Album Review: Wampire - Curiosity
BY İDİL DAMLA BİNGÖL (IE/IV)
Wampire is a new band, consisting of two childhood friends, Eric Phipps and Rocky Tinder. They've been playing together since 2001, which makes it 12 years. At first they were just a couple of teenagers jamming together, and then they started playing at house parties in their hometown of Portland, Oregon, in the US. In time, they noticed that the material they were playing at these parties didn't actually reflect them, and they started over, going through a little self-discovery. So, after 12 years of experience, they're releasing their debut album, "Curiosity" (actually, it's being released today).
The name Wampire has been attracting attention for some months now -- they've been called Stereogum's "Band to Watch" and The Guardian's "New Band of the Day." Their debut album was produced by Unknown Mortal Orchestra's Jake Portraid in the Wave Cave. They released an EP consisting of their debut single, "The Hearse," and a cover of Kraftwerk's "Das Modell" in March of this year. Their cover of "Das Modell" is an absolute must-hear. It's their style and novelty that have drawn attention to them, I think. Their music is interesting and fun, and seems to have a lot of different influences.
"Curiosity" shows a lot about the band. For one thing, it's living proof of their experience and comfort in playing together. It's also a summery album -- I know that I say this a lot, but I can't imagine listening to this album on a dark, cold winter day. There's something light and sunny about it, which is what I mean by saying summery. The music is described as a "quirky combination of synth pop and arena rocker" by The Guardian and a "hybrid of dark garage pop and driving synth rock" by MusicRadar. I can't offer such a bold definition, but I can say that anyone who listens to "Curiosity" will hear a lot of keyboards, bass and guitar.
There are nine songs on the album, and although it's only being released today, "The Hearse" and "Spirit Forest" have already been available on the band's Bandcamp page (wampire.bandcamp.com). My favorite songs from "Curiosity" are "Orchards," "Snacks" and "Trains." This album is one that will be listened to over and over again -- all the songs are catchy and fun.
So, although I don't think that this band is going to be extremely popular, or that they're going to have big hits that everybody sings along with, if they continue making good albums like "Curiosity," Wampire will be talked about with admiration and respect. According to Urban Dictionary, a wampire is a wannabe vampire, but I can say that these guys are not wannabe musicians. Listen to "Curiosity" and their "Das Modell" cover -- they are very good at what they do.
Last Mini-List:
1. Say Lou Lou - Fool of Me (ft. Chet Faker)
2. MS MR - Hurricane (CHVRCHES Remix)
3. The Colourist - Little Games (St. Lucia Remix)
4. Flight Facilities - I Didn't Believe (ft. Elizabeth Rose)
5. Slow Knights vs. ColeCo - Shame
This column was my last -- next semester the rightful owner will return and take over the column once more. Writing the Bilkent News music column has been an amazing experience for me -- I hope you've liked it, too. You can find any song I've suggested during the semester on my Soundcloud page: soundcloud.com/idylles.