During the chorus of "Oxford Comma," a key moment on Vampire Weekend's self-titled debut, you get the feeling that just maybe these four boys from Columbia University are on to something. As the laid-back, straightforward keyboard melody plays on in the background, singer/guitarist Ezra Koenig straight-facedly delivers what might be the first hip-hop truism name-checked on an indie rock record: "First, the window/ Then it's to the wall/ Lil Jon, he always tells the truth." It's a smirk-worthy line, for sure (although one questions whether Lil Jon does always tell the truth -- you've seen his yearbook picture, right?), but it's only enhanced when considered in context.
In the hype-saturated months leading up to the release of Vampire Weekend, much has been made of the band's predilection for Afro-pop; yet, here they are, referencing the King of Crunk in a way similar to when Built To Spill sneered, "You were right when you said/ All we are is dust in the wind" years ago. These kids might be young, but dammit if they don't have a killer sense of humor. For better and for worse, all the discussion about cultural tourism and racial politics mixed with their impossibly groomed good looks and Ivy League background is static noise stirred up by restless bloggers to take away focus from the musical result: Vampire Weekend have composed an excellent debut record.
For many bands, it takes years to sound as relaxed in a studio as Koenig and crew come off; they may only sing about college girls ("Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa"), college ("Campus"), and girls ("Bryn"), but even at their most love-sick, the instrumentation feels loose and the vocals as ramblingly playful as any of Paul Simon's solo work (whose Graceland is an obvious forebear for this record). Even on "Mansard Roof," their most theatric, upwardly propelling first single, Vampire Weekend sound as if they're merely having a good time: drummer Christ Tomson hammers out a wonderfully shambolic drumbeat, Rostam Batmanglij's keyboard notes puncture the air, and Koenig's high-drama strumming collides with the rest in two minutes of pure pop bliss.
Sadly, Vampire Weekend isn't perfect -- "M79" is too cluttered for its own good, and "I Stand Corrected" comes off a bit toothless for the band's strengths -- but it sure could have been. Remove these two tracks and replace them with excellent B-side "Ladies of Cambridge," and the album would've been that much better. However, by the end of the album's blissful, sparse, empty-Saharan-landscape closer "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance," perfection doesn't seem to matter much anymore -- especially when your mind's too preoccupied on starting Vampire Weekend again from the beginning.
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