I'm with you on the VW kick, Fred. I had been listening to the EP songs, waiting for the album, and grabbed the download from Amazon yesterday. I think it is a very solid effort by VW . It will be interesting to see where they go from here.
Andrew Holz
· 1 year ago
I have been enjoying these guys for a few weeks now. Definitely enjoyable stuff. Wish I had paid attention and seen they were going to be at the Bowery Ballroom. I just took a job downtown and so going there should be REALLY easy and I just love that venue.
So Fred, are you still doing the del.icio.us tag to your ipod thing for people to make suggestions. I started listening to a band called "The Bravery" and have become totally addicted. Knocked Vampire Weekend off my rotation. You may already be familiar but if not I encourage you to give them a listen on lastfm if you get a chance.
fredwilson
· 1 year ago
Andrew
They are playing bowery again tonite and I have two extra tix if you want them
Send me an email
fred
AndrewHolz
· 1 year ago
Fred,
That would be fantastic. Thanks so much. I will track down an email for you. I know we have exchanged one or two at some point. If for some crazy reason you don't see an email from me shortly you can poke me at andrew DOT holz AT gmail
Thanks again! Andrew
Sam
· 1 year ago
Fred- You rarely mention the site but Pitchfork gave the album a 'Best New Music' rating which will undoubtedly boost these guys into a kind of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah-phenom. CYSY was not on a label, self-financed their record and made an incredible amount of money based on P-fork's review and recommendation. Although, to the point of micro-communities, I think Pitchfork is losing their influence to the greater mass of music bloggers and resources like Hype Machine.
fredwilson
· 1 year ago
I've never been that into pitchfork. Andrew Parker reads it religiously and clues me into their reviews from time to time. But I just prefer music blogs and the hype machine, last.fm, etc
Basically I'd rather listen and then read than read and then listen
fred
Sam
· 1 year ago
Good point. They are a pretty interesting case study for an internet business. They come from a place of exclusivity rather than inclusivity so they've done very very little to embrace social networking. The easiest thing would be to add comments to their reviews to get fans responding to their ratings. It's funny that they seem mostly interested in creating an online representation of a magazine than really leveraging the internet to create a community around indie music.
Joshua Cohen
· 1 year ago
VW is refreshingly awesome. If you dig their stuff and want to support independent, NYC business, you can download their album at Other Music: http://digital.othermusic.com/ The tracks are of better quality than iTunes and DRM free.
FYI, I have no affiliation with Other Music, I just really dig their product and saw VW play a little gig in their East Village storefront.
josef
· 1 year ago
Graceland is an all time fav, maybe Top5 of my lifetime. I've seen VW discuss that record in the press as a point of influence.
That being said, David Bryne has done quite a bit of world beat stuff. TH have influenced many a band in this new crop of indie bands. With regards to the world beat stuff, guess David Bryne just saw it coming. Fela's also been cited as an influence recently as well.
Now, if you want to see a real Afrobeat band, check out: Asiko @ Zebulon Cafe/Sat. Feb. 2/258 Wythe/11pm (drummer played w/ Sufjan Stevens) (I am not trying to one up VW for not being a 'real' Afrobeat band, we all dig that they are an indie pop band influenced by Afrobeat - just thought if Afrobeat peaked anyones interest, I would let others know about this great band)
fredwilson
· 1 year ago
Thanks josef
Any recommendation from you is an order!
Fred
josef
· 1 year ago
You score MGMT tix? We'll be at the BB show. Those songs have been around for 2 years, and Columbia just got around to putting it out. So good though. Maybe I have a soft spot in my heart for the BeeGee's?
fredwilson
· 1 year ago
Me too
Remind me when the shows are
Fred
lawrence
· 1 year ago
For those in SF, they are playing tomorrow at Popscene, and then a free show at Amoeba in the Haight on Friday.
RacerRick
· 1 year ago
I typically dislike your music suggestions.
But right away I like the "Cape Cod Wassa Wassa" track.
fredwilson
· 1 year ago
If you wait long enough .....
egoboss
· 1 year ago
hmmm, fred - that's setting rather mixed expectations for me - i haven't sampled them yet (being in yet another generic hotel lobby at the moment, sans headphones) - ie, i love the seminal album (to me at least) talking heads '77 (especially the track psycho killer - ohhhh, that bass line intro by tina - it needs mixing with steve jones' pretty vacant intro and all the planets will align - anyway, i digress) .... however, i am/was very, very nonplussed by paul simon's graceland work to say the least - so, being rather puzzled by that fusion you describe, i'd better check it out later in the privacy of my hotel room ... that's not as furtive as it sounds, honest ... ;-)
fredwilson
· 1 year ago
Please let me know what you think
egoboss
· 1 year ago
finally grabbed a quick listen now just back home from london - will try again properly tomorrow but to me so far it's more talking heads 77 morphed with the decemberists - which is a very cool amalgam! thankfully so far i have not heard too much in the way of paul simon/graceland influences, lol.
;-)
so, in summary - i like it very much!
egoboss
· 1 year ago
ok, listened some more this morning - have just ordered the cd from amazon - heard some paul simon/graceland influences but they are tolerable (being not the overwheming musical style) - and the rest of the sound is so quirky it's worth the compromise - "oxford comma" alone made me smile - no mean feat at 7am after a long week ... ;-)
actually those graceland bits reminded me more of sting in his tiresome eco-warrior-saviour-and-friend-of-africa-(and bono)-mode - and i don't care for sing much either - will be interesting to see if they retain that sound in their future works?
fredwilson
· 1 year ago
Thanks for the review. I am relieved that you didn't hate it!
egoboss
· 1 year ago
lol - i trust your very discerning judgement, fred! it was just the paul simon/graceland reference that worried me ... ;-)
as an aside, did you ever get a chance to check out my favourite up and coming local band, the hair? if so, any thoughts?
I told you before ( & will tell it again; though I've no strings attached at all) on http://3voor12.vpro.nl/luisterpaal/ you'll find new, in general mostly worthwhile music (of all sorts) for a limited period of time; in this specific case of Vampire Weekend: they are at the bottom of the page, so probably gone before this weekend...
coreyh
· 1 year ago
Make sure to check out this "Take Away Shows" with Vampire Weekend performing impromptu on the streets of Paris.
IMO, the first one is just okay, but the second one is great and the end of the third is amazing (be sure to scroll down)
I'm going to see them next week in Philly at the First Unitarian Church. Should be an interesting night.
Hugh
· 1 year ago
Fred-
I gave you the VW mp3s at a bar on w 3rd st a few months back. Check your email for another record I sent you last week. You'll dig it, especially if you've been into the new hot chip. Let me know what you think.
fredwilson
· 1 year ago
That's right. Thanks so much. I love them although its clear from the comments on this and the lefsetz post that not everyone does
All Comments
Wish I had paid attention and seen they were going to be at the Bowery Ballroom.
I just took a job downtown and so going there should be REALLY easy and I just love that venue.
So Fred, are you still doing the del.icio.us tag to your ipod thing for people to make suggestions.
I started listening to a band called "The Bravery" and have become totally addicted. Knocked Vampire Weekend off my rotation. You may already be familiar but if not I encourage you to give them a listen on lastfm if you get a chance.
They are playing bowery again tonite and I have two extra tix if you want
them
Send me an email
fred
That would be fantastic.
Thanks so much.
I will track down an email for you. I know we have exchanged one or two at some point.
If for some crazy reason you don't see an email from me shortly you can poke me at andrew DOT holz AT gmail
Thanks again!
Andrew
You rarely mention the site but Pitchfork gave the album a 'Best New Music' rating which will undoubtedly boost these guys into a kind of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah-phenom. CYSY was not on a label, self-financed their record and made an incredible amount of money based on P-fork's review and recommendation. Although, to the point of micro-communities, I think Pitchfork is losing their influence to the greater mass of music bloggers and resources like Hype Machine.
clues me into their reviews from time to time. But I just prefer music blogs
and the hype machine, last.fm, etc
Basically I'd rather listen and then read than read and then listen
fred
FYI, I have no affiliation with Other Music, I just really dig their product and saw VW play a little gig in their East Village storefront.
That being said, David Bryne has done quite a bit of world beat stuff. TH have
influenced many a band in this new crop of indie bands. With regards to the world beat stuff, guess David Bryne just saw it coming. Fela's also been cited as an influence recently as well.
Now, if you want to see a real Afrobeat band, check out:
Asiko @ Zebulon Cafe/Sat. Feb. 2/258 Wythe/11pm (drummer played w/ Sufjan Stevens)
(I am not trying to one up VW for not being a 'real' Afrobeat band, we all dig that they are an indie pop band influenced by Afrobeat - just thought if Afrobeat peaked anyones interest, I would let others know about this great band)
Any recommendation from you is an order!
Fred
Those songs have been around for 2 years, and Columbia just got around to putting it out. So good though. Maybe I have a soft spot in my heart for the BeeGee's?
Remind me when the shows are
Fred
But right away I like the "Cape Cod Wassa Wassa" track.
;-)
so, in summary - i like it very much!
actually those graceland bits reminded me more of sting in his tiresome eco-warrior-saviour-and-friend-of-africa-(and bono)-mode - and i don't care for sing much either - will be interesting to see if they retain that sound in their future works?
as an aside, did you ever get a chance to check out my favourite up and coming local band, the hair? if so, any thoughts?
http://www.hairmusic.co.uk/
IMO, the first one is just okay, but the second one is great and the end of the third is amazing (be sure to scroll down)
http://www.blogotheque.net/article.php3?id_arti...
I gave you the VW mp3s at a bar on w 3rd st a few months back. Check your email for another record I sent you last week. You'll dig it, especially if you've been into the new hot chip. Let me know what you think.
Fred