Album Review - Vampire Weekend: "Self-Titled"
The addictive sound in Vampire Weekend’s self-titled debut album is far from what would typically be considered alternative rock. The Brooklyn-based group of Ivy League alumni unleashed a pièce de résistance, a catchy blend of new wave, reggaeton, classical music, indie rock, and Afro-pop. Vampire Weekend consists of 11 tracks replete with euphoric musical arrangements & eloquent story-telling. There are enough layers to explore in this album to warrant innumerable repetitions over a single lifetime. What’s the average life expectancy for humans nowadays – roughly 78 years? Okay, 2 lifetimes then.
The album showcases an eccentric musical style and poetic lyricism, while maintaining a brilliant balance of levity and gravity between the two. In “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”, a playful guitar riff interacts with organ and harpsichord parts in what seems to be a musical portrayal of the emotional tension in the lyrics. It’s somewhat reminiscent of the 80’s make-out anthem “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel, but is especially charming because it outright emphasizes a pivotal point in courtship (to which Gabriel’s ballad could only allude) with the line “Do you wanna fuck, like you know I do?” How honest to do away with the frills and politics, and just get to the good stuff! The serenade really blossoms where the smooth and sinuous falsetto eerily mimics the howling of a lovesick libidinous wolf during mating season. Gabriel must have concurred with the sentiment of lovesickness when he recorded a cover of “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” with Hot Chip.
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