Friday, January 21, 2011

#6 Vampire Weekend: Warm Muted Bubblings

Today I'm taking a look at Vampire Weekend's 2010 release Contra which was named the number six album of 2010 by Pitchfork. Since it's snowing (again), I decided to focus on the track with the most obvious use of African pop elements to try and forget the wintry mess here. And while using African elements is sort of their M.O., this track with its overlapping, dampened guitars really stood out.



"White Sky" by Vampire Weekend (2010)


The colors for this track were overwhelmingly warm, mostly oranges and yellows, and they seemed to float up out of sight in irregular shapes, like strange effervescent bubbles. What was also incredible was how the dampened guitar strings sort of muted my whole perception. While the finger-picking gave it that bouncy and bright lightness, the dampening also created a kind of hazy background to the whole thing, like a grey-blue sky. This painting really captures it:
V E R I T Y......Original Mixed Media Abstract Textured Painting 3ft x 2ft on Pine Box Frame
VERITY mixed media abstract
by Christina Romeo $560


It became a challenge finding fashion pieces that were similar because the floating shapes were so irregular and fabric prints are always so regular. Also, the mixture of bright and muted colors was hard to come by.  But finally I stumbled across this dress and it really captured both elements:

orange yellow-diane von furstenberg yellow floral silk edythe pleated dress

Yellow floral silk 'Edythe' pleated dress
by Diane Von Furstenberg from Bluefly $239


Another really spectacular visual element of the song was the chorus section, the "aahoooooaah" with the crashing cymbals. These sections didn't interrupt the bubbling motion of the rest of the song, but they would superimpose it with flashing bursts of a pure yellow. This is mostly a result of the cymbals, but the electronically altered voice also has a very bright timbre.  Imagine something like this blouse appearing over the other more muted colors:

Sun Yellow Hand Draped Halter Top
Sun yellow hand draped halter top
by Elika Designs $220

So whether or not you like Vampire Weekend, especially since they became synonymous with holiday car ads, for me this track was at least a refreshing change from the cold white expanse outside my window.




GET THE LOOK: VAMPIRE WEEKEND
This band's look is really based on the definition of New England: blazers with solid-colored collared dress shirts and the occasional sweater. Frankly, it's a look that is pretty boring which is surprising considering the vibrant traditions from which much of their music is pulled. That said, on a woman it can be a little more charming, going back to the whole menswear look I've been crazy about lately.

black wide-brim H&M hat - pink boyfriend H&M blazer - white printed Aritzia shir mustard vintage blazer - navy Urban Outfitters pants - camel Michael Kors boots  blazer - Topshop boots - jeans - H&M Trend blouse

Here are a few vintage pieces to help create the look. The key is mostly neutral colors, tapered trousers, blazers that hit the hips and have the sleeves rolled, and some other menswear touches like plain leather belts and boots.  Enjoy!

Vintage Camel Wool Pendleton Blazer size 8 Vtg Brazilian Tan Oxfords. 70s. Reptile. Perforations.
vintage 1970's soft COLLEGIATE knit vest Vintage LEVIS 505 Straight Leg Faded Blue JEANS
Vintage camel wool Pendleton blazer from ikoh ikoh $36
Vintage 1970s Brazilian tan oxfords from Catapult Vintage $32
Vintage 1970s collegiate knit vest from Clever Nettle $29
Vintage Levi's 505 straight leg jeans from Le Saispas Vintage $24

1 comment:

  1. I adore Vampire Weekend. I think their previous album was better, but Contra is still great.

    ReplyDelete

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