New York indie band Vampire Weekend have had quite a wild ride since their 2007 song “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” first won over music fans in the U.S. and U.K. Now, nearly two years since they appeared on the proverbial indie rock radar, the band has become one of the biggest buzz bands of the past 18 months, gracing the cover of Spin magazine, appearing on Saturday Night Live, and touring extensively to sold out crowds on three continents.
Vampire Weekend’s unique blend of catchy indie pop with upbeat African influences – the band prefers to call it ‘Upper West Side Soweto’ – has made them extremely popular. But some other music fans dismiss the ‘Vampire Weekend hype’ arguing the band has only put out one album (their follow-up album is due out this fall).
While taking a break from Vampire Weekend, two of the band members have been working on other music projects. Keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij teamed up with Ra Ra Riot leader singer and friend Wes Miles – who began recording together back in 2005 – under the moniker Discovery. Their spectacular debut album, simply titled LP, was released earlier this month. LP oozes with electro pop and hi-fi sonic sounds, sounding at times like Kayne West meets Animal Collective meets Vampire Weekend.
So it is no surprise that Vampire Weekend vocalist Erza Koenig leads vocals on one of the album’s best tracks, “Carby.” Other highlight tracks include “Orange Shirt”, “Osaka Loop Line” and “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend.”
