An alarming number of interesting Fleetwood Mac covers have accumulated in my inbox by all sorts of artists. These are just a few of my favorites including Vampire Weekend doing a bouncy cover of Everywhere and Cat Power with an acoustic cover of Dreams. Dreams was of course also covered by The Morning Benders in their cover album the bedroom covers. These accomplished covers all provide a fresh take on the 70s flavor Fleetwood established and is still representing to this day (for better or worse).

Vampire Weekend – Everywhere [Fleetwood Mac cover]

The Morning Benders – Dreams [Fleetwood Mac cover]

Cat Power – Dreams [Fleetwood Mac cover]

I’m aware that this is extremely late coming – it got stuck in my drafts folder unnoticed – but here it is anyways. My thoughts on the newest effort from Vampire Weekend. After reading the feature article the New Yorker ran about Vampire Weekend a few weeks ago titled School of Rock, I was left with a lot of questions. Apparently Vampire Weekend is and has always been influenced by African music, IE Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa – Kwassa Kwassa being a dance rhythm from the republic of Congo – and the article followed this theme while detailing the band’s career. My honest and admittedly uninformed impression before reading this was…really??

From Contra, the song Diplomat’s Son marks the very first track that actually made me sit up and take notice of some Pan-African influence in their music. It’s a very relaxed song with a undeniably reggae beat. But I take some issue with those who would define the band by praising their novel mix of African beats in an indie rock context. The New Yorker article also talks about the tension that arises from the incongruity between their extreme “preppy” image and their choice in world beats. I think is probably where my – and the rest of the critics – skepticism about the band’s authenticity is rooted. I don’t doubt that their degrees from Columbia University taught them a thing or two about world cultures, but I don’t hear a strong commitment to this aesthetic in their music.

Update: I’d like to thank everyone for their insightful emails and comments and gently remind people that I hardly ever write about music on this blog that I don’t like. This review wasn’t meant to come off as negative, just to put the criticism I read about in the New Yorker out there in the context of the new album.

Vampire Weekend – Diplomat’s Son removed by request

Vampire Weekend has been showing up a lot more often in the first few days of 2010, probably in preparation of their new album, titled Contra. The album will be officially released next week on January 12 and will include this tracklist.

1. “Horchata” 3:26
2. “White Sky” 2:58
3. “Holiday” 2:18
4. “California English” 2:30
5. “Taxi Cab” 3:55
6. “Run” 3:52
7. “Cousins” 2:25
8. “Giving Up the Gun” 4:46
9. “Diplomat’s Son” 6:01
10. “I Think Ur a Contra” 4:29

There will also be two bonus iTunes tracks called Giant and California English Pt II. Look for a post next week on this album. I’m listening to it right now and let me just say that the song California English sounds like they used some auto tune effects on the vocals. A curious choice indeed. Until then here are a few new takes on an older song, The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance, the first by Montreal’s very own Chromeo and the second by the “animals” from Miike Snow.

Vampire Weekend – The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance [Chromeo Remix]

Vampire Weekend – The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance [Miike Snow Remix]

Tomorrow is the last day of the year 2009 and everywhere you look there is media telling you what the top 10 everything was. This song might not make any of those lists but it’s got that nice casual flow that Kid Cudi excels with. The Vampire Weekend instrumentals work really well too. Let’s hope no one’s New Year’s eve ends as abruptly as this song does.

Kid Cudi feat. Vampire Weekend – Cudderisback

It is Friday and it only felt right to start the weekend with a jaw about these kids from New York City who have been making alot of noise online lately. Vampire Weekend can’t help but to remind me of Montreal’s very own Islands in their own mellow-dramatic indie rock kind of way.

They’re massive North American Tour is glaringly barren of a Montreal Tour date, with love for Toronto and Vancouver. What the fuck? Anyway here are some tunes, find out what your missing and have a Vampire filled Weekend kids.

Vampire Weekend – A-Punk (mp3)

Vampire Weekend – Campus (mp3)

Click Read more for chances to have a Vampire Weekend near you:

01-30 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom ^
01-31 San Francisco, CA – Popscene
02-01 San Francisco, CA – Amoeba Records (in-store)
02-04 Los Angeles, CA – Amoeba Records (in-store)
02-06 Washington, DC – Rock and Roll Hotel
02-07 Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church
02-08 Williamstown, MA – Williams College Currier Ballroom
02-09 Boston, MA – Museum of Fine Arts
02-11 Toronto, Ontario – Horseshoe Tavern
02-13 Cincinnati, OH – The Gypsy Hut
02-14 Columbus, OH – Wexner Center
02-15 Pittsburgh, PA – Andy Warhol Museum
02-21 London, England – ULU
02-22 Wolverhampton, England – Civic
02-23 Oxford, England – Academy
02-24 Brighton, England – Audio
02-27 Manchester, England – Academy 2
02-28 Glasgow, Scotland – Classic Grand
03-06 Orlando, FL – The Social *
03-07 South Florida Everglades, FL – Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation (Langerado)
03-08 St. Augustine, FL – Café Eleven *
03-09 Atlanta, GA – The Earl *
03-10 Birmingham, AL – The Bottletree *
03-12-16 Austin, TX – SXSW
03-19 San Diego, CA – The Casbah
03-20 Los Angeles, CA – El Rey
03-22 San Francisco, CA – The Independent
03-23 San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Shop
03-25 Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
03-26 Seattle, WA – Neumos
03-27 Vancouver, British Columbia – Richards on Richards
03-29 Missoula, MT – Badlander
03-30 Boise, ID – Neurolux
04-01 Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
04-25 Indio, CA – Coachella