Chords for An Introduction to Vampire Weekend

So, you've heard this band's name over and over [A] again, but you just haven't given
them a chance yet.
It's more than likely that you've heard this, _ [D] _ [C#m] or maybe this too.
_ [A#] _ _ [D] Or you're a fan that just wants to know more about the origins [F#m] of this group.
Whatever reason you may be watching, this [G#] is an introduction to [E] Vampire Weekend.
We [F#] begin our story in 2006 at Columbia University, of all places.
For those of you that don't know, this is an Ivy League school.
[C#m] 7% acceptance rate, notable alumni including Barack Obama, Warren Buffet, [F#] you get the gist.
This is a very smart group [E] of guys, like near perfect [F#] scores on their SATs [A] smart.
So what's the first thing they come up with?
Ezra [C#m] Koenig and Chris Thompson were the first to meet, they bonded over their love of punk
rock and African music, and they decided to make a rap duo called, and let me get my French
accent right here, Le Homme Run.
Here's their song Pizza Party.
[G] Where'd you get that fresh pepperoni?
Your toppings are ill but your cheese is homey.
Only order one slice when you're feeling lonely, [A] cause the sausage tastes like stale bologna.
Uh, moving past that, [F#] so eventually they meet up with Chris Baio and the mononymous Rostam,
and they had their band.
Ezra was the lead singer and lead guitarist, Thompson the drummer, Rostam was a multi-instrumentalist,
and Baio on bass.
They named themselves Vampire Weekend after a student film of the same name, made by [B] Ezra
and the rest of the band during the summers in between [F#] school.
With all of their very eclectic musical tastes, Vampire Weekend found their sound pretty early on.
It was a strange but appealing mixture of rock, African guitar pop, and classical music,
all with this very preppy kind of vibe attached to it.
Their first show was a battle of the bands, and they [A] came in third place, [C#m] out of four bands.
They kept playing shows on campus over the next couple years, and [F#m] they started generating some [C#] buzz.
They graduated from college and started self-producing their first major [F#m] project while simultaneously
working [C#m] full-time jobs.
[A] Once the internet music blogging [A] scene got a hold of their music, they started blowing up.
They got on the cover of Spin, and did [F#m] a UK tour with the Shins, all before they had even
dropped an album.
On January 29th, 2008, the band [G] dropped their self-titled debut [A] studio album.
While at the time it was a decent [Em] success for an indie band's first [C#m] project, it's
quality and influence cannot [F#m] be overstated.
As I mentioned before, the band combines a unique variety of sounds and genres all into
one extremely likable package.
Yeah, it's indie rock, but there are influences from all over the world, and over centuries of music.
This project ranked 430th on Rolling Stone's 2012 list of the greatest albums of all time,
[G#]
56th of the decade, 24th on [C#m] their list of best debut albums, and I just can't praise
this thing enough.
So original, and so [D] incredibly influential for the waves of indie rock [F#m] bands that followed.
Here's a snippet from one of the tracks that I played before, A Punk.
♪ [D] Playin' through the city, that's it!
_ But with all [E] the success that came from that first album, [F#m] there was a decent amount of backlash too.
A lot of critics took one look at a group of preppy kids from Colombia, playing music
from all around the world, and called them out for being privileged, and stealing from
the culture of others.
But they didn't look deep enough into the band.
All the members got into Colombia through scholarships, and were still paying off student
loans years after the album hit number 17 on the Billboard 200.
The preppy aesthetic, while [G] it did fit them pretty well, [Am] was often more of an [F#m] experiment than anything.
The guys wanted to see how people [A] would react to a preppy rock [C#m] band, and in a lot of ways
they made that whole [C#m] style cool during that time.
And you know critics weren't even trying when they were calling the band WASPs, White
Anglo-Saxon Protestants.
Rostam's full [A] name is Rostam Batmanglij.
Does that sound White Anglo-Saxon Protestant to you?
[F#] The band has roots from Ukraine, [C#] Iran, Italy, and Hungary.
[F#] There's plenty of culture within this group.
So while [E] yes, they're preppy kids that went to Colombia, that shouldn't really be any
kind of [F#m] fault to the band whatsoever.
On January 11th, 2010, Vampire Weekend released their second album, Contra.
If the self-titled album opened the door for the band being culturally important and influential
in music, Contra is what cemented those ideas.
Musically, Contra explores even more influences than the previous project did.
This time we get moments of dance music, ska, rap, synthpop, and more.
There are these cool latin beats, layered drum machines, and an overall aesthetic that
makes you think of the [G#m] 80s.
Lyrically, we're branching out even further too.
The word Contra itself is a concept revolving around [F#m] conflict, but one that has no implications
of whether each side is right or wrong.
This theme gets explored through ideas [C#] of privilege, guilt, and the band toying with
the stigma that all rock bands have to be [B] poor, disadvantaged [F#] rebels.
Contra was a critical and commercial success, scoring favorable reviews from a majority
of publications and topping the Billboard 200.
Here's a snippet from the song [E] Cousins.
You're my cousins, and you and your [C#] cousins, it's a line that's always running.
On May 14th, 2013, Vampire [E] Weekend released their third studio [F#] album, Modern Vampires
of the [C#m] City.
Musically, this is a bit darker than either of the band's other albums.
[F#m] The playful African [G] influences of the self-titled album and Contra [F#] are replaced with a quote
less audacious production style.
Instruments like the piano, organ, and guitar seem more prominent than the wide, eclectic
mix of sounds on the previous records.
It's a subtle blend of indie rock and art pop.
Lyrically, things get darker too.
[C#] Concepts of faith and mortality are very prevalent.
In this coming of age story that has been the trilogy of Vampire Weekend, Contra, and
Modern Vampires, [A] this album is clearly the most mature of the three.
The guys in the band are [C#] adults now, and the [C#m] lyrical themes reflect that.
Again, the band found [F#m] themselves with a number one album and great critical response.
While Contra was the group's first Grammy nomination, Modern Vampires ended up winning
for best alternative album.
One of my favorite things about this project was the band shifting the pitch of Ezra's voice.
Here's a taste of that on [A] the song Diane Young.
_ _ _ _ [F#] _
_ Since then, we've been patiently waiting for the band's next album.
[C#m] It was announced that Rostam would be leaving the group to pursue his own solo stuff, though
he's still close with the guys and will continue to collaborate with them over time.
[F#] After a long hiatus, Vampire Weekend announced that their fourth studio album, Father of
the Bride, would be coming soon.
For the album's promo, there will be three monthly two-song drops.
Here's a snippet from one of the songs that has dropped so far, [E] Harmony Hall.
_ [F#] _ _ _ _ [E] _ _
[F#m] And that's Vampire Weekend, one of the most innovative, influential, unique indie rock
groups of all time.
[G] Between the self-titled album Contra and Modern Vampires, they've released some of my favorite albums ever.
I'm super excited for Father of the Bride, and now that you've watched this video, [A] I
hope you are too.
_ _ _ [F#m] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [B] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [F#m] _ _ _ _ [A] _