Comments on: Years Go By And Hearts Start To Harden

By: jacob

jacob — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:15:29 +0000

Baahhh, balaclava! Why don’t they just call it a face-hat like the rest of us?

By: brucedene

brucedene — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:59:31 +0000

My favorite part of “Horchata” is right after the first verse, when it’s opened up by something like a batucada of one — which, of course, isn’t African in origin, but is apparently too exotic for some. Now, someone go tell BLK JKS their pretense of being an American jazz power trio is inappropriate for people with their upbringing.

By: jay

jay — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:46:04 +0000

Matthew, my favorite thing about VW generally is the string arrangements too. That’s where I think they set themselves apart from other pop musicians (indie rock, mainstream pop, whatever) who incorporate strings. VW’s strings just feel organic. They’re not “added” for anything “extra” as strings often are in pop music, they’re just part of the tunes. I think that really started sticking out for me when I first heard the demo of “Campus” (which I think I got from here, thanks), which is just Rostam singing the song over a string arrangement, and it gave the sense that the song was just written that way. It just worked.

Most of the people decrying VW probably are middle-class white kids who went to college, just like the VW guys. Maybe you’re not a trust fund kid and you went to state college not Ivy and you don’t have a yacht or wear boat shoes and you didn’t know what a mansard roof was until VW started singing about them a couple of years ago, but the thing is, you’re probably still a privileged brat. Otherwise you wouldn’t even think about this. Go pat yourself on the back, because you like doing that. But you’re wrong.

Oh and STINKY you’re also wrong about horchata. It’s always delicious. But horchata from El Salvador is the best horchata.

By: Harvey

Harvey — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:20:24 +0000

When Vampire Weekend came out with their freshman album i was completely surprised, their music was the most refreshing this i have heard in a while. I can not knock them like some and judge them to be posers. I love their sound, their elegance and intellect. I’ve heard several songs from their second album and they haven’t steered from their signature sound at all, which is awesome. They’re great and I want them to continue making music.

http://tangentmissjump.blogspot.com (visit my blog. Click the google ads, Thank you.)

By: ink

ink — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:54:28 +0000

I think it’s the new non-denominational, over-educated, twee-ish Christmas carol we’ll all be humming as it gets icy and dark out. I love.

By: Dave Matthews

Dave Matthews — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 23:37:29 +0000

I like Horchata. And radishes.

By: Matthew Perpetua

Matthew Perpetua — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 23:20:40 +0000

Yeah, I think there are touches of African influences in their songs, but not all of them, it’s not the focus. To my ears, they borrow way more from Elvis Costello and Paul Simon (and not even Graceland!). The most striking thing to me in the VW songs I enjoy the most are the string arrangements, which uh, is not exactly a regular component of African music.

By: Jack Fear

Jack Fear — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:53:08 +0000

Yeah, I’m not getting an African influence as such either; I listen to a fair deal of Afropop, and melodically, even rhythmically, I’m just not hearing it. Texturally, maybe a little. It’s like when Sting plays “Fields of Gold” on his lute; it doesn’t really sound like Renaissance music, it just sounds like Sting, playing a lute.

What you didn’t mention about “Horchata” is what a head-destroying earworm it is. I’ve been singing it to myself for about the last three days, which kinda sucks cos I don’t know all the words yet. To cheer myself up, I’ve been substituting paraphrased snippets of the Modern Lovers’ “Pablo Picasso” instead:

Some guys pick up girls, get called ass-holes
This never happened to Pab-lo Pi-cas-so
Girls would turn green as a-vo-c-a-a-dos
When he’d drive by in his El Dorado

So lilting! So lovely!

By: riyadh

riyadh — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:47:25 +0000

Matthew,

I feel this discussion has provided a great oppurtunity to ask how you feel about Jody Rosen’s “DORF” theory.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/browbeat/archive/2009/10/12/the-dorf-matrix-towards-a-theory-of-npr-s-taste-in-black-music.aspx

I can’t say I strongly agree with his sinister insinuation that NPR is racist, especially recently, with NPR dedicating entire hours to the RZA, OB4CL2, and Bun B discussing the significance of Goodie Mob’s Soul Food. Although to be fair, his argument is based on their songs of the day. I think he’s merely stating the obvious: white old heads don’t like Hip Hop and have regressive tastes in music

By: Bob K.

Bob K. — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:35:51 +0000

If they were from Mali and made the exact same album, would people like them more? I don’t get the desire to like a band because of their backstory (like people are doing with Girls and maybe Bon Iver) or dislike a band because of their backstory (like with Vampire Weekend). And like Matthew, I only hear the African influence as one of several influences, and usually not even the foremost influence. I don’t think it is any more of an “privileged white guys appropriate indigenous cultures” album than, say, Sung Tongs.

That said, I’m not a huge fan or anything. They’re kind of like the Shins I suppose — there’s no real emotional hook for me, but I think they are excellent craftsmen who have pinned down something specific that they do quite well.