Most Popular
-
American Girls
Crossing between American and Egyptian cultures, he Said girls made one deadly misstep: They fell in love
-
The Man Who Would Be King
Freddy Haynes seemed a shoo-in to lead the NAACP. Then Obama's ex-pastor came to town.
-
Bless Us, Oh Lard
Damn fajitas and health-conscious eaters. They're killing traditional Tex-Mex.
-
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Electronic monitoring may dramatically curb truancy. So why isn't DISD interested?
-
Sexy Town
Imagine a city with flowing creeks, walkable neighborhoods and greenery. No, not Seattle, dummy.
-
The Best Albums of 2008, So Far...
Just over three months into 2008 and we're already fussing over which albums will make our year-end best-of lists
-
Clubbed Over
Big changes are in store for Club Dada thanks to new ownership and a re-energized booking philosophy
-
Blood, Sweat & Tears
The Red Blood Club's doors are closing—and Dallas' hardcore scene is all but dying with it
-
Bringing Sachse Back
21-year-old Dondria Nicole's on the verge of a major-label push as we prepare for the Observer's 20th Music Awards issue
-
Good Radio?
Indie rock finds a new home in Dallas' cluttered corporate radio landscape
"Most Popular" tools sponsored by:
Blogs
Thu Jul 3, 5:16 PM
Thu Jul 3, 4:39 PM
Thu Jul 3, 4:04 PM
Thu Jul 3, 3:58 PM
Thu Jul 3, 2:30 PM
Thu Jul 3, 9:30 AM
No recent articles found for this author
National Features >
Broward-Palm Beach New Times
For Florida's sole remaining sex surrogate, love is a many splintered thing.
By Michael J. Mooney
City Pages
It's not just giant companies cashing in on America's defense industry.
By Jeff Severns Guntzel
The Pitch
How a throwaway idea at the Barkley ad agency became the "Sonic Guys."
By Justin Kendall
Houston Press
A diner's guide to Texas's oldest Mexican restaurants.
By Robb Walsh
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend (XL)
Published on February 28, 2008
Vampire Weekend has been buzzing in the blogosphere for almost a year now—some overzealous hipsters even named the Brooklyn band's self-titled debut "Best Album of 2007". . . even though it wasn't even officially released last year. Fresh out of Columbia University, these four smarty-pants sing about French designer Louis Vuitton, Cape Cod and the correct use of commas—subjects that come off way pretentious, no matter how you look at them, but become even more so in the hands of cardigan- and Polo-wearing Ivy League grads. Somehow, though, Vampire Weekend manages to actually get away with it. The preps make lines such as "You're walking across the campus/Cruel professor/Studying romances" sound quirky, not pompous. (It helps that they play music that mixes stripped-down indie rock with splashes of Afropop.)
"Walcott" begins with a torrent of fluttering piano, "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" rides a repetitive but hooky three-chord guitar riff, and "A-Punk" messes around with the beat enough times to keep listeners alert. Comparisons to Paul Simon's Graceland and Talking Heads' entire catalog are unavoidable, but Vampire Weekend offers its own thrills too.