Album: Vampire Weekend (Self Titled)

Artist(s): Vampire Weekend

Genre: Indie Rock/ Indie Pop

Release Date: January 29, 2008

Length: 34 min 18 sec

 *Felicity’s Pick*

Felicity: We revisited this self-titled album as it was made this month 14 years ago. Vampire Weekend, an indie rock band from New York City, has gained much popularity since their debut album in 2008. I have been a Vampire Weekend fan for as long as I can remember; I grew up listening to their music (thanks to my epicly cool dad) and immediately considered them one of my favorites. The band’s no-skip album quickly grabs your attention with the introduction of Mansard Roof’s repetitive lines, and powerful rhythm. Each song can easily be justified as a best song on the album, or even best song overall. The songs contain very pleasant-to-the-ear lyrics, as seen in the closing song, The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance when Koenig sings “Your Pillow Feels So Soft Now, But You Still Must Advance”. Throughout the album, listeners get a feel for his college lifestyle, as lead singer Koenig, a then recent graduate of university, sings about grammar, the campus, and many more academic related subjects. An overall favorite of mine, this album is a go-to and definitely worth the listen. 

Favorite tracks: M79, Campus, Bryn

Jeremy: I’ve always known of Vampire Weekend but never fully got into their music. The only exposure that I had of them when I was younger was my dad blasting A-Punk on family road trips. Otherwise, I had just known of the name. I have recently discovered my liking for the band, and even started memorizing the lyrics to most of the songs. Though this self-titled record is not my favorite of theirs, I do appreciate it’s appeal, especially as it is their first album. I do enjoy the consistency on this album and how every song could be a favorite, but in contrast a lot of the songs do sound similar to me. Though a song that did stand out to me was M79. Ezra’s voice, accompanied by an orchestra, achieves what I wish a lot of the other songs on the album did. I should also mention that I have not listened to this album as much as other Vampire Weekend albums, so I believe it would grow on me the more that I play it.

Favorite tracks: M79, I Stand Corrected, Oxford Comma