Vampire Weekend’s name is derived from lead singer Ezra Koenig’s amateur film of the same name and gained attention via a variety of blogs, such as Stereogum. The band claims to be influenced by both African popular music and Western classical music, describing their genre of music as “Upper West Side Soweto”, with such songs as “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” referencing Congolese soukous music. The members of the band met while attending Columbia University; they then self-produced their first album after graduation while concurrently working full-time jobs. Koenig and drummer Chris Tomson first collaborated as members of the comedy-rap band “L’Homme Run.”
In 2007, Vampire Weekend’s song “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” was ranked 67th on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Best Songs of the year. They were declared “The Year’s Best New Band” by Spin magazine in the March 2008 issue, and were the first band to be shot for the cover of the magazine before releasing their debut album. The band’s debut album was released January 29, 2008. It was a success in the US and UK, peaking at number 15 on the UK Albums Chart and number 17 on the Billboard 200. In December 2008, Vampire Weekend’s debut album was #2 in Under The Radar magazine’s “top 50 albums of 2008″ issue. In the January 2009 issue of Rolling Stone magazine, their self-titled album was dubbed the 10th best album of 2008. The band’s debut album also came 42nd on NME’s ‘Top 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade’ list.
The band’s second album, “Contra,” was released on January 11th 2010. The album’s first single “Cousins“, was released last November. The video features the members of Vampire Weekend singing in a long alleyway, doused in confetti. Throughout the song, the members of the band rotate places on the platform that moves to various points in the alleyway. While some of the band members are on the platform, the others take position on ladders positioned beside the platform. The band members also exchange masks of one another, wearing them whilst singing. You can check out the video above.
