Variety Pack

Vampire Weekend. They are a quartet from New York and after listening to them now for some months has brought me to a small conclusion. Canada is getting tired. It seems like every year our northern friends put out clusters of pop/indie bands that really are just building off the work that Broken Social Scene and The New Pornographers established years ago. While these bands are by no means a waste of time, their sound never really comes off tremendously original. While this middle of the road appraoch will always bring in enough fans by just being new to the scene, Vampire Weekend blends in some new touches and colors. On songs like "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" bongos are played behind some guitar who's rhythm's have a reggae bounce to it and call and response vocals are shared on "One (Blakes Got a New Face)". Their affection towards an African-style beat and melody coupled with great placement of strings and keys round up to a "larger than the sum of their parts" pop appeal. Singles like "Mansard Roof" and "Oxford Comma" are worth a listen if you want something to sink your teeth into.