Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend 

Impressions: Fairly popular band with the kids of now. Let’s hit play… Trust-fund angle to the packaging, music, lyrics…even album titles like “Oxford Comma” and “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.” They describe their mix of sounds as “Upper West Side Soweto.” “Mansard Roof” starts off with a galloping beat and some tremelo guitars. At least, singer Ezra Koenig is trying to question his privilege with a chorus of “Who gives a fuck about an Oxford comma?” He’s got a very clean, high voice matched by the lean and tasteful music with unadorned guitars and Afro-pop beats. Most songs have a kind of Paul Simon “Graceland” delicacy, but then they vary things up with a skanking “A-Punk” and throwing curveballs by layering strings and/or harpsichords to songs like “The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance.” “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” could have been transported from a mid-80s Amnesty International concert, even down to the reference to Peter Gabriel. By all rights, this mix of elements could have been super-cloying in sort of a precious Wes Anderson sort of way, but the melodies are sharp and their commitment to material about rich do-nothing twentysomethings instead of pretending to be the underclass is admirable.  “Wolcott” sums up the whole record with the chorus of “Don’t you wanna get out of Cape Cod tonight?”