I’m probably the last remaining carbon-based life form that has not heard a single note of Vampire Weekend’s newly released debut. Even this humble blog has been fairly resistant to the charms of this latest in a long succession of bands of the moment, so I feel like I’m among friends.
As for the rest of the blogosphere? They’ve been batshit mad about Vampire Weekend for a coon’s age now, which means the inevitable blacklash isn’t far behind.
It’s amazing how the same hype machine that lifts a band like Vampire Weekend into the vernacular of cool can just as swiftly have them stricken from the proverbial record. Such is life in the “how soon is now” realm of music blogging, where your hipster cred is your only currency. Folks are more preoccupied with being the first to break a band than with pausing for a moment to actually hear the music.
The way I see it, either we could sit and stew over it or we can laugh cynically at the spectacle. New York magazine’s Vulture blog takes the latter approach and with brilliant results. An entry published yesterday entitled “What to Expect From the Upcoming Vampire Weekend Backlash” plays out the indie-appeal arc of this inevitably ill-fated band:
In late 2008, after Vampire Weekend has guested on Saturday Night Live, sold out the Theater at Madison Square Garden for nine consecutive nights, and licensed songs for commercials for every product in Apple’s lineup, Zach Braff discovers a hip, new underground band called “Vampire Weekend.” He adds them to the soundtrack for his new movie, a coming-of-age story about Zach Braff sleeping with whichever currently popular 22-year-old actress is the hottest. He explains in the CD’s liner notes: “Their songs sound like Graceland by Paul Simon, another artist with which I am newly familiar.”
Like I said, brilliant.
2 responses so far ↓
1 K // Jan 30, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Yeah, they were definitely 2007’s Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. I was hesitant (read: embarrassed) to list them in my top 10, but I did listen to the shit out of the record last year. But, much like CYHSY, the novelty wears off after a while. Then again, isn’t that the point of pop? Like FruitStripes gum, it is.
2 Rachel // Feb 1, 2008 at 9:34 pm
it bothers me that VW’s buzz will inevitably lead to their demise, seeing as they are genuinely talented, no matter how superficial and gimmicky they are presented. Listen to “I Stand Corrected” or “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” and tell me you arent having fun.
They did a fantastic job producing their new album and i think it pushed their popularity out of the realm of absurdity.
As my parents have always told me, “I’m not going to ask you to finish everything on your plate, but take a few bites, and if you dont like it, you never have to have it again.”