkmen, they seem to have a fondness for old sounding organs and dramatic piano parts.  Keyboardist, multi-instrumentalist and producer Rostam Batmanglij deserves an MVP award for his contributions to this record.  The piano on “Walcott” sounds elegant and echo-y, as if it was recorded in the front hall of a giant hotel. 
On the following track, “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance,” Batmanglij alternates between a reggae-chording organ, harpsichord and keyboards that sound like they are scoring a classic Nintendo game.  Add the string section to the mix and you have something really, really beautiful. 
Chris Baio’s bass anchors “One (Blake’s Got A New Face)” while Batmanglij gives a wonderful jittery keyboard performance. 
“Mansard Roof” sounds like it should score a beachside lounge-session, complete with sailor-hats and cocktail umbrellas.  Part “Beyond the Sea,” part “Under the Boardwalk” with a downright frantic rhythm, the song is a standout on a flawless disc. 
“Oxford Comma” is perhaps a vaguely salty indictment of academic pedigrees.  It is so fun and catchy that when it completely revs up and attacks at full speed, that lyrical point may initially pass you by. 
“A-Punk” takes a catchy guitar riff and runs with it, while “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” does the same, only slower with more of the before-mentioned Calypso vibe. 
“M79” begins with a harpsichord-assisted mini-orchestral section, adding a touch of stateliness to the whole record, whereas “Campus” is all groovy-bass and rhythmic play.  During the latter song’s chorus of “How am I suppose to pretend I never want to see you again?” you get the vibe of a relationship gone wrong, but the whole thing is dressed in such a bright, fun package, it never makes you feel the slightest bit morose. 
“Bryn” was no doubt written with limbo-parties and conga-lines in mind.  How could it not be?  It lends itself so well to these activities. 
The album’s 11 tracks go by in a mere 34 minutes, but they are 34 well-packed minutes.  There is not even one hint of filler.  What we have here is a brief but weighty record full of happiness and inspiration. Stylistically, it should have quite a big cross-generational appeal and please a vast audience.  Let’s hope they can keep this momentum going for many albums to come.  This is a highlight in an already surprisingly stellar year.
I could listen to this record over and over again.  While listening, it’s fun to think about possible Vampire Weekend cover-band names.  My favorites at the moment are Zombie Sick-Day, Pirate Personal-Day, Ninja Vacation and Werewolf Sabbatical.