Vampire Weekend: s/t

Label: XL

A band as hyped-up and blogged-out as Vampire Weekend has a lot to live up to when it comes to actually making a record. This self-titled debut sweeps the hype machine into the corner and gets down to business, eradicating anything you might have heard or imagined in favor of making a glorious, overjoyed noise. Drawing on a cannon of 80s influences (with heavy nods to Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, Elvis Costello and the Talking Heads) for a solid foundation of upbeat, infuriatingly hooky pop songs, the band interjects Afro-pop/highlife-inspired guitar lines, cheeky referential lyrics and unexpected twists in orchestration to weave together a pristine sonic statement. The songs will stick in your head without permission, leaving impressions of ecstatic happiness and nebulous reassurance. (Fred)