When it comes to summer music, nothing satisfies sunburnt ears quite like American baroque pop sensations Vampire Weekend who fuse hypnotic cyclical guitar backdrops with upbeat high-pitched staccato melodies. The perfect blend of a mellow orchestral echo and hyperactive angsty vocals coalesces into the beautiful sounds that compose the song list of the debut self-titled disc, 2009 record Contra, and even 2011’s more toned-down Modern Vampires of the City.
I mean who can quell the undoubtedly cheery mood that arises with some of the debatably cleverest lyrics of all time, “Who gives a f*** about an Oxford comma?” That line is right up there at the top of the list with “Money can’t buy me love” and “Butterflies fly away, I’m noddin’ my head like yeah, movin’ my hips like yeah.” Pure genius.
Vampire Weekend is about as British as you can get for an American-bred group, but if you want some legitimate God Save the Queen pledgers in your life, there’s an up-and-coming indie pop rock band born and raised on Britannica herself. This crew has actually been around a whole four years longer than Vamp Wknd believe it or not, but they have just reached U.S. radio fame with undeniably catchy track “Chocolate” allegedly about drugs, a toxic relationship, or my personal favorite interpretation, Cadbury chocolate (The English Isle’s version of Hershey’s).
Regardless of the real meaning of “guns hidden under our petticoats,” whether hidden heroin needles or secret chocolate company missions (ha, really?), The 1975 have won over the quickly expanding indie crowd all the way over here in the States, and it’s time for you to take notice. And not just for their radio hit. Their self-titled album is laced (excuse the drug pun) with a mix of trippy (obviously) instrumentals, spacey synth, and angsty rock repetition. Oh, and by the way, in that last sentence I just gave a f*** about an Oxford comma.
What The 1975 and Vampire Weekend most obviously have in common is that high-pitched, whiny (in a good way) texture of their lead vocals. Matthew Healy and Ezra Michael Koenig have got it going on in the vocal chord region, and you have a chance to hear at least one of them live. The 1975 will be playing their already sold out show at The Music Farm on Tues. June 3 (sorry to newly made fans a.k.a. non-ticket holders), and Vampire Weekend have a tour stop in Raleigh, N.C. on the following Tues. June 10 and are also on the list for Bonnaroo right after.
I consistently listen to Vampire Weekend on repeat, and now The 1975 has joined the playlist. After all, oxford commas and chocolate are two of my favorite things. There is way too much I could say about these bands, but I’ll let you make your own track list of your favorite VW & ’75 jams. If you want a pre-made set with a little more variety, check out this compilation on 8tracks. I recommend these tunes for sunny car rides, beach sets, and when you’re eating Chocolate with Girls on a Mansard Roof in Cape Cod (Kwassa Kwassa). That would be a pretty impressive one-liner if you actually check out their music (pssst click the links).
Oh, and though Vampire Weekend’s music videos are delightfully old-school, you should watch The 1975’s recent piece for “Robbers.” Powerful stuff right there. True love = fearlessness.
Great written voice here!