17 December 2008

BEST ALBUMS OF 2008: #9



9. Vampire Weekend - VAMPIRE WEEKEND

I had to look past the hype, the sweaters, the desire to create a soundtrack for an imaginary Wes Anderson film to get at what’s really remarkable about this band: its rhythms. Whether exotic (made explicit in the title “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”) or merely unorthodox (the ska without horns of “A-Punk”), they’re almost always danceable, and they can even make a borderline annoying song like “One (Blake’s Got a New Face)” tolerable. Although the singer is no David Byrne, early Talking Heads is a good reference point. They get props, however, for reveling in this very distinct little world while still making a generous effort to invite us all in.

Favorite songs: “A-Punk”, “M79”, “Walcott”

1 comment:

Howard said...

The Weekends ended up higher on my list. In fact, my write up for the album debuts tomorrow. I'm thinking of moving to a Top 10 list. I'm so tired of writing at this point. :)