The Animal Show » Vampire Weekend

Are You Immuzed?

dfjacobs — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 15:00:05 +0000

It’s been more than a year since we last checked in with Alfredo Lapuz Jr, or, as he’s known on the streets, Immuzikation. His absurd skills have surprisingly only managed to improve with time. To say that he’s thumpin’ out the hits is an outrageous understatement. While none of these tracks are iPad new, the thought of you not having them in your iTunes kept me up last night, well, that and the cocaine. How he was able to blend the tremendous hits “Ambling Alp” and “Giving Up the Gun” so seamlessly that it actually sounds like one song, I’ll never know. Immuzikation is truly a master of his craft, and an artist who should absolutely be watched. With his abundance of talent, no one can be certain what Mr. Lapuz will do next, but I can promise you it will be miraculous. And thus endeth another installment of “Mailing It In” with your host, David Jacobs.

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Giving Up the Alp (Vampire Weekend vs. Yeasayer) – Immuzikation (YSI)

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One More Time to Pretend (MGMT vs Daft Punk) – Immuzikation (YSI)

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Sleepydream – Immuzikation (YSI)

Immuzikation is AMAZING

Cover City

dfjacobs — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 15:00:42 +0000

Cover City: Population us

While the prodigious hilltops and heightening molehills of Cover City exist only in my dreams, I believe I would be a prominent constituent of such a community. After all, my immense affinity for covers ranks among my family, Martin Luther King Jr., Walter Sobchak, Snapple Peach Ice Tea and BET as a few of my favorite things (I apologize for plagiarizing Maria’s favorite things). Sadly, it has been sometime since my last official visit to Cover City, and so I will now rectify that.

Our first stop is with Show favorite The Bird and The Bee. These choice artists were not only responsible for our seventh favorite record of the year Ray Guns Are Not Only Just Future, but also recently released an entire album of Hall & Oates covers. While the album boasts a title too long to include here, it runs just under 33 minutes long, when surely there were more timeless tracks to cover. While covering these deserving masters presents a formidable challenge, The Bird and The Bee execute a venerable service to the mustachioed 80’s elite. Each cover balances tribute with innovation to form an exemplary homage. Although each track merits a purchase, the standouts of the album are “I Can’t Go For That,” “Rich Girl” and “Private Eyes.” Having said that, the decision of which to append to the article was extremely difficult, but I deferred to personal preference of the original, and with that, enjoy “Private Eyes.”

The next cover was bound to arrive at the Show at one point or another due to its creator. As Edward told me before I began my tenure, it is our mission to post any Vampy track or variation upon its release. And while searching for its proper home took longer than I had hoped, I think we’re all ready for it. This version of “Cousins” was laid down by rising British folk foursome Mumford & Sons in BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge, also known as the capital of Cover City. Mumford & Sons initially slow down the frenetic Contra single, before letting “Cousins” become a bluegrassy delight. In the end, it’s a complete reinvention of one of the few merely adequate Contra tracks.

Finally, we arrive at music blogger darlings The Morning Benders. These San Francisco natives are already meritorious in the realm of tributes, having released The Bedroom Covers. The album includes tracks by The Smiths, Paul Simon, Talking Heads, Randy Newman and The Velvet Underground, however, the most exceptional is indubitably their marvelous rendition of The Cardigans classic “Lovefool.” Nevertheless, much like their life-altering single “Excuses,” it has already received due praise. Their cover of the Jungle Book anthem “I Wanna Be Like You” on the other hand, could use some approbation. With its funky, garage rocking and doo-wop sound, the Morning Benders admirably pay homage to the Disney classic. And if you haven’t already, definitely go buy their first album Talking Through Tin Cans and their instant classic follow-up Big Echo (in addition to commandeering The Bedroom Covers), I assure you The Morning Benders never disappoint.

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Private Eyes – The Bird and The Bee (YSI)

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Cousins – Mumford & Sons (YSI)

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I Wanna Be Like You – The Morning Benders (YSI)

Rock and Roll; Complete Control — Vampire Weekend’s Contra in review

Edward — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 07:41:29 +0000

It’s no small feat following up an album as critically acclaimed and overwhelmingly backlashed as Vampire Weekend’s self-titled debut. Even in a vaccuum, expectations for sophomore efforts run rampant, and the challenge is to stay consistent to the sound present or impression given by the first album while growing and making something decidedly new and different.

In many ways, Vampire Weekend is the truest blogosphere buzz band. Back in the summer of 2007, when a blue CD-R with “Vampire Weekend” scrawled lazily on it began to make the blog rounds, it was almost universally accepted that this was the ever-elusive “next big thing.” Long before Vampire Weekend ever came out, bloggers were predicting it would be the best album of 2008. Naturally, the backlash coming the requisite 90 days after the album’s release was as overwhelmingly negative as the prereviews had been positive. And, when news of the followup broke, you could already hear the whispers of “overrated” creeping up from the formerly faithful fans.

The beauty of Vampire Weekend was that it grabbed you from the first line of the first song. It was undeniably catchy, a delicious assortment of pop-punk, afropop, and twee, and the erudite upper middle-class prep school bunch had never seemed so cool. The band had a persona too — they’d marketed themselves about as well as any quartet this side of the mophead Beatles, with their preppy do’s and keffiyeh lyrics. Contra spins out of that perfectly, popping the collars of their Lacoste polos and heading west into the sun.

I admit that I was very skeptical when I heard about the “California flavor” of Contra. It seemed like a cheap trick, an unnecessary additional buzzword to add to an already overblurbed band (see above for examples). But it turns out that the theme is only there as much as you want it to be — perhaps the better way to understand it is that Contra on the whole is more spread-out, experimental, and atmospheric than Vampire Weekend was. VW’s great strength was its power melodies; here, production reigns supreme. Rostam is the lead every bit as much as Ezra, having spread his wings on Discovery’s LP. The resulting product is more varied and mature than the debut — a gift as well as a curse.

The hardest part of Contra for me was the fact that it doesn’t have the same instant gratification that Vampire Weekend did. The first time I listened to it all the way through I wasn’t even sure if I liked it. But on listen two it began to click, and by the fourth time I spun it I was ready to put it on repeat. Ultimately, the growth the band has experienced in the whirlwind 24 months between releases has brought us a richer, more textural sound, a little less catchy and a little more beautiful. It’s a sound that’s decidedly Vampire Weekend, but a more refined and unique Vampire Weekend.

Ultimately, and unlike the debut, Contra tends to fade out of memory, as fleeting as the 80’s aesthetic it tries to live up to. It’s no Vampire Weekend, but what is? The attempt is a step in an interesting direction, and shows promise for the eventual 3rd effort.

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Giving Up The Gun – Vampire Weekend (YSI)

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I Think Ur A Contra – Vampire Weekend (YSI)

Audio Safari — Bigger and Backer

Edward — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:44:29 +0000

The Animal Show does not and never will condone violence against any creature on the Earth. But, c'mon dudes, it's Tintin!

I can hear your thoughts. Fact. And I hear you thinking, “where the hell is Edward? Did that bastard ditch us again?” Shut up, mind noises. I’m right here. In fact, I’ve been sitting right here for the 2 weeks since I last posted. DOING WORK. Do you know what that’s like? No, you don’t, because you waste all your time reading WEBSITES. Laaaaaaaame. Seriously, I’ve been doing meaningful shit. Like analyzing pure monadic schemata. How much schematic analysis have you done recently? That’s what I thought. But now I’ve come out of the logical woods and back into civilization, arms full of musical goodies to distribute while you’re asleep, like Santa but with creepier facial hair. So leave your stockings near your router, because here I come.

First, it’s time for a hats off to Dave, for covering my absence so ably and wordily. He enlightened us with some pretty sick Arcade Fire b-sides, hit us with a NASTY Sufjan mash-up, and titled a post so well, I thought I was about to read some Magic Tree House fanfic (not the first time I’ve been disappointed by not finding some Magic Tree House fanfic). More importantly, however, Dave did the important work of reintroducing some oft-mentioned, never (til now) realized Animal Show features, namely album reviews. I’ve got a couple in the pipe, that I’m going to hit you with early next week (NEW SUFJAN NEW SUFJAN NEW SUFJAN). But first, I’munna bust you in the face with some JAMS. ANIMAL SHOW STYLE.

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome back to the often-maligned but never forgotten Audio Safari! I set the bar pretty high there with how much I liked the Silver Sea’s “Imaginary Girl” (and if you don’t have that song, you should immediately click the link above and go download it and listen to it a million bajillion times and then burn it onto mix cds for all your friends, drawing hearts and stars around it on the enclosed tracklist). But I still stand behind these songs. They rule. Like them. Now.

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Flashing Lights (High Contrast Remix) – Kanye West (YSI)

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Never Chasing Pavement (Urban Noize Remix) – Jay-Z feat. Adele and Kanye West (YSI)

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Sleepyhead (The Knocks Remix) – Passion Pit (YSI)

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The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance (Miike Snow Remix) – Vampire Weekend (YSI)

Keep your eyes peeled for my promised review of Late for the Sky, as well as much BQE goodness.

We’re All Contras.

Edward — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:23:13 +0000

AH! AH! AHHH!

I promised myself I wouldn’t gush. I promised myself I wouldn’t use lots of exclamation points. I even held back until now. It took all the self-control I had, but I didn’t run to my keyboard the second I heard about the new Vampire Weekend album. I didn’t remind you all about how I was the first person on hypemachine to post “White Sky” (but I was, remember?). I didn’t say anything.

But now I will.

Contra comes out in January. It couldn’t come soon enough. I’ve heard one of the songs (above link), and the 43-second teaser of the final (namesake) track, which is below. It’s enough to get me super-pumped. The first is the teaser, the second a boogilicious remix of 2008’s favorite “Ottoman,” which sounds like every song icebergxc listened to when we were freshmen and sophomores in high school. In the best possible way, of course. It uses synthesizer power to melt your brains, and then brings in a fantastic explosive synth/bass/drum triforce at all the right times. Well done, Redlight!

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Contra Teaser – Vampire Weekend (YSI)

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Ottoman (Redlight Remix) – Vampire Weekend (YSI)

Get teased over at VW’s site. And if you dig the remix as much as I do, be sure to check out Redlight’s myspace.

Born to Ruff-ian

dfjacobs — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:01:05 +0000

I want to start by saying I love the Animal Show. Maybe I need to reiterate that: I truly am both an avid reader and a huge fan. And although that is a clear harbinger of criticism, I hope I’ll be allowed to continue. One of the very few faults of this fantastic beacon of the blogosphere is their unbridled Vampire Weekend devotion, yet total disregard for Born Ruffians. And while the Vamp Weeky deserve a great deal of adulation, Born Ruffians too deserve their fair share.

Hailing from Midland, Ontario, the group is made up of lead hollerer and guitarist Luke LaLonde, with Mitch Derosier on bass and Steven Hamelin on drums. The trio met in high school back in hockey country and have been playing together ever since. They released their first EP back in 2006, Born Ruffians, and, while it ran for just 16 minutes, they quickly and impressively punched everyone who heard it in the face. The first track “This Sentence Will Ruin/Save Your Life”, is an upbeat and honest chronicle of many adolescents’ lives, slamming into its opening with a healthy dose of hollering (as per usual with Born Ruffians) before leading into tender and heartfelt lyrics like “I need a girlfriend I’m lonely/ Someone to love me and fuck me/ I need to get laid immediately/ but also one to fulfill my needs.” In this instance Born Ruffians demonstrate both their honesty and borderline vulgarity. While they don’t even attempt to reach the impressive baudy heights of, say, that voice of a generation Cam’ron, I’m not sure those lyrics are exactly PG. I would go through the other five songs but, frankly, this article is already longer than I intended.

In 2008, they released their first LP, Red, Yellow & Blue (also the name of the first track). With the Born Ruffians EP, they had to quickly make their mark; Red, Yellow & Blue is a more controlled chaos. They are similar to Vampire Weekend minus Africa and the Upper West Side. Both feature impressive falsettos at the helm and hooting and hollering galore. Remember how cool Veepy Weepy was until every wannabe and top 40 listener knew who they were? Well, that’s Born Ruffians! All the cool and fun minus the mainstream! Think how cool you will be again!

I just realized how excessive and annoying those exclamation points are. I apologize, and I will cease.

Back to Red, Yellow & Blue: I will for the most part let the record speak for itself, which it does effectively in its fun, upbeat and simple melodies. I do however feel inclined to mention one technique that Born Ruffians use to keep their songs interesting: halfway through their songs, they tend to completely change the style. The first half of “Little Garçon” is Luke LaLonde softly professing his love with his co-troubadors backing him up with some beautiful humming. But at about 2:06 the song begins to pick up the pace and change temperament completely. Another example of this signature mid-song change is on “Kurt Vonnegut.” The song starts loud and strong with the usual hollering, yet at about 2:29 the song begins its true genesis: the rest of the track is a round between the three, with instruments gradually dropping off until all is left is simply a beating bass drum and vocals. The second part is a truly striking Romeo-esque call to a Juliet up in her bedroom attempting to woo her down for a healthy dose of teenage lovemaking (see above).

Born Ruffians are currently in the early stages of writing and recording their next album. They have not yet set a date, but they suggest sometime either at the end of ’09 or early ’10. So in conclusion, not just for me, but for you, start blaring Born Ruffians and ride atop the beautiful wave of your very own trend (well mine, but I’ll lend it to you). I’ll start you off with one classic from Born Ruffians, and two great jams off of Red, Yellow & Blue and let you discover the rest with the multiple listens that I promise will ensue.

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This Sentence Will Ruin/Save Your Life – Born Ruffians (YSI)

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Barnacle Goose – Born Ruffians (YSI)

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Kurt Vonnegut – Born Ruffians (YSI)

What are you waiting for. Invest in your very own copy!

Africa, this is Morningside Heights. Morningside Heights, Africa.

Edward — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:55:54 +0000

Too cool for school.

It seems like this week’s theme at the Show has been updates on our favorite artists from 2008, which I can promise you isn’t going to stop soon. At all. But today’s bulletin features an artist I had (admittedly) forgotten about quite completely after I stopped listening to his debut mixtape: Esau Mwamwaya. He’s back, with another collaboration with Vampire Weekend, albeit this time just with VW frontman Ezra Koenig (mugshot above). This retains everything that made Mwamwaya’s reworking of Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa a gem: namely, his ability to give Vampire Weekend the icing on their Graceland-flavored cake. And this time, it’s better than ever.

The track below, “Warm Heart of Africa,” begins with Ezra falsettoing in the style we’ve come to love him for, over a funky guitar line that would have fit in on VW’s debut. Then Esau jumps in to make what was already good even better. This is the title track from Esau’s band The Very Best’s debut LP. Is it too early to call this the song of the summer? Maybe, especially because I’m going to use that term several other times, but consider it officially on the shortlist.

Play it loud:

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Warm Heart of Africa (ft. Ezra Koenig) – The Very Best (YSI) (mediafire)

Overhyping? What's that?

Edward — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 19:55:06 +0000

Remember when everyone was willing to admit they loved you? I know, it seems like so long ago...

In deepest, darkest Maine, where the Show takes place, the weather is a miserable 34 degrees and raining big fat snowflakes that spatter and explode in your hair and on your coat, pungent and annoysome as angel shit. This is the February I’ve been telling you about, folks: I haven’t seen the sun in what feels like years, and after waking up to 5 inches of snow this morning, I tried to stay in the shower until at least April. It didn’t work. But here I am, and it’s time to right ourselves. As always, I have the cure. It’s time-tested and I can personally guarantee its results. Ladies and gentlemen, the long-lasting and fast-acting power of Vampire Weekend is what we need.

If you’re willing to think back to last February, you may remember Vamp Weeky. In the “February of Broken Dreamz,” when people read Pitchfork for record reviews and tv was all reruns, Vampire Weekend dropped an unassuming and deliciously fun LP, with 11 songs that overflowed with sugary 3-minute poppy goodness. And the clouds parted and the sun shone down on dismal Maine and the snow melted into Sno-Cones and everyone was happy. Let’s return to that idyllic time.

Of course, in the ensuing months, the band was plagued by a phenomenon commonly referred to as “hype overdose,” and they fell out of public favor —- nay, they plummeted out of it! It was no longer “hip” to like the music, because that girl you know who takes her musical cues from the iTunes top 10 charts had “A-Punk” on her iPod. Guess what, dudes: I’m declaring Vampire Weekend on the up-and-up again. Remember, “hipness” follows a sinusoidal curve. Let’s jump on it right after the lowest point, and surf on that badass cool wave. Grab your boards — it’s time to groove on unreleased VW.

First, the b-sides from the universally-beloved debut album:

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Ladies of Cambridge – Vampire Weekend (zshare)

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Arrows – Vampire Weekend (zshare)

Then, on to one of my favorites, a track from the Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist OST

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Ottoman – Vampire Weekend (zshare)

Finally, a live debut of a new song. I hate to share audience recordings, because I believe you deserve better, but this is a pretty high-quality recording. Also, it’s new Vampire Weekend. Get x-cited.

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White Sky (Live at ABC Glasgow) – Vampire Weekend (zshare)

If you haven’t already, you’re long overdue for purchasing the album. Do it now and save yourself the embarrassment of admitting you still don’t have it.

Consider these Februaremedied: 17/28

What Comes Before Part B?

icebergxc — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:59:16 +0000

This is what happens when you google image search "partay"

ANSWER: PARTAYY!!

I’ll give you a minute to figure that one out and then smile weakly.

Ok, with that out of the way it’s time to drop a couple of hawt tracks on you that were released earlier this month by the self-proclaimed Showbizznessman with the Dumbest Name: Party Ben. If you go to his site, you’ll find videos for these two tracks plus another one, which I had watched almost before he posted them because I’m a blogger and that’s what I do. Then I was going to wait for him to master the tracks and release them. Then he took forever. Then he pooped the first two out. Then he made a post about fart jokes and I was like eff this ess and just (JUST) decided to post the first two for now.

First is the worst: another version of the Boulevard of Broken Songs, this time mashed up with Kanye West’s critically overplayed “Flashing Lights” (and I cite GTA IV for that assertion. Gamers know what I’m on about). I’m not posting this so much because it’s “good” per se, or even just because it came in a 3-pack with two actually good songs. No. This song is special, because it’s a primo example of a META-MASHUP. Dude took one of his old mashups (2004), and mashed it with a newer song! Sweet Jesus! (P.S. I hereby coin the term “Remashup” and all permutations)

Second is the best (of two): I hate (love) saying this, but I was listening to Rihanna and T.I.’s “Live Your Life” waaaaay before it got popular. By the time I heard it at a party, I was totally over it. But now it’s back, and totally appropriate for this hipster blog because it’s mashed up with…wait for it…VAMPY WEEKEND! Hurrah! Those wacky dudes in their solid-color American Apparel tightie-purplies (or whatever color) completely rob Rihanna of her significant intense tonage and make it an affair to skip gaily about to. I dig this song hard, and I expect you will too. Otherwise we’re not friends anymore.

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Boulevard of Flashing Lights – Party Ben (MP3)

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Live Your Life, Punk – Party Ben (MP3)

The Animal Show Rocks You Into 2009: Part II

Edward — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 20:16:50 +0000

THE GHOST OF NEW YEAR'S PAST!

It’s 1 PM on a Saturday, which means that, after waking up at the crack of noon, it’s high time for some BLOGGING. Can I get an “amen?”

Anyway, I’m delivering you the party jamz again today, in the form of two mash-ups. You know you love them, and these are the best. Definitively. I like mash-ups for the same reason I like putting “Better Off Alone” and “Say Yeah” on the same mix: because it totally screws with your friends. And if that isn’t what New Year’s is about, I don’t have a witty thing to say.

Get em after the br8k.

Electric Touch (Steve 1der & Mighty Mi Remix) – Kanye West vs. MGMT

wutt wutt?? MGMT IS A BAND!

Wamp Wamp Kwassa It Do (Vampire Weekend vs. Clipse) – Les Bank Robbers

Related posts:

The Animal Show Rocks You Into 2009: Part VI

The Animal Show Rocks You Into 2009: Part III

The Animal Show Rocks You Into 2009: Part I