They don't come along that often - Arctic Monkeys are a prime example - and of course, age has no real bearing on how a piece of music will affect you; but still, when that band are not only as accomplished and original as New York's Vampire Weekend, but as young as they are, too (all four members are in their early-to-mid twenties) you know you've got something special on your hands. Yet another product of 2008's Great White Hype Machine - fuelled also, it must be said, by rampant endorsements via the blogosphere - Vampire Weekend's self-titled debut is a concise, consistent and completely captivating album. Its beauty lies also in its simplicity; although Vampire Weekend freely borrow from a multitude of eclectic genres, they're still innovative enough to blend the ridiculous with the sublime and still come up trumps. See, for example, lead single Mansard Roof, a glorious reggae-fuelled ode to architecture that's supplemented by endearing little swells of violin, Oxford Comma's amusingly flippant disposition to grammar fascists, or A-Punk's completely addictive ska hopscotch - and they're just the first three songs. That's before M79's bouncy classical paean, or the downright stomping silliness of One (Blake's Got A New Face), or even the warm, new wave vibe of I Stand Corrected wins you over. Lead singer Ezra Koenig intermittently channels the spirit of a young Bob Marley in his strong scuffle of a voice, but even without such great vocals, these songs will coil themselves around your grey matter and refuse to let go for days at a time. This is reggae, ska, afro-pop, rock, indie and chamber music all wrapped up in a neat, addictive little bundle that you just can't stop yourself from unwrapping time and time again, for another quick aural fix. A brilliant album - debut or no.
