Albums : Vampire Weekend : Modern Vampires Of The City
Albums : Vampire Weekend : Modern Vampires Of The City
Listen To Vampire Weekend : Modern Vampires Of The City
Who is Vampire Weekend?
Vampire Weekend is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 2006. They are currently signed to XL Recordings. The band consists of four members: lead vocalist and guitarist Ezra Koenig, guitarist/keyboardist and backing vocalist Rostam Batmanglij, drummer and percussionist Chris Tomson, and bassist and backing vocalist Chris Baio. The band released its first album Vampire Weekend in 2008, which produced the singles "Mansard Roof", "A-Punk", "Oxford Comma", "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa", and "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance". The band's second album, Contra, was released in 2010. Their third studio album, Modern Vampires of the City, was released on May 14, 2013.
Members of the band met while matriculating at Columbia University in New York City, beginning with a rap collaboration between Koenig and Tomson. They bonded over a shared love of punk rock and African music, and Koenig toured with The Dirty Projectors during a period of experimentation with African music, inspiring the band to incorporate world sounds into their earliest work. The band chose the name "Vampire Weekend" from the title of a short film project Koenig worked on during the summer between freshman and sophomore years in college. While home for the summer, Koenig watched a 1980s vampire film and was inspired to make a Northeastern version of the film in which a man named Walcot travels to Cape Cod to warn the mayor that vampires are attacking the United States. Koenig abandoned the project after two days. The band began playing shows around Columbia University, starting with a battle of the bands at Lerner Hall. After graduating from college, the band self-produced their debut album while simultaneously working full-time jobs, Tomson as a music archivist and Koenig as a middle school English teacher.
In 2007, Vampire Weekend's song "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" was ranked 4th on Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Best Songs of the Year." In November 2007, they toured the UK with The Shins. The now common form of blog hype and internet buzz played a role in their success and led to a large prerelease following, which in fact enabled them to go on three full tours before their debut album dropped. They were declared "The Year's Best New Band" by Spin magazine in the March 2008 issue, and were the first band to be shot for the cover of the magazine before releasing their debut album. Four songs from the band's first album also made the Triple J Hottest 100, 2008. The internet hype had its backlash, however, as critics reacted against a perceived image of Vampire Weekend as privileged, upper-class Ivy League graduates stealing from foreign musicians. One critic went so far as to call Vampire Weekend the "whitest band in the world," to which they took exception, given their Ukrainian, Persian, Italian, and Hungarian heritages. Koenig responded in a November 2009 interview by saying, "Nobody in our band is a WASP." Furthermore, the backlash involving their social backgrounds was largely unfounded, as Koenig explained in the interview that the band members got into Columbia on scholarship and used student loans; he himself was still paying off student loans in 2009.
The band's first album Vampire Weekend was released January 29, 2008. A success in the US and UK, it peaked at number 15 on the UK Albums Chart and number 17 on the Billboard 200. Four singles were released from the album; while "A-Punk" peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Modern rock chart and number 55 on the UK Singles Chart, "Oxford Comma" peaked at number 38 in the UK. "A-Punk" was ranked the 4th on Rolling Stone's list of Best Songs in 2008. "A-Punk" was also used to open the Will Ferrell/John C. Reilly feature Step Brothers, and featured in the UK television show, The Inbetweeners, and the video games Guitar Hero 5, Just Dance 2 and Lego Rock Band.
The band's second album, Contra, was released on January 11, 2010 in the UK and the following day in the US. On January 12, 2010, "Horchata" was released as a free download on the band's website. The album's first single, "Cousins", was released on November 17, 2009. Initial copies of the CD and LP sold at independent records stores in the US include a 3-track bonus CD containing two "melts", which featured bits of album tracks and a remix. Contra was the band's first album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
On January 9, 2010 the band did an acoustic show for MTV Unplugged. The following month, the band toured Europe and Canada with Canadian electro duo Fan Death as their support. The video for their next single "Giving Up the Gun" was also released on February 18, 2010 which included cameos from Joe Jonas, Lil Jon, RZA and Jake Gyllenhaal.
They also played festivals across the USA such as Coachella, Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits Music Festival, and All Points West, as well as the Groovin' The Moo festival in Australia. Their third single, "Holiday", was released on June 7, 2010.
On June 25, 2010, the band played the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival, in Pilton, Somerset, UK. The band were also on the main stage at T in the Park 2010 at Balado Kinross, Scotland, on June 8, and played the Oxegen Festival in Kildare, Ireland on July 9. They also headlined the Latitude Festival in Suffolk, UK on July 18. On 16 July the band headlined the Main Stage at the Festival Internacional de Benicàssim. In the summer of 2010 the band played at the Utopia stage on Peace and Love, Sweden's biggest Festival. On July 30, 2010, the band played at Jisan Valley Rock Festival in South Korea.
In 2010, Vampire Weekend embarked on a North American tour with Beach House and Dum Dum Girls. The tour started off on August 27, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia at the Malkin Bowl. Koenig mentioned to the audience that before this concert, the band had the longest "vacation period" that they have had in a while.
Contra was nominated for a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album, but lost to The Black Keys's Brothers.
On November 11, 2011, it was revealed that Vampire Weekend had been in the studio, writing and recording material for their third album. On April 26, 2012, Rolling Stone reported that the new album could be released by the end of the year. Koenig said, "We do have a ton of stuff. It would be cool if it was released this year...We just never want to be in a position where when we put out something, we feel could've benefited from more time." Until its release, members have been decidedly discreet about the details of the next album, stating that a band "can give a bunch of interviews when they're working on stuff" but they "don't want something they said six months ago to influence how people hear it when it's done."
On February 4, 2013, the band tweeted from their official twitter account "NYT Classifieds...", where, under the Notices & Lost and Found Section, five lines read "Modern Vampires of the City May 7, 2013". The release date would later get pushed back to May 14 in US, and May 13 in UK, with an official announcement coming from the band's Facebook page.
Modern Vampires of the City was written and recorded in various locations including: SlowDeath Studios in New York, Echo Park "Back House" in Los Angeles, Vox Recording Studios in Hollywood, Rostam Batmanglij's New York apartment and a guest house on Martha's Vineyard. The album was co-produced by Batmanglij and Ariel Rechtshaid. After Batmanglij produced the first two albums himself, this marked the first time the band worked with an outside producer on any of their records.
In an interview for the February 2013 edition of Q (released in mid-January), Koenig described the upcoming album as "darker and more organic" and "very much the last of a trilogy". The album was recorded and co-produced by Ariel Rechtshaid in his Los Angeles Studio (alongside Batmanglij). The band discussed the album with The FADER and appeared on the cover of the magazine's 84th issue.
On March 16, 2013, the band played the closing show at Stubbs on the last day of the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. In the show they played two new songs from the upcoming album: "Diane Young" and "Ya Hey". On March 18, 2013, Vampire Weekend released a double-sided single, "Diane Young"/"Step".
On May 11, 2013, Vampire Weekend were featured as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live with Kristen Wiig hosting. They performed "Diane Young" and "Unbelievers", both singles from their latest album Modern Vampires of the City. This marked their third stint as musical guests on the show.
Modern Vampires Of The City Review
At this point, it's hard to write anything about Vampire Weekend's endlessly dissected self titled 2008 debut besides noting that most of its detractors focused on the band's preppy Ivy League references and "appropriation" of afro-beat sounds rather than the quality of the music itself, which had more pop power in a four-song run ("Oxford Comma" through "M79") than most bands can muster in a career.
. 2010's Contra was transitional, tilting away from the Graceland-inspired backbeat and lead man Ezra Koenig's notoriously clean guitar tone towards a more synthetic sound. There were also more moments of honest introspection, particularly on standout album closer "I Think Ur a Contra," which, underneath its nonsense name, left Koenig more vulnerable than ever ("Never pick sides/Never choose between two/But I just wanted you/I just wanted you").
At its core Modern Vampires of the City still has the clever hooks and effortless melodies that made the band blogosphere darlings in 2008, but underneath the gloss there's a less easy, more fatalistic worldview. Take "Unbelievers," a toe-tappable close cousin to Vampire Weekend's "Campus." In 2008 Koenig was musing on an aw-shucks collegiate romance gone awry, but here he's struggling with existential malaise, singing "I’m not excited but should I be?/Is this the fate that half of the world has planned for me?" On "Finger Back," a percussive, fast-paced pop tune, he's equally weighty, closing with "I don't want to live like this but I don't want to die."
Modern Vampires is a consistently interesting album - only the frantic "Worship You" sputters out on repeat listens - but there are three standouts. Opener "Obvious Bicycle," builds on mellow piano and synthetic percussion, before Koenig hits a soaring, gorgeous chorus coated with swirling backing vocals. "Hannah Hunt" slow-builds from a whisper of a start before a wistful Koenig hits a sweeping chorus ("If I can't trust you then damn it Hannah/There's no future, there's no answer") over a weeping guitar and reverb-drenched percussion. "Ya Hey" is marked by a strange marriage of synth-distorted vocals, hand claps and Koenig's musings on God (Through the fire and through the flames/You won't even say your name/Only 'I am that I am'), but still hits with a worthwhile melody at every turn.
According to Koenig, Modern Vampires marks the completion of a trilogy, and if that's the case, it's an impressive one. Having proven themselves a band that's more than lived up to the hype, and seems bent on perpetual motion, the prospects for these Ivy Leaguers have never looked better.
Contact Vampire Weekend
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | YouTube
Contact Glide Magazine
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Email
Sources : Vampire Weekend Photo | Listen To Modern Vampires Of The City | Vampire Weekend Biography | Modern Vampires Of The City Review
Purchase : iTunes | Amazon | Best Buy CD | Walmart
Listen To Vampire Weekend : Modern Vampires Of The City
Who is Vampire Weekend?
Vampire Weekend is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 2006. They are currently signed to XL Recordings. The band consists of four members: lead vocalist and guitarist Ezra Koenig, guitarist/keyboardist and backing vocalist Rostam Batmanglij, drummer and percussionist Chris Tomson, and bassist and backing vocalist Chris Baio. The band released its first album Vampire Weekend in 2008, which produced the singles "Mansard Roof", "A-Punk", "Oxford Comma", "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa", and "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance". The band's second album, Contra, was released in 2010. Their third studio album, Modern Vampires of the City, was released on May 14, 2013.
Members of the band met while matriculating at Columbia University in New York City, beginning with a rap collaboration between Koenig and Tomson. They bonded over a shared love of punk rock and African music, and Koenig toured with The Dirty Projectors during a period of experimentation with African music, inspiring the band to incorporate world sounds into their earliest work. The band chose the name "Vampire Weekend" from the title of a short film project Koenig worked on during the summer between freshman and sophomore years in college. While home for the summer, Koenig watched a 1980s vampire film and was inspired to make a Northeastern version of the film in which a man named Walcot travels to Cape Cod to warn the mayor that vampires are attacking the United States. Koenig abandoned the project after two days. The band began playing shows around Columbia University, starting with a battle of the bands at Lerner Hall. After graduating from college, the band self-produced their debut album while simultaneously working full-time jobs, Tomson as a music archivist and Koenig as a middle school English teacher.
In 2007, Vampire Weekend's song "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" was ranked 4th on Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Best Songs of the Year." In November 2007, they toured the UK with The Shins. The now common form of blog hype and internet buzz played a role in their success and led to a large prerelease following, which in fact enabled them to go on three full tours before their debut album dropped. They were declared "The Year's Best New Band" by Spin magazine in the March 2008 issue, and were the first band to be shot for the cover of the magazine before releasing their debut album. Four songs from the band's first album also made the Triple J Hottest 100, 2008. The internet hype had its backlash, however, as critics reacted against a perceived image of Vampire Weekend as privileged, upper-class Ivy League graduates stealing from foreign musicians. One critic went so far as to call Vampire Weekend the "whitest band in the world," to which they took exception, given their Ukrainian, Persian, Italian, and Hungarian heritages. Koenig responded in a November 2009 interview by saying, "Nobody in our band is a WASP." Furthermore, the backlash involving their social backgrounds was largely unfounded, as Koenig explained in the interview that the band members got into Columbia on scholarship and used student loans; he himself was still paying off student loans in 2009.
The band's first album Vampire Weekend was released January 29, 2008. A success in the US and UK, it peaked at number 15 on the UK Albums Chart and number 17 on the Billboard 200. Four singles were released from the album; while "A-Punk" peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Modern rock chart and number 55 on the UK Singles Chart, "Oxford Comma" peaked at number 38 in the UK. "A-Punk" was ranked the 4th on Rolling Stone's list of Best Songs in 2008. "A-Punk" was also used to open the Will Ferrell/John C. Reilly feature Step Brothers, and featured in the UK television show, The Inbetweeners, and the video games Guitar Hero 5, Just Dance 2 and Lego Rock Band.
The band's second album, Contra, was released on January 11, 2010 in the UK and the following day in the US. On January 12, 2010, "Horchata" was released as a free download on the band's website. The album's first single, "Cousins", was released on November 17, 2009. Initial copies of the CD and LP sold at independent records stores in the US include a 3-track bonus CD containing two "melts", which featured bits of album tracks and a remix. Contra was the band's first album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
On January 9, 2010 the band did an acoustic show for MTV Unplugged. The following month, the band toured Europe and Canada with Canadian electro duo Fan Death as their support. The video for their next single "Giving Up the Gun" was also released on February 18, 2010 which included cameos from Joe Jonas, Lil Jon, RZA and Jake Gyllenhaal.
They also played festivals across the USA such as Coachella, Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits Music Festival, and All Points West, as well as the Groovin' The Moo festival in Australia. Their third single, "Holiday", was released on June 7, 2010.
On June 25, 2010, the band played the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival, in Pilton, Somerset, UK. The band were also on the main stage at T in the Park 2010 at Balado Kinross, Scotland, on June 8, and played the Oxegen Festival in Kildare, Ireland on July 9. They also headlined the Latitude Festival in Suffolk, UK on July 18. On 16 July the band headlined the Main Stage at the Festival Internacional de Benicàssim. In the summer of 2010 the band played at the Utopia stage on Peace and Love, Sweden's biggest Festival. On July 30, 2010, the band played at Jisan Valley Rock Festival in South Korea.
In 2010, Vampire Weekend embarked on a North American tour with Beach House and Dum Dum Girls. The tour started off on August 27, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia at the Malkin Bowl. Koenig mentioned to the audience that before this concert, the band had the longest "vacation period" that they have had in a while.
Contra was nominated for a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album, but lost to The Black Keys's Brothers.
On November 11, 2011, it was revealed that Vampire Weekend had been in the studio, writing and recording material for their third album. On April 26, 2012, Rolling Stone reported that the new album could be released by the end of the year. Koenig said, "We do have a ton of stuff. It would be cool if it was released this year...We just never want to be in a position where when we put out something, we feel could've benefited from more time." Until its release, members have been decidedly discreet about the details of the next album, stating that a band "can give a bunch of interviews when they're working on stuff" but they "don't want something they said six months ago to influence how people hear it when it's done."
On February 4, 2013, the band tweeted from their official twitter account "NYT Classifieds...", where, under the Notices & Lost and Found Section, five lines read "Modern Vampires of the City May 7, 2013". The release date would later get pushed back to May 14 in US, and May 13 in UK, with an official announcement coming from the band's Facebook page.
Modern Vampires of the City was written and recorded in various locations including: SlowDeath Studios in New York, Echo Park "Back House" in Los Angeles, Vox Recording Studios in Hollywood, Rostam Batmanglij's New York apartment and a guest house on Martha's Vineyard. The album was co-produced by Batmanglij and Ariel Rechtshaid. After Batmanglij produced the first two albums himself, this marked the first time the band worked with an outside producer on any of their records.
In an interview for the February 2013 edition of Q (released in mid-January), Koenig described the upcoming album as "darker and more organic" and "very much the last of a trilogy". The album was recorded and co-produced by Ariel Rechtshaid in his Los Angeles Studio (alongside Batmanglij). The band discussed the album with The FADER and appeared on the cover of the magazine's 84th issue.
On March 16, 2013, the band played the closing show at Stubbs on the last day of the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. In the show they played two new songs from the upcoming album: "Diane Young" and "Ya Hey". On March 18, 2013, Vampire Weekend released a double-sided single, "Diane Young"/"Step".
On May 11, 2013, Vampire Weekend were featured as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live with Kristen Wiig hosting. They performed "Diane Young" and "Unbelievers", both singles from their latest album Modern Vampires of the City. This marked their third stint as musical guests on the show.
Modern Vampires Of The City Review
At this point, it's hard to write anything about Vampire Weekend's endlessly dissected self titled 2008 debut besides noting that most of its detractors focused on the band's preppy Ivy League references and "appropriation" of afro-beat sounds rather than the quality of the music itself, which had more pop power in a four-song run ("Oxford Comma" through "M79") than most bands can muster in a career.
. 2010's Contra was transitional, tilting away from the Graceland-inspired backbeat and lead man Ezra Koenig's notoriously clean guitar tone towards a more synthetic sound. There were also more moments of honest introspection, particularly on standout album closer "I Think Ur a Contra," which, underneath its nonsense name, left Koenig more vulnerable than ever ("Never pick sides/Never choose between two/But I just wanted you/I just wanted you").
At its core Modern Vampires of the City still has the clever hooks and effortless melodies that made the band blogosphere darlings in 2008, but underneath the gloss there's a less easy, more fatalistic worldview. Take "Unbelievers," a toe-tappable close cousin to Vampire Weekend's "Campus." In 2008 Koenig was musing on an aw-shucks collegiate romance gone awry, but here he's struggling with existential malaise, singing "I’m not excited but should I be?/Is this the fate that half of the world has planned for me?" On "Finger Back," a percussive, fast-paced pop tune, he's equally weighty, closing with "I don't want to live like this but I don't want to die."
Modern Vampires is a consistently interesting album - only the frantic "Worship You" sputters out on repeat listens - but there are three standouts. Opener "Obvious Bicycle," builds on mellow piano and synthetic percussion, before Koenig hits a soaring, gorgeous chorus coated with swirling backing vocals. "Hannah Hunt" slow-builds from a whisper of a start before a wistful Koenig hits a sweeping chorus ("If I can't trust you then damn it Hannah/There's no future, there's no answer") over a weeping guitar and reverb-drenched percussion. "Ya Hey" is marked by a strange marriage of synth-distorted vocals, hand claps and Koenig's musings on God (Through the fire and through the flames/You won't even say your name/Only 'I am that I am'), but still hits with a worthwhile melody at every turn.
According to Koenig, Modern Vampires marks the completion of a trilogy, and if that's the case, it's an impressive one. Having proven themselves a band that's more than lived up to the hype, and seems bent on perpetual motion, the prospects for these Ivy Leaguers have never looked better.
Contact Vampire Weekend
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | YouTube
Contact Glide Magazine
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Email
Sources : Vampire Weekend Photo | Listen To Modern Vampires Of The City | Vampire Weekend Biography | Modern Vampires Of The City Review
Purchase : iTunes | Amazon | Best Buy CD | Walmart
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