Vampire Weekend
Biography Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend
formed in New York City in 2006 when bandmates Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Tomson, and Chris Baio met while attending Columbia University and realized their shared interest in punk rock and African music. After graduating, the band began recording its self-titled debut. The album received positive internet buzz before its official release, with the single “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” making it onto Rolling Stone’s 2007 list of “100 Best Songs of the Year.” Following the album’s release in 2008, Spin chose Vampire Weekend as “The Year’s Best New Band.” The band’s second album, Contra, was released in 2010, becoming Vampire Weekend’s first album to debut at the Number One spot on the Billboard 200, and received a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Album. In 2013, the band released its third album, Modern Vampires of the City, to nearly identical success. The album debuted at the top of the charts (marking the first time an independent rock band has had two consecutive Number One releases) and earned the band its second Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Album. The album also topped Rolling Stone‘s list of the “50 Best Albums of 2013.”
