Vampire Weekend album review
Artist: Vampire Weekend
Album: ‘Vampire Weekend’
Label: XL Recordings
Rating 2.5/5
After trawling through the massive and quite frankly unexciting biography that we were supplied with in accompaniment with this release, I finally put my finger on how the in house PR team could describe Vampire Weekend’s debut album in a more concise and efficient manner: ‘Hit and Miss’.
Those little words, sitting next to each other in perfect harmony, are the only 2 words anyone will ever need to describe this self titled album. In fact, I’m in half a mind to finish writing this review now as nothing more genuinely needs to be said. I could just give you some more words; reasonable, satisfactory, passable, OK etc.
But as that could be described as ‘lazy journalism’ let us dissect this album a little more shall we?
UK debut release ‘Mansford Roof’ is a pleasant enough opening with its jaunty rhythm and catchy hook but it’s the 2nd track ‘Oxford Comma’ where the album prematurely peaks. With the attention grabbing opening line of “Who gives a fuck about an Oxford comma?” to the memorable chorus hook of “Why would you lie about how much coal you have?” it leaves you expecting a lot more then the album eventually delivers.
I first discovered the albums other highlight ‘Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa’ when a friend of mine game me an mix album which had a theme of ‘Adorable Dittys’ and the song fits that description rather well. Apart from the rather bizarre repetition of the lyric of “It feels so natural, Peter Gabriel too” it is a song which could very well feature on ‘it’s-getting-warmer-so-lets-get-in-a-summery-mood’ playlists all around the country pretty soon. The album then goes from weak, to a bit strange to damn right awful at times. I can only assume they recorded ‘One (Blakes Got A New Face)’ as some kind of dare or bet as I can’t find a positive thing to say about it.
All in all its an album that is quite simply: alright. Not one you’ll tell all your mates to go and buy but at the same time you’ll not be angry at it for stealing 40 minutes of your life.
