Video: Cousins - Vampire Weekend

Whew, where did the time fly? Seems the end of my semester of classes made me feel a bit over-encumbered. I'm very sorry Voilà! had to suffer as a consequence. But my ears have remained close to the speakers, dear reader. Hopefully when finals calm down, I can pick up my musical responsibilities here. Just bear with me, and thanks for all the patience.

So where to re-begin? Well, there is this little ditty that I can't help to have been grooving to for weeks since its release. It was conjured by the creative minds of a hip and trendy little quartet that comes out of New York. They call themselves Vampire Weekend, and as our old friends prepare for the big release of their new album, Contra - slated to debut on 11 January 2010 - they have released their first official single from their sophomore album, entitled "Cousins."

Vampire Weekend is very theatrical, both with their eclectic, vibrant songs, and with their unique choice of directors, their videos reflect the attitude. The band stuck with British comedian Richard Ayoade for their songs with sweeping motifs, in both "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" and "Oxford Comma." But with the release of "Cousins," Vampire Weekend has returned to the stylistic quirkiness of Garth Jennings who also directed "A-Punk," my personal favourite in the Vampire Weekend repertoire. Filmed entirely in a back alley of New York City, on a tram normally used for filming, "Cousins" features lots of nifty camera effects, awesome images, and lots of confetti.

Ready? Set? Then why don't we get this video going? Check out "Cousins" by Vampire Weekend on Voilà! right here. Still have a craving for more new material from Vampire Weekend? Never fear, for they have also released "Horchata," the first song set to appear on Contra, which you can snag a free mp3 of on Stereogum. Still not enough? Well wander over to Vampire Weekend's Myspace to catch both songs for streaming, along with their older single "Ottoman," along with a slew of other neat stuff. Enjoy!

Arrah and the Ferns Reunite

NEED I SAY MORE?!

Here is the Arrah and the Ferns' (former) ExBand of the Week article written on Voilà! only a couple months ago.
Here is Arrah and the Ferns' Myspace.
Go to either to find more info on them.
Following is their official reuniting statements!

"Hey all,
Sure has been awhile since i've written one of these. As a lot of you know the 4 of us went our different ways, on good terms, back in early '08 and as most of you have probably guessed this blog is about a reunion tour...and no, it's not a joke. Arrah and I will be playing shows around the midwest and joey and dave will be playing some of them too. Then she and I will head east with some good friends to play a few towns ending in a weekend of shows in philly and NYC to promote peace between the two cities after the world series craziness. We'll be playing a mix of mostly acoustic stuff from Evan is a Vegan as well as new songs.

Check out our page to see the tentative dates. We've got some stuff brewing so check back for updates. Also, if you live in or near one of our TBA cities and can help us we'd love it. Most of the shows will be just Arrah and I so we are down for acoustic house show parties or whatever. We're just excited to be on the road again because the life we love is making music with our friends and we consider ourselves blessed to have so many.

see you soon and love from all of us,
carl"

Soirée de Poche - Kings of Convenience

Delicacy, intricacy, subtlety... plenty of words describe it well, but no word can accurately explain simply how beautiful the music of two Norwegian guys truly is. In a very calming style, Kings of Convenience is more than accustomed to sing their sweet songs as they pluck their dual guitars expertly, creating melodies with incredible depth for our auditory enjoyment. It's been awhile since Erlend Øye and Eirik Bøe have treated us to some new music. But as of last month, Kings of Convenience released their latest and greatest album, Declaration of Dependence, and is a delightfully mellow album that has been so eagerly awaited by fans.

Recently, though, the Norwegian duo wandered to Paris. In a special presentation with the series of recorded performances, Soirée de Poche - a series hosted by La Blogotheque - Kings of Convenience offers a truly unique performance. I could tell you all about it, but instead, why not watching it right here on Voilà!, and experience it for yourself? And don't forget to visit Soirée de Poche's archives, which include Andrew Bird, Beirut, and many more lovely performances.