Playlouder - Music is the Network

By now, it’s pretty well common knowledge that Vampire Weekend have released a really catchy, unique debut album—or a calculated heap of smug, gimmicky indie pop, if you believe their detractors. The best part of their sound (or the biggest stunt) is the band’s adoption of Afropop melodies; these are filtered through Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon’s takes on world music, with nods to Talking Heads and even fellow New Yorkers The Strokes, creating an undeniably fun set of songs that understandably drew hype well before their official release on XL Recordings last month.

Vampire Weekend looked like they’d walked out of a Gap ad to take the stage at Oxford’s Carling Academy on Saturday, clad in matching grey, including a polo shirt for singer/guitarist Ezra Koenig; the look reinforced the band’s Ivy League roots, another source of annoyance for some. (Cape Cod, the Massachusetts seaside holiday town frequented by rich Americans, is name-checked several times over the course of the album’s often-witty lyrics, most notoriously in the easygoing, Afro-tinged “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.”) But to the crowd—mostly students, according to a tongue-in-cheek poll by Koenig—the question of image didn’t seem to matter. They were there to dance, which they did, from the opening chords of current single “Mansard Roof” to the “Walcott” finale, without missing a beat. (The occasional “I love you Ezra!” was also shouted.)

Onstage, the band seemed far from smug, breaking into nervous smiles and indulging in smatterings of shy, awkward stage banter during their short set; at one point, Koenig was apologetic for not having more songs. But it was less about stage presence than about the huge sound emanating from these four slight frames. Koenig plays clear, precise melodies, complemented by Rostam Batmanglij’s whimsical keyboard lines; Batmanglij took up a second guitar for the sole new number of the night, resulting in dueling swirls of shimmering notes. Meanwhile, bassist Chris Baio and drummer Christopher Tomson’s skills were even more apparent live—the constant but varied throb they lent to each song was the most infectious sound of the night.

Koenig had no trouble spurring an audience sing-along to “One (Blake’s Got a New Face),” and the Oxford crowd was clearly tickled by a performance of “Oxford Comma.” “You might have been wondering what it would be like to experience this song being performed here, and we’re going to give you that experience,” Batmanglij told the crowd before launching into the tune. Student anthem “Campus” was also a crowd-pleaser. Koenig dedicated the song to “students, and anyone who ever was a student,” before proclaiming: “We’re not students.” But they may as well be; the recent grads’ lyrical musings on student life draw so heavily from the university campus it will be interesting to see how their lyrics and image evolve on a second album. Still, having turned traditional indie pop upside down in their debut, Vampire Weekend will likely keep proving they have a lot to teach the music world, as well.