Vampire Weekend + Ra Ra Riot = Discovery

By James Diers  |  June 8, 2009 | 8:51pm
Aux Features Music

For the uninitiated: Vampire Weekend is that devilishly catchy Afropop-meets-indie-rock band that the indie world crammed down your throat throughout 2008. Ra Ra Riot is the band that's currently out supporting Death Cab For Cutie and sounds kinda like Vampire Weekend with an added touch of Arcade Fire bombast. Turns out the two bands are chummy. And before collegiate music mavens even thought to ask for it, there's now a clever collaboration between the two.

Discovery is the name of a new side project featuring Vampire Weekend multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Rostam Batmanglij and Ra Ra Riot singer Wes Miles. With a debut album called LP due from XL Recordings on July 7, the duo was conceived as a way for its members to indulge their love for heavy synths, 808 drum beats, and fake handclaps—all of which might feel a bit out of place in their primary outfits.

That goal is pretty well met by the single "Orange Shirt," now available for free download. The cheeky mid-tempo jam matches a slick patchwork of retro programming and current R&B phrasing with lyrics that reference current technology ("Every text I get from you is so, so serious " and "Google yourself when you get home"). Indie-geek track of the summer? Judge for yourself.

 
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