2008-01-29
Pull together classical music, Paul Simon’s Graceland, sound clips from a Nintendo game, a weathered drum set, and a dictionary, and you have Vampire Weekend’s self-titled debut. Vampire Weekend’s music is full of variation, playfulness, and intelligence. Do I know what their lyrics mean half the time? No. Does it matter? Not at all. Just try to count the instruments used on the CD without looking at the liner notes. Try to keep the choruses from running through your head. The four former Columbia University students have generated an early buzz by opening for the Shins and Animal Collective. Don’t be surprised if they sell out a tour of their own. I’m already making plans to see them in Ann Arbor in February. —MLGAARON FREEMAN
Marvelous Clouds
k.d. lang
Hymns of the 49th Parallel
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus
JASON COLLETT
Idols of Exhile
Wendy Colonna
No Moment But Now
The Broken West
I Can't Go On, I'll Go On
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