The Listening Station: Vampire Weekend

Recently, I started hearing about a band out of New York that was getting rave reviews and lots of hype. Normally, this makes me a little skeptical. Anytime a band starts blowing up on the web becoming another "blog band" phenomenon, I start to doubt it. Then I started reading reviews. Then I started hearing word of mouth. And it all came down to one thing. These guys were good. Really good. So what the hell, I'll give them a spin.
Thankfully, this time the band may be able to back up the hype (Arctic Monkey's, I'm looking at you). They're called Vampire Weekend, and if you're into catchy, laid-back grooves with a flair for eclectic rhythms, this band is for you. With a sound self-described as "Upper West Side Soweto", these 4 guys, who met while attending Columbia University, construct songs that incorporate indie rock, Western classical music, South African "Afro-pop" and bossa-nova beats. Combined with their fun, youthful lyrics, they make for a fantastic listen. This looks to be one of the first entries in the "Best of 2008" category. Here are a couple standout tracks:

A-punk – mp3
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa – mp3

And since their sound is so reminiscent of Paul Simon's work, here's one of my favorite tracks by the man:

You Can Call Me Al – mp3