Even though most ’80s power-rock is irrelevant and crude, I’m overcome by an impulse to quote Whitesnake. It’s officially second semester and “here I go again.” It’s time to substitute serenity for stress because “my heart [and GPA] is in need of rescue. I’m gonna hold on” as the thought of resuming classes lurches from the murky depths of my brain and launches itself to the forefront.
It’s time to re-organize our pampered bodies and drudgingly prep for Spanish homework, bio tests and philosophy finals.
Well, whether you spent your time boozing, jet setting or doing something the least bit constructive, a common, golden thread will hold our either lavish or meager holidays on identical tiers. That “special something” being the music that coursed through freezing veins on the slopes of Aspen, blared through high-amperage speakers at a venue or club or rang gently through headphones as you dosed off.
Whether you listened to the obvious ringers of rising stars Paramore or mulled over the obscure neo-psychedelic folk of Six Organs of Admittances, the fact remains the same: Music, whether your range is small or grand, drives us all.
Therefore, I’m compelled to tie a knot in our common threads, those being college and music, and introduce a new favorite: Vampire Weekend.
Vampire Weekend, an interesting meld of well-metered, Caribbean-style afro-pop and college-kid-polo-punk, is the moniker for one of the hippest New York bands of late. The band follows in the footsteps of other New York four-pieces like ’70s soft-punk outfit, Television.
Unlike most bands that float along with the weak-minded ease and allure of the faux-afro beat, college band ilk, “Vampire Weekend” proves to be lush and never scanty, delivering songs that deserve more than one rotation and skill that mirrors the punk greats.
Lead singer Ezra Koenig lets his voice flail wildly on “Oxford Comma,” single handedly pumping a little life back into New York’s long-since-evaporated punk scene. The song retains a bold musical structure as a clean Gretsch stuns you softly during the solo. All the while, drum, bass and percussive elements – indigenous to Africa – keep the mind and the body dancing.
“Vampire Weekend” is, in a word, exhilarating, gripping you by the shirt with progressive punk anthems like “A Punk” and off-kilter, Brazilian-influenced new wave jams like “One (Blake’s Got A New Face).”
Surprisingly, Vampire Weekend exudes a Clash-like maturity and although they masquerade as college students, the band draws from punk elements well beyond its years.
Mix the enigmatic lyricism of The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas with a dash of new-wave instrumentation and it’s “easy” to picture VW because the band’s style is as distinct as the prep garb they wear on stage.
Rhythms like “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” are far more buoyant than those of the Strokes, whose presence lingers in many aspects on “Vampire Weekend” but the simple comparison is hardly worthwhile. Songs like “Campus” mirror the sunnier side of Casablancas’ vocal stylings exactly (note Hawaii Aloha).
These wily Columbia students are slated to release their much anticipated debut album, “Vampire Weekend,” on the Jan. 29. Whether you’re drowning in homework or slipping away to relax near the fountain, Vampire Weekend is the perfect band to give your day an eloquently punk twist.
