Abe Vigoda

Abe Vigoda
Skeleton
Post Present Medium/Bella Union, 2008

That's Abe Vigoda the band, not Abe Vigoda the actor (remember "Fish" and "Barney Miller?"). When I first heard of them I thought that they were a hardcore band like Charles Bronson. You know, like all the bands were gonna start naming themselves after 70s actors.

Instead, Abe Vigoda sound like Vampire Weekend if they slept with Gang of Four. What I mean by that is that they have the same fondness for African rhythms shared by Vampire Weekend (borrowed in turn from Paul Simon, who borrowed from real Africans). But AV also have a fondness for angular, rhythmic post punk, much like Gang of Four. The result is something catchier and more exciting than your average post punk or indie rock release, but less preppy and bougie than Vampire Weekend's debut. I'm a fan. My girlfriend says they are too noisy. You be the judge.

As further proof that they are art punks to the core, check out their blog, which is full of artsy fartsy photos.