Vampire Weekend

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This article is about the band. For the band's eponymous album, see Vampire Weekend (album).
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend performing in Hamburg, November 2, 2007
Vampire Weekend performing in Hamburg, November 2, 2007
Background information
Origin New York, NY
Genre(s) Indie rock, post-punk revival
Years active 2006-present
Label(s) XL Recordings
Associated acts Discovery
Website VampireWeekend.com
Members
Ezra Koenig
Rostam Batmanglij
Chris Tomson
Chris Baio

Vampire Weekend are an American indie rock band from New York, formed in 2006 and signed to XL Recordings.

Contents

[edit] History

Vampire Weekend's name is derived from lead singer Ezra Koenig's amateur film of the same name.[1] The band gained attention via a variety of blogs, such as Stereogum.[2] The band claims to be influenced by both African popular music and Western classical music, describing their genre of music as "Upper West Side Soweto", with such songs as "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" and "Oxford Comma" referencing Congolese soukous music.[3]

The members of the band met while attending Columbia University; they then self-produced their first album after graduation while concurrently working full-time jobs. Koenig and drummer Chris Tomson first collaborated as members of the comedy-rap band "L'Homme Run".[4] They are managed by Ian Montone, who also manages The White Stripes. They are signed to XL Recordings, of which the band said in an interview: "Before any labels had contacted us, we actually mentioned XL as the kind of label we'd ideally like to end up on. Just going on their roster alone, they obviously have good taste and support their artists well." [5]

In 2007, Vampire Weekend's song "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" was ranked 67th on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of the year.[6] In November 2007, they toured the United Kingdom with The Shins.[7] 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.[4]

The band's debut album Vampire Weekend was released January 29, 2008. It was a success in the US and UK, peaking 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. In 2008, Vampire Weekend were dubbed the "whitest band" by Christian Lander, the creator of the site Stuff White People Like, in an interview with Salon.com.[8] During the summer of 2008, Vampire Weekend performed at the Central Park SummerStage in Manhattan and a fundraiser for Music for Democracy in October, where they shared the stage with David Crosby and Graham Nash. In December 2008, Vampire Weekend's debut album was #2 in Under The Radar magazine's "top 50 albums of 2008" issue. In the January 2009 issue of Rolling Stone magazine, their self-titled album was dubbed the 10th best album of 2008. Their song Ottoman was used during the credits of the 2008 blockbuster Nick and Norah's infinite playlist.

A new album was slated for release in July, although the band is reportedly still tinkering with the details so a fall release is more likely. Tracks thus far include, "White Sky", "Taxi Cab" "Little Giant," and "California English."[9][10][11]

[edit] Members

  • Ezra Koenig – lead vocals, guitar, piano, hand drum
  • Rostam Batmanglij – organ, chamberlain, piano, harpsichord, guitar, vocal harmonies, drum and synth program, shaker
  • Chris Tomson – drums, guitar
  • Chris Baio – bass guitar

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] EPs

[edit] Singles

Year Title Chart positions Album
UK Singles Chart US Hot 100 US Modern Rock US Pop 100
2007 "Mansard Roof" - - - - Vampire Weekend
2008
"A-Punk" 55 106 25 91
"Oxford Comma" 38 - - -
"Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" 178 - - -

[edit] Compilation tracks

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Trailer: Vampire Weekend". LimeWire Music Blog. 2008-01-29. http://blog.limewire.com/posts/1138/. 
  2. ^ "Band to Watch: Vampire Weekend". Stereogum. 2006-04-13. http://stereogum.com/archives/band-to-watch/band-to-watch-vampire-weekend_005100.html/. 
  3. ^ Sanneh, Kelefa. "Preppie Afro-Pop and Other Odd Blends". The New York Times. June 18, 2007. Retrieved on June 28, 2009.
  4. ^ a b Greenwald, Andy. "Vampire Weekend: The Graduates". Spin. February 25, 2008. Retrieved on June 28, 2009.
  5. ^ Coscarelli, Joseph. "Vampire Weekend: preppy punks?". The Deli. Retrieved on June 28, 2009.
  6. ^ "The 100 best Songs of 2007". Rolling Stone. 2007-12-27. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/17601363/the_100_best_songs_of_2007/17. 
  7. ^ "Vampire Weekend To Tour With The Shins". Angryape. 2007-10-11. http://angryape.com/news/2007/10/11/vampire-weekend-to-tour-with-the-shins. 
  8. ^ "The Unbearable Whiteness of Being". Salon.com. 2008-7-5. http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/07/05/white_people/. 
  9. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/06/30/vampire-weekend-california-dreamin-on-second-album/
  10. ^ http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2009/03/2009-release-for-vampire-weekend.html Paste Magazine
  11. ^ http://www.spin.com/articles/vampire-weekends-new-record-higher-lower-faster
  12. ^ http://www.bpi.co.uk British Phonographic Industry
  13. ^ http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2009/03/2009-release-for-vampire-weekend.html Paste Magazine

[edit] Interviews

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire_Weekend"
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