Smart Rock

The UltaViolet April 2008

Vampire Weekend
Ivy League Pop. Prep Rock. These are some of the names given to the sound of Vampire Weekend, but those nicknames couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, the reason those names arose in the first place is that the four members of Vampire Weekend, Chris Baio, Rotsam Batmanglij, Ezra Koenig, and Chris Tomson, are all Columbia University
grads. Vampire Weekend’s music is more influenced by African pop music and western classical music than it is by their Ivy League background.

But don’t let the unusual influences frighten you off; despite the odd-sounding combination, Vampire Weekend pulls it off flawlessly. With clever lyrics, insanely mesmerizing beats, and the single most adorable lead singer you have ever seen, Vampire Weekend is a band to look out for.

Songs to check out are: “A-Punk,” an electrifying you-can’t-help-but-dance-a-little (or a lot) classically influenced groove; “Oxford Comma,” a reggae tinged, pop-rock tune alluding to the controversial punctuation mark; and “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa,” a heavily African pop-influenced jingle taken from their recent trip to South Africa.

MGMT
Hailing from Wesleyan University, music majors Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser decided to channel their musical talents into the spectacular whirlwind of brilliance called MGMT (pronounced “Management”).

MGMT incorporates its sense of humor and passion for entertainment into songs brimming with vibrancy and intelligence. A little bit of synth pop, a little bit of keyboards, and a lot of talent make up the pair’s debut album, “Oracular Spectacular,” which features electronic dance grooves with a rock edge.

Songs to check out are: “Weekend Wars,” a jaunting Rolling Stones-esque rocker with an acoustic edge; “Electric Feel,” a dance-inducing synth anthem with crazy-catchy beats; and “Time to Pretend,” a sort of ‘out of this world’ cosmo rock song about the clichéd rock star life.
-Hannah '10