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. —MLGTHE SHINS
Wincing the Night Away
MATT TEN CLAY & THE HOWLERS
Very Much Alive
Janove Ottensen
Francis' Lonely Nights
LONDON GRAMMAR
If You Wait
LIGHTS AT SEA
Palace Walls
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan
Ballad Of The Broken Seas
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