Artists You Ought To Know: Vampire Weekend & Adele

And we are back again with an another post in the series where I pretend my music taste is a lot cooler than it really is (i.e. see Yacht Rock entry two posts down). I am not one to take internet music blog hype terribly seriously. Sure, I pay attention, but if one spin doesn’t produce that fuzzy, groovy feeling I attribute to instant music love (the same I get when I eat a good burger), then I move right along. Over the past couple of years, the great, big music blog machine predicted huge things for the likes of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Cold War Kids, but I wouldn’t work on getting them gigs at Madison Square Garden just yet. This week, it’s two artists that most of you have probably never heard of, but probably should. The hype machine may be right about these two very different acts. As NY Magazine’s Vulture column brilliantly mocks, with people like me loving these sort of acts, expect a backlash at any moment. Check them out while they are still “cool,” but something tells me I’m about a week too late.

Vampire Weekend

Who They Are: Vampire Weekend is an indie rock band from New York City signed to XL Recordings. Their debut self-titled debut album dropped last week to universal acclaim in both the blog press and music industry trades. The four members of the band met while attending Columbia University. Their sound is described as “Upper West Side Soweto”, which sounds takes elements of African popular music and puts a light pop-ska bend to it. Their album is the definition of catchy.

Recommended For: Those of you who wore a whole in your vinyl copy of Paul Simon’s “Graceland” and loved Peter Gabriel’s forary into world music, but love to dance around to Madness, The Clash and can’t get enough of Dance Hall Crashers.

» Vampire Weekend - A-Punk (via YouTube)

Adele

Who She Is: Vampire Weekend’s XL labelmate, Adele has certainly had a good week. Her first album debuted at the top of the U.K. album charts after months of buzz, while we here in the States were still buzzing about Amy Winehouse. Adele is heir apparent to the throne Amy Winehouse never really sat in, as British’s best soul singer. The most impressive thing about her is the fact that she is only nineteen, yet has the vocal bravado of someone much older. While I adore Winehouse, despite her self-destructive streak, I think Adele’s voice is much more pop-friendly, a throwback to soul singers like Gladys Knight or the late, great Dusty Springfield.

Recommended For: If you have a rabid weakness for British songbirds like Winehouse, Lily Allen, Kate Nash and Corinne Bailey Rae, this is another album to add to your collection.

» Adele - Chasing Pavements (via YouTube)

Now go on and spread the word. These acts will only be cool for about five more days.