Its Ok Not to Hate Vampire Weekend
It could be said that this is a little late, and the time for it was a few months back, when the Vampire Weekend debate was at its apex. “Debate” might not be the best word here since it never felt like much of a conversation, but rather competing exxagerations. The mainstream public ate up the record, and the music elitists bashed it mercilessly. (Excuse the broad labels, but lets just agree that it’s impossible to accurately pigeonhole any group of music listeners and for this post to accept “mainstream” and “elitists” to label the pro and anti-VW camps respectively).
Well, regardless of time, I know CMac recently saw them live and I wrote this in anticipation of his (still forthcoming?) review.
Grape recently bemoaned (not here unfortunately) the nature of music and its intrinsic marriage to public perception. His basic argument is that you can’t listen to music in a vacuum and your tastes are bound to be affected by public perception. And that’s the real crux of the Vampire Weekend debate.
Back in March I remember riding in a car with a friend, and hearing NPR excitedly dissecting the VW album before playing a few songs. Not being a music-focused station, they reviewed it in the only way they could, borrowing the glowing praise of most other reviews, invoking Paul Simon’s Graceland and the African influence, trumpeting VW as new and fresh, and brilliant and inventive.
My friend, certainly more the elitist than the mainstreamer, was instantly indignant at the comparisons and praise. (It was obivous he’d already heard them made before). He bashed VW for the next few highway exits.
A couple of weeks later at work, it came up that someone had VW on their iTunes and instantly the bashing started, the perpetrator initiating it himself by instantly offering up an excuse for owning such awful music, deriding a pal for recommending it. He was excused, and the bashing continued, now directed solely at VW and no longer at him. The communal polemic ended with someone relating a story and offering up condolences to a friend of a friend who supposedly was originally in the band but dropped out early on. Everyone shared in empathy at the lost money and fame, implicitly suggesting that he didn’t lose out on any artistic credibility.
But why all the hate, really?
Its obvious that this is all purely hype backlash (remember when NYmag so presciently predicted this?) and that everyone was affected by the context in which they listened to this album, whether it was something cool to like, or something cool to hate. The elitist sentiment at its heart is not “Vampire Weekend is bad,” but “Vampire Weekend is not great,” but it becomes perverted into the former because of a natural inclination to try to match the tone of the fawning mainstream reviews.
The anti-VW venom is so strong that during that office bashing, I thought the better of interjecting these sort of thoughts, because to make this sort of argument would mean battling condescening looks and accusations of being a philistine. Any evidence would instantly be discredited in their minds from the moment a pro-VW argument would be introduced, regardless of its nature.
The only reason why I was able to notice this in the first place is because I was lucky enough to experience the album without any of the hoopla that came with it. I listened to it on CMac’s recommendation when it first leaked and didn’t know anything else about it. During those listens we both enjoyed it for about a week and then moved on to something else. The point is, though we found the album too poppy to commit to longterm, we did enjoy it.
Naturally, when I talked to friend who is neither much of an mainstreamer or elitist, just not much of a music fan either way, and who had just worked on a VW music video, and asked him what he thought of them, he nonchalantly answered approvingly, “they sound alright.”
Posted by: Pez
Currently listnening to: an awful reggae tribute to OK Computer (not by choice).
BONNAROOOOOOOOOOO
So last week, Thombus, Mr. Comfortable, and Matt embarked on our road trip to Bonnaroo. It was a great time, but a lot different form last year. Last year, every band there was one of my favorites and it was one great band after another. This year there were a few less bands around that we were attached to so, we had opportunities to explore Bonnaroo. So here is my list of Top Bonnaroo shows for this year:
1. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss: We waited about an hour and a half to get in the front pit for this show. It wasn’t too bad considering that the Yonder Mountain String Band performed while we were wating. We were within the first 20 people in to the pit. There was literally one person in between me and the front fence. It was a life changing moment to see Robert Plant, a Rock God, about 20 feet away from me. I think he looked at me and Mr. Comfortable. I’m pretty sure Mr. Comfortable cried a little. The best part was being a part of an audience sing back in Black Dog.
2. The Raconteurs: Jack White is the best living rock performer. It was awesome to see him with a full band versus last year’s White Stripes show. He is so into the music and he knows how to put on a good old rock show that would entertain any music fan. It was cool to see him perform “Keep It Clean” which kept us talking. It was definately Jack White style lyrics, but he is known to cover old blues songs. The culmination of the show came with the 9 minute version of Blue Veins which featured a few ridiculous solos and destruction of some microphones and ended with a what seemes to be a pissed off Jack White storming off stage in true Rock Star fashion.
3. Iron and Wine: A little bit of a different style show featuring soft, jammy music. We were all really into it and dancing around. All of the songs played were differnt versions than the original recordings. Boy With a Coin was played in a Reggae style, which I’m pretty sure you can see Thombus in the crowd in the video on youtube. It was a very relaxing show and we all enjoyed listening to a different style for a while
Bonnaroo was an amazing time and it left me wanting more. Im keeping my bracelet on for a while, lets soo how long that lasts. Check these videos. Unfortunately, no one put up any videos of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss.
Posted By Travis
W.V.O.
Guys,
A new electronic act is on the loose. it’s mine. called W.V.O.
there is a myspace page up now with a handful of rough clips of tracks. everything is a work in progress but i wanted to get something ‘out there’ as soon as i could.
would love honest feedback, y’all know where to find me.
Alice in Wonderland
via Kottke
“An electronic piece of which 90% is composed using sounds recorded from the Disney film ‘Alice In Wonderland.’”
Posted by Pez
A few weeks ago, my Uncle Dom asked me to be his designated driver for the Police concert. I jumped on the oppurtunity. He payed for my ticket and gas. saw them at Cruzan. from the lawn. thought the view was gonna suck. turned out great. They played all the classic songs.and then some.
i was waiting the whole time to hear “can’t stand losing you” and “reggatta de blanc (the EEYOOO EYAAAY EYAAAYYYO! song)” , my two favorites. They finally played them, one right into the other, for their last song of the first set. it was perfect.
the encore was typical, started with “Roxanne”. then “So Lonely”, another favorite of mine. that song, more than any other, has the highest notes in it, and would seem hard for Sting so sing (say it ten times fast), but he sang it another way that was almost better. He knows how to sing even at 60. YEAH. 60. i think……thats what all the oldies were saying.
They came back out again after and finished the night with “Next to you”, the first song on their debut album “Outlandos de Amor” . I thought that was kinda cool.
Being at a Police concert with ten or fifteen 30+ year olds made the night even more enjoyable.
hilarious.
Aunt Kristi? Hammered.
Posted by Thomas
Thom York In West Palm
Set List:
01 All I Need
02 Bodysnatchers
03 There There
04 Reckoner
05 The Gloaming
06 Morning Bell
07 Nude
08 How to Disappear Completely
09 15 Step
10 Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
11 Idioteque
12 Bullet Proof..I Wish I Was
13 Where I End and You Begin
14 Airbag
15 Everything In Its Right Place
16 The National Anthem
17 Videotape
***encore***
18 Optimistic
19 Just
20 Faust Arp
21 Exit Music (For a Film)
22 Bangers & Mash
*** encore***
23 House of Cards
24 Street Spirit (Fade Out)
After months of waiting, radiohead was finally here. Me and a few of my friends headed down to cruzan, formerly sound advice, with some jaeger, some whiskey, and some blizzys, all set for a life changing experience. But none of us could have even imagined what was in store for us. I have never felt anything like it before in my life. Liars started it off and they were great, i urge everyone to check them out if they’re ever in your area.
from the second radiohead started til the end, i could not stop feeling the energy. It was insane. I was in constant motion. the noise they create is unreal. Seeing Radiohead IS an experience. They started with the new fan favorite “All I Need” then went into “BodySnatchers”. it was heaven from there on out.
The next day i was marveling at how awesome radiohead was, truly awesome.
Me and my friend Danny began to construct a plan of how we could drive to tampa that night and see radiohead again. After hours of planning, i had it layed out for us. i had the car, the cash, the balls…….everything i needed. except an accomplice, for danny had bitched out, and no one else would go with me. in a quick decision, i left alone, to meet up with my friend rachel and a ticket waiting for me. i got there in the nicholas of time, during their third song . pretty sure it was “Weird Fishes”. Which kept me sprinting from the car to my spot on the lawn. (not before a few rushed chugs of that previously-mentioned jaeger)
it was a strange feeling being at radiohead once again, 24 hours later. let me tell you, it was worth it.
the show did not compare to the west palm show however, which is understandable. it was their first concert since that tour with bonnaroo a couple years ago. the energy level was through the outdoor roof!
i made it back home by 5:30 AM, making it without a cellphone, and no real directions except for some scribble a friend of a friend wrote down on a denny’s waitress slip. stayed up all night and went to school.
the next two days were a daze. i don’t think i’ve ever been that out of it before.
Radiohead drove me to insanity, and i thank them.
i love them more than ever.
Posted by Thomas
The Prince, Steely Dan, and Ghostface ones are particularly awesome.
Spooky Good
Bats For Lashes
Never heard of them/her. I had this video bookmarked from a while back when searching for cool music vids.
Currently Listening To: Cake’s Prolonging the Magic (“…I dont know much about Cinco de Mayo…”)
Posted by Pez
Why I wont go to the Feist concert.
Feist is playing the Brooklyn Bandshell in July, and even though I love both of her albums, I’m wont go see her.
It’s pretty much because of her videos.
She’s stiff, and not a good dancer, and the visual presentation doesn’t complement the songs, or at least their feel.
Maybe it’s just that she’s a bad dancer and I’m extrapolating unfairly from that alone. And I even concede that her live stuff thats out there is eminently watchable. But, for me there was such an unpleasant disconnect between the way her songs felt when heard and when seen (videos), that however illogical, I’d like to preserve the former feeling without risking it anymore.
Currently Listening To: Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life
Posted by Pez
Radiohead + Talking Heads = Fun-time playlist
This is a playlist made in response to a friend of mine’s theory that Radiohead and Talking Heads are very similar bands (both get critical respect but have mainstream appeal; both make heavy use of loops; both introduce another sort of music into rock - electronic in Radiohead’s case and world music in Talking Head’s case; and Thom Yorke and David Byrne have taken on similar public personas as cultural arbiters).
To see if the Radiohead/Talking Heads connection held up, I came up with a playlist combining songs from an album of each (“In Rainbows” and “Fear of Music”) into what is designed to sound like a single cohesive album:
1. 15 Step
2. Mind
3. Nude
4. Memories Can’t Wait
5. Weird Fishes/ Arpeggi
6. Heaven
7. Reckoner
8. Air
9. Jigsaw Falling Into Place
10. Drugs
