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Vintage Cafe: Vampire Weekend : World Cafe Vampire Weekend's endearingly wordy lyrics make the band sound collegiate in the best possible way. Its unique sound inventively mixes contemporary American indie-rock, Western classical music and traditional South African sounds. Hear a 2008 performance and interview from WXPN.

World Cafe

Essential and Emerging Artists

World Cafe

Vampire Weekend: A-Punks On Afro-Pop

FromWXPN

Vampire Weekend On World Cafe

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Vampire Weekend

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Set List

  • "Mansard Roof"
  • "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa"
  • "Campus"
  • "A-Punk"

This segment, from Jan. 24, 2008, is part of our Vintage Cafe series, in which we revisit some of our best studio performances.

Vampire Weekend emerged from a fertile New York indie-rock scene; all four members met while attending Columbia University. Still, they stand out for two reasons. First, their endearingly wordy lyrics make Vampire Weekend's songs sound collegiate in the best possible way. And second, their unique sound inventively mixes contemporary American indie-rock, Western classical music and South African traditional music.

The band aims to capture its Afro-pop fandom in its songwriting, and it does well: Stylish songs such as "A-Punk" blend ska and woodwinds, while "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" invokes African dance music, but with lyrics about raging hormones. Vampire Weekend's highly anticipated self-titled full-length is out now.

World Cafe Playlist for October 7, 2013

World Cafe

Essential and Emerging Artists