A-Punk
Encyclopedia
"A-Punk" is a single by indie rock
band Vampire Weekend
, released on February 28, 2008. The band made their network television debut by performing "A-Punk" on The Late Show with David Letterman. In October 2011, NME
placed it at number 62 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
's Subterranean
indie video block.
described "A-Punk" as having a "spunky drive, pogo-inducing rhythm, and subtle but hugely effective sonic accents" and said that "while solid, [it] isn't one of the stronger songs on Vampire Weekend
". Drowned in Sound
writer Alex Denney, commented that "A-Punk" was not the best song from their debut album due to it being "a little too uptempo to let their disarmingly clever melodies breathe", but stated "for the flute-aping synths and bottled-sunshine guitars alone you need this in your life." The review from Greg Rose of Gigwise, was mixed. Rose said that although the song lacked originality, it "manages to sound unique" due to the lyrical inventiveness of lines by Ezra Koenig such as, "His honor drove southward seeking exotica/cut his teeth on turquoise harmonicas", which were described as being "perky" and gave the song "a buzzing zip."
Prefix magazine writer, Jeff Klingman, said the song's "cool organ breeze and a shifting drum beat save the day", preventing "too much snark from being slung at their New York Times featured, digitally distributed exclusively by Other Music, Columbia University, golden boy asses." In reference to "A-Punk", The Times
writer Ben Blackmore, said, "Do believe the hype."
and #25 on Billboard
magazine's Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart.
On the 27th October 2008, Vampire Weekend re-released "A-Punk" in the UK, in the hope of achieving a higher Chart placement on the UK Singles Chart
. However, "A-Punk" only managed to peak at #63, which was significantly less than the placement at #55 earlier that year.
covered "A-Punk" on their album Bang
.
, Guitar Hero 5
, Just Dance 2
, SingStar Guitar
, and the 2008 film Step Brothers
.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend is an American indie rock band from New York City that formed in 2006 and signed to XL Recordings. The Band has four members: Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Tomson, and Chris Baio. The band released its first album Vampire Weekend in 2008, which produced the singles "Mansard...
, released on February 28, 2008. The band made their network television debut by performing "A-Punk" on The Late Show with David Letterman. In October 2011, NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
placed it at number 62 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
Music video
The music video directed by Garth Jennings, that was said to convey the song's "spiky energy," used footage of the band performing as sped up stop-motion figures, simulating winter and underwater scenes during the performance. Despite the band being sped up, they "never miss an upstroke beat." The video made its worldwide premiere on January 7, 2008 on MTV2MTV2
MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...
's Subterranean
Subterranean (TV series)
Subterranean was a weekly music show on MTV2 dedicated to alternative, indie, and underground music and artists. The show was made as the modern-day continuation of MTV's 120 Minutes...
indie video block.
Critical reception
Mark Richardson of Pitchfork MediaPitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
described "A-Punk" as having a "spunky drive, pogo-inducing rhythm, and subtle but hugely effective sonic accents" and said that "while solid, [it] isn't one of the stronger songs on Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend (album)
-Japanese Bonus Tracks:-Personnel:*Ezra Koenig – lead vocals, guitar, piano, hand drum*Rostam Batmanglij – organ, chamberlin, piano, harpsichord, guitar, vocal harmonies, drum and synth programming, shaker, producer, string arrangements, engineering, mixing...
". Drowned in Sound
Drowned in Sound
DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...
writer Alex Denney, commented that "A-Punk" was not the best song from their debut album due to it being "a little too uptempo to let their disarmingly clever melodies breathe", but stated "for the flute-aping synths and bottled-sunshine guitars alone you need this in your life." The review from Greg Rose of Gigwise, was mixed. Rose said that although the song lacked originality, it "manages to sound unique" due to the lyrical inventiveness of lines by Ezra Koenig such as, "His honor drove southward seeking exotica/cut his teeth on turquoise harmonicas", which were described as being "perky" and gave the song "a buzzing zip."
Prefix magazine writer, Jeff Klingman, said the song's "cool organ breeze and a shifting drum beat save the day", preventing "too much snark from being slung at their New York Times featured, digitally distributed exclusively by Other Music, Columbia University, golden boy asses." In reference to "A-Punk", The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
writer Ben Blackmore, said, "Do believe the hype."
Chart performance
The song peaked at #55 on the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and #25 on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine's Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart.
On the 27th October 2008, Vampire Weekend re-released "A-Punk" in the UK, in the hope of achieving a higher Chart placement on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. However, "A-Punk" only managed to peak at #63, which was significantly less than the placement at #55 earlier that year.
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
55 |
| U.S. Bubbling Under Hot 100 | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
91 |
| U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 25 |
Cover Versions
In 2010, contemporary a cappella group RockapellaRockapella
Rockapella is an American a cappella musical group formed in 1986 in New York City. Their name is derived from the words "rock" and "a cappella". They sing original vocal music and a cappella covers of pop and rock songs; over time, their sound has evolved from high-energy pop and world music...
covered "A-Punk" on their album Bang
Bang (Rockapella album)
Bang is the sixteenth overall and eleventh North American album by the a cappella group Rockapella. It is the first studio album the group has released since 2002. It also marks band members John K. Brown's and Steven Dorian's first recording appearance with Rockapella, having been with the group...
.
Appearances
The song is featured in the video games Lego Rock BandLego Rock Band
Lego Rock Band is a music video game and part of the Rock Band series developed by Harmonix Music Systems, but also incorporates elements from other Lego video games as developed by Traveller's Tales. The game is published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and MTV Games...
, Guitar Hero 5
Guitar Hero 5
Guitar Hero 5 is a music video game and the fifth main entry in the Guitar Hero series. The game was developed by Neversoft and published by RedOctane and Activision, and released internationally in September 2009 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, 3 and Wii consoles...
, Just Dance 2
Just Dance 2 (video game)
Just Dance 2 is a music game developed and published by Ubisoft Paris for the Wii. It is a sequel to Just Dance. It was released in North America on October 12, 2010 & in Europe on October 14. The Best Buy Edition was released in North America on November 21, 2010. There are 44 new tracks and new...
, SingStar Guitar
SingStar Guitar
SingStar Guitar is a 2010 competitive karaoke and music video game exclusively for the PlayStation 3, and is a spin-off of the karaoke-only SingStar series. SingStar Guitar is developed by SCE London Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment...
, and the 2008 film Step Brothers
Step Brothers (film)
Step Brothers is a 2008 American slapstick buddy-comedy film directed by Adam McKay, produced by Judd Apatow and Jimmy Miller, and stars Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, who originally teamed up in Talladega Nights . The screenplay was written by Ferrell and McKay, from a story written by Ferrell,...
.
External links
- Vampire Weekend on XL Recordings - Album page on record label's site
- "A-Punk" music video - as provided by record label on YouTube