Album Review: Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires Of The City

Vampire Weekend - 'Modern Vampires Of The City' (UK Release: 13 May '13) // Words: Saam Das

Revered in some quarters, reviled in others, Vampire Weekend have generated plenty of interest since their emergence from the packed Brooklyn scene circa 2007. But with two critically acclaimed albums under their belts, 'Modern Vampires Of The City' is accompanied by a certain amount of pressure. The band has responded in a curiously engaging fashion, offering a mellower sound, with a surprisingly overt religious theme.

Live Review: Vampire Weekend + Syd Arthur @ The Troxy

Vampire Weekend + Syd Arthur live at The Troxy, London (2 May '13) // Words: Saam Das

The Troxy is something of an odd venue, a former East London cinema/theatre that now hosts live music, weddings and mixed martial arts. Similarly, Vampire Weekend's latest venture to the UK was slightly odd, jetting in for the solitary live public gig. Not that the band held back on the night, delighting the sell-out crowd with a string of hits, as well as previewing the occasional new song from their shortly arriving third album.

Surfacing: ROSTAM

Words: Saam Das

Rostam Batmanglij might not be a name familiar to some of you. On the other hand, you might be like "hey, that's guy out of that Vampire Weekend lot". And you'd be right. He seems to be perpetually busy making music either in that band or his other band Discovery or as a "Converse All Star" or producing others. He's unveiled a couple of his own tracks lately, which you can listen to below.

Playlist: Label Love

Words: Saam Das

You'll have heard the news of the destruction of the Sony DADC distribution centre in Enfield by now - we wanted to help support the independent music labels who have lost most of their stock as a result of the rioters in London. (Independent DVD companies have also been affected - see how you can help here.) Below is a 30 minute playlist covering some of our recommendations of tracks/albums that you can purchase to support the labels.

Festive Fifty 2009

So it's coming upto the Christmas Bank Holiday and I'm about to present you all with my favourite fifty singles (as well as free downloads, this year) of 2009.

All the songs should have been released in the UK in 2009 or made available for free download by the artists. No re-releases and only one song per artist. Unless I've made a mistake, in which case, anything goes.

Spotify playlist of most of the tracks here. Thoughts? Any other suggestions?

50) Flamboyant Bella - Get A Reaction
[YouTube]
Annoying. Catchy. Annoyingly catchy electro-pop.

49) La Roux - Bulletproof
See above.

48) Robbie Williams - Bodies
Painfully embarrassing lyrics ("UK and entropy, I feel like it's fucking me" being just one of many, many examples) but the electro pop elements and the "Bodies in the.." bridge just about make up for it.

47) The Antlers - Bear
Shame that the tender, intriguing moments are overpowered by retro-pop ambitions. But those tender moments are worth it.

46) Arctic Monkeys - Crying Lightning
For the most part, I'm not down with post-debut album Arctic Monkeys and their "mature" sound. But after repeated listens, the sense of menace on 'Crying Lightning' won me over.

45) Baddies - Open One Eye
[YouTube]
A thrilling opening which barely relents along the way from a band cited as a meeting of QOTSA and The Futureheads.

44) Chapel Club - Surfacing
[MySpace]
Imagine if Interpol covered 'Dream A Little Dream Of Me'. Intriguing. All the more so as I can't tell whether this was released on its November release date or not.

43) Blue Roses - Does Anyone Love Me Now?
This track appeared on one of my old podcasts, capturing the delight and wonder of Blue Roses' mystical folk leanings.

42) Little Comets - One Night In October
[YouTube]
Indie-pop done right, with hints of Vampire Weekend and The Maccabees.

41) Dan Black - Alone
Not quite the brilliance of last year's Festive Fifty topper 'HYPNTZ' but perfect indie dancefloor fodder.

40) Gossip - Love Long Distance
As much as I hate Beth Ditto, she has a great voice. Strong melody on the chorus to this cavorting disco number.

39) Banjo Or Freakout - Upside Down
[YouTube]
Alessio pulls it off again, this time with a burst of breezy, dream pop.

38) The Sound Of Arrows - Into The Clouds

The Sound of Arrows - Into the Clouds (Music video) from The Sound of Arrows on Vimeo.

Magical song. Magical video. Magical artwork. The future of Europop? Look out for more in 2010.

37) The Victorian English Gentlemens Club - Watching The Burglars
"Rumbling basslines, dissonant guitars, eccentric lyrics and catchy hooks" is what I said here, where you can have a listen.

36) Johnny Foreigner - Criminals
Spiralling guitar lines, crashing drums and the usual boy-girl vocals make this a bit by-numbers but still one of the singles of 2009.

35) Two Door Cinema Club - Something Good Can Work
Bustling indie-pop from one of the bands I tipped for the BBC Sound of 2010 poll.

34) Metric - Help I'm Alive
After starting off in a mellow, engaging manner with echoing vocals, 'Help I'm Alive' loses its way a bit after the intro, occasionally dropping into Miley Cyrus territory before regaining composure.

33) Vampire Weekend - Horchata

Picking up where the stunning debut record left off. Magical afro-pop.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND - HORCHATA

32) The XX - Crystalised
The obvious single from the self-titled album. Slow burning, brooding, pseudo-minimalism.

31) Jónsi - Boy Lilikoi
Not quite Sigur Ros but 'Boy Lilikoi' effervesces as every turn, bubbling under with a joyous sense of wonder. This fan-made video is a perfect accompaniment.

JONSI - BOY LILIKOI

30) Phoenix - Lisztomania
Setting the tone for a brilliant album, a simple but wonderful electro pop track.

29) The High Wire - Odds & Evens
This song is so fuzzy, it's almost like it's a beautiful summer's day and your best mate has come along and just given you a massive hug.

28) Pearl Jam - The Fixer
Finally, a Pearl Jam song to put up there with 'Alive'. A punchy alt-rock track with strong melodies.

27) Ebony Bones - The Muzik
A tribal dancefloor hit by a surprisingly ignored act, possibly hurt by her (faux?) eccentricities.

26) Fight Like Apes - Something Global
"GIVE ME MY HOOK" screams May-Kay repeatedly and perhaps ironically in this unrelenting, punchy synthpop album opener.

25) Walls - Burnt Sienna
Bending the rules a bit here. A mysterious, thudding instrumental from a joint collab between Banjo Or Freakout and allez-allez.

WALLS - BURNT SIENNA

24) Kids Love Lies - Count In My Head
The opening '1,2,3,4' gambit annoys me immensely but from there on, this is scuzzy, playful, catchy pop. Bit like Fight Like Apes' little sister.

23) Tubelord - Propeller
Hard, fast, slow, soft. If At The Drive-In did pop songs.

22) Good Shoes - The Way My Heartbeats
Interesting divergence from the immediacy of the first album but still with anthemic aspirations. Read more and download here.

21) Jack Penate - Tonight's Today
A splendidly unexpected turn from a much maligned character. His take on afro-pop.

20) Clock Opera - White Noise

Clock Opera - White Noise from Aoife McArdle on Vimeo.

Melodramatic pop song. Slightly bizarre, slightly exciting. Download b-side 'Alouette' here.

19) The Joy Formidable - Cradle
[YouTube]
"All I want to see is the end of this". I don't. The shoegaze-meets-pop comparison is lazy but that doesn't make 'Cradle' any less compelling, with its dizzying vocal hooks.

18) Frightened Rabbit - Swim Until You Can't See Land
"The horns and string arrangements give the single a wonderful richness but I can't help feeling that it's a little tepid in comparison to Frightened Rabbit's previous output." Still, very good though. Download a live version here. The b-side 'Fun Stuff' is arguably even better, if you can see past the amateurish production.

17) Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling
I'm not even sure that the song title makes sense. What I am sure about is that this is an impeccable feel good anthem that makes up for the abortion that was 'Boom Boom Pow'. Mazel tov.

16) Bombay Bicycle Club - Always Like This
I called this Bombay Bicycle Club's finest work (in a post which has mysteriously disappeared, obviously thanks to Blogger and the IFPI being cunts - it was a cleared James Rutledge remix), a compelling mix of Vampire Weekend and Modest Mouse.

15) Pomegranates - Everybody Come Outside
[Last.fm]
"Playful vocals are enveloped in an irresistable warm fuzz and moments of quiet intensity, recalling the likes of Radiohead and Arcade Fire, intersperse an overwhelming sense of hypnotic rhythm that a Vampire Weekend or a Strokes would be proud of." Download here.

14) Animal Collective - Summertime Clothes
I've never really understood the love for Animal Collective but 'Summertime Clothes' clicked with me. Particularly due to the compelling Letterman performance. This experimental pop single has had me bouncing up and down.

13) Run Toto Run - Sleepyhead

Run Toto Run won over the blogosphere with this amazing cover of an already amazing Passion Pit song. The transitions between mandolin and violin are wonderful. Perhaps even better than the original.

12) Patrick Wolf - Hard Times
[YouTube]
Thankfully, not the single with the ridiculous bondage video but instead the one with incisive strings, Wolf's soaring vocals, and a majestic backing choir.

11) Passion Pit - Moth's Wings
[YouTube]
For a long time, I thought that Passion Pit were the new Black Kids (i.e one hit wonders with nothing left in the tank). 'Moth's Wings' proved just how wrong I was and a fantastic debut album followed. This sounds "sounds a bit like Michael Jackson covering the amazing Talking Heads track, 'Once In A Lifetime'." Download here

10) Fucked Up - Do They Know It's Christmas?
[YouTube]
"WELL TONIGHT THANK GOD IT'S THEM, INSTEAD OF JEEEEEEEEWWWWWSSS". Forget RATM. Forget X Factor Joe. This should have been UK Christmas #1. A cover of the Band Aid single, featuring all your favourite alternative heroes (Ezra Koenig, Kevin Drew, Andrew WK, Kyp Malone, Tegan And Sara, Yo La Tengo etc). And all for charity too.

9) The Big Pink - Dominos
[YouTube]
It's not big, it's not clever and it's been on a million adverts. But 'Dominos' still remains the singalong chorus of 2009. "THESE GIRLS FALL LIKE DOMINOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOS"

8) Los Campesinos! - The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future

The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future from Los Campesinos! on Vimeo.

This free download was another step away from their twee days and towards a dynamically moody sound, contrasting both hope and hopelessness. Amazing lyrically, beautiful musically.

LOS CAMPESINOS! - THE SEA IS A GOOD PLACE TO THINK OF THE FUTURE

7) These New Puritans - We Want War

A 7 minute "comeback" single. Would you expect anything less from one of the most progressively brilliant bands around? Hip hop influences, operatic backing vocals and an overwhelming feeling of dread.

6) Yeasayer - Ambling Alp
[Pitchfork TV]
A brilliantly exotic taste of the forthcoming second album from Brooklyn's Yeasayer. "Stick up for yourself son, never mind what else done". Download here.

5) The Drums - Let's Go Surfing
[YouTube]
Matching Peter, Bjorn and John in the whistling stakes, 'Let's Go Surfing' was a statement of intent. The Drums do pop and they do it incredibly well.

4) Just Jack - Embers

Embers

JUST JACK>> ON TOUR OCT/NOV!!! | MySpace Music Videos

An astounding return from a bargain bin popstar. The multi-tracked vocals, handclaps and sweeping strings throughout make this stunning.

3) Jamie T - Sticks 'n' Stones
[YouTube]
A firecracker of a single, as feisty and lyrically compelling as he's ever been. Building on previous album 'Panic Prevention' and perhaps even surpassing anything from that.

2) The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition

Shimmering dream pop, with a beautiful lead vocal, jangly guitars and a pulsating drum beat. The perfect soundtrack to one of the year's best films '(500 Days of) Summer'.

1) King Charles - Love Lust

"The galloping drums, shredding guitar lines, sci-fi sound effects, double tracked vocals and brilliant lyrics ("with a guitar in my hand or a gun in my hand, I'd give it all up for your hand in my hand") make this psychedelic prog-folk ballad one of the singles of the year." Or so I said a couple of months ago. And here we are, where I'm proclaiming it my favourite song of 2009.

Download a live version here.

My Year In Lists Part Deux

I don't know how people compile their top 50 albums of a year. I'm only compiling a top eight here and even that was a bit of an extended effort. Just hours and hours and hours of listening to albums, most of which were largely forgettable. And my list is only eight albums long. I can't imagine doing so much work for such little reward. I imagine there isn't always a lot of job satisfication being a critic.

Nevertheless, I do pay attention to some of these lists and it's always interesting to see which albums keep cropping up. This year's consensus seems to be along the lines of Frightened Rabbit, Cut Copy, Bon Iver and M83. Seeing as I haven't even listened to the latter three yet, my list is going to be a wee bit different. But that's the joy in lists; I'm going to seek out those albums now and maybe you'll pick up something new from my list.

EIGHT ALBUMS FOR 2008

8. Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip - Angles
I'm very pleased to see this album appear on a few blogger best-ofs at least, although I still feel it's a bit underrated. The juxtaposition of Dan Le Sac's electronica and Scroobius Pip's spoken word created an intriguing pop album, both lyrically and musically. Sure, there's a fair bit of filler but it's far from the one-hit wonder exhibition that I expected.
Download: 'Thou Shalt Always Kill', 'Angles', 'Fixed'


7. Hot Club de Paris - Live At Dead Lake
Not a live album as the title deceives but a competent studio follow up to one of my favourite albums of any year, 'Drop It Till It Pops'. Showing their influences on their sleeves by including a Minutemen cover, their general jitter-pop sound remained. However, I felt it was a bit too understated. More a grower than a shower. And if you get confused with that line, I don't mean the apparatus for washing yourself. Mind you, the statement would still apply.
Download: 'Hey Housebrick', 'My Little Haunting', 'Sparrow Flew With Swallows Wings'


6. Thomas Tantrum - Thomas Tantrum
In the year of "wonky pop", I just don't understand how Thomas Tantrum have barely made a blip into the mainstream. A fantastically off-kilter twee-post-punk-pop band with killer singles, an attractive frontwoman, and Lily Allen bigging them up on MySpace. Remind me again why they're not massive?
Download: 'Work It', 'Swan Lake', 'Shake It Shake It'/[DOWNLOAD LIVE READING FESTIVAL 2008 VERSION]


5. Johnny Foreigner - Waited Up Til It Was Light
After leaving me waiting for about two years, Johnny Foreigner came up with the goods on their lively debut album, with almost all the classics on there. Strong proponents of Kinsella-core but not scared of melodies, something they exploit to wonderful effect.
Download: 'Yes! You Talk Too Fast', 'Salt, Peppa And Spinderella', 'Yr All Just Jealous'


4. These New Puritans - Beat Pyramid
A remarkably ambitious and refreshing album, especially considering this is a debut. For such an inventive and atmospheric album, there is a striking immediacy to 'Beat Pyramid'. There is so much more to them than being a new age version of The Fall.
Download: 'Navigate-Colours', 'Swords Of Truth', 'Elvis'


3. TV On The Radio - Dear Science
I've only been listening to this album for the last week or so but wow. I can see why it's topped so many polls, the album flows effortlessly. In years to come, I could well look back at this and consider it my favourite from 2008. Although it would take a lot to depose my top two. I'm sure you've read about this album in countless places by now.
Download: 'Family Tree', 'Halfway Home', 'Dancing Choose', (recent radio session [here])


2. Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
Probably the 2008 album I was most looking forward to prior to its release. It didn't disappoint. A touching, emotive album with plenty of lyrical gems ("While I'm alive I'll make tiny changes to the Earth", "Jesus is just a Spanish boy's name" etc), its anthemic folk vibe has produced tremendous critical acclaim.
Download: 'The Twist', 'Head Rolls Off', 'The Modern Leper' (opening track on Keep Hope Inside podcast #7, listenable [here])


1. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
At the start of the year, I would never have guessed that this would be my favourite album of 2008. I didn't really get caught up in their hype and came to the album only in the second half of the year. I wish I could pinpoint the day when I first listened to the album. The African influences breathed fresh air into indie-pop and the album is so strong that almost any track could have feasibly been a hit single. An absolute pleasure to listen to.
Download: 'Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa', 'Campus', 'A-Punk'/[DOWNLOAD READING FESTIVAL 2008 VERSION]


So there's my somewhat unconventional list. I wasn't a big fan of some of the albums I've seen feature highly in other lists - things like Bloc Party and Mystery Jets, which were especially disappointing considering how much I've enjoyed their past material. Los Campesinos! would have snuck in at #9 but I'm still not sure which one of their two albums of 2008 I prefer more. I am gravitating towards their latter release after my dislike of the debut's abrasive production.

Next year I suggest you look out for debut offerings from Grammatics, Sky Larkin, Fanfarlo, Fight Like Apes and The Joy Formidable's Japanese LP. And then there'll be welcome returns for the likes of The National and Patrick Wolf hopefully. Although to be honest, I still have to work through this year's missed albums, like The Acorn, Cats In Paris, Why? etc....any other recommendations? Have a happy new year!

Futuresounds 2008 Part 1

I didn't realise quite how long I'd been away from blogging but I'm back with my tips for 2008. Now I wasn't sure whether this was a sensible idea as I don't want to perpetuate ridiculous hype but then I realise that's basically what all mp3 bloggers do anyway! At least I've come with a more snappy title than last year's "Bands I Want To Namedrop Because They Will Become Big In 2007". Many of the bands I tipped last year are now on tipsters lists for 2008 (hello Foals, These New Puritans and Laura Marling) but hopefully my new list will prove to be a bit more successful.

Like last year there will be 12 entires but this around, I'll be tipping bands that have been hyped already (Is This The NME?), artists which have been raved about on here before (We Still Remember) as well as a bunch of new but fresh acts (First Time Lucky). So without further ado....

Vampire Weekend
How fitting that it is Superbowl Sunday. This slot was going to be filled by one of the massively hyped acts from across the pond, be that Vampire Weekend, Black Kids, MGMT or Yeasayer. I think you can figure out who won that battle.

Vampire Weekend's quirky "college-rock" is complimented by African influences and with their debut album having just been released on XL in the UK, success beckons.

Vampire Weekend - I Stand Corrected (BBC 6Music Session) [Yourfilehost d/l link]//[Sendspace link]
Vampire Weekend - Campus (BBC 6Music Session) [Yourfilehost]//[Sendspace]

Alphabeat
Jackson Five meets ABBA. Danish six piece Alphabeat are pure pop brilliance. They're just lots and lots of fun. New single 'Fascination' has hit written all over it and the video below shows just how much fun Alphabeat are:


Already celebrated in Denmark, they have signed to EMI in the UK, who aren't doing so well at the minute but Alphabeat are no doubt one of their big hopes for the year. They're one of mine too.

Alphabeat - Fascination 6 (Fitzmaurice Remix) [Yourfilehost]//[Sendspace]

Elle S'Appelle
Liverpool and its surrounding areas have produced some amazing bands in the last couple of years from Hot Club de Paris to My Amiga. Elle S'Appelle are as good as anything from Liverpool or otherwise. Appearing on Keep Hope Inside podcast#4 [link] way back in July, the S'appelles have since inflicted their wonderfully harmonious synth pop on the free world via the fantastic Moshi Moshi records.

2008 sees the bands embark on a BOSSPOP tour with one of my 2007 tips goFASTER>>, which should be an utter treat. With more singles due and maybe even an album, we can only hope 2008 brings Elle S'Appelle the success they deserve.

Elle S'Appelle - Mariappa [Yourfilehost//Downloadable from [Converse Music]

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So that's that for part one, the next post will be following soon with more overly hyped/former KHI faves and "noob" bands. Are any of the American hyped bands going to make it at all, let alone this year in the UK? Who do you think is going to be huge in 2008? Are bands like Forward, Russia! going to step up upon their return?