Poor Bishop Allen. They were Vampire Weekend before Vampire Weekend was Vampire Weekend. Though they possess the same musical chops, intellectualized wordplay and ear for white-people-pleasing ditties, Bishop Allen have never caught fire (or received a subsequent backlash) like their fellow New York-based, Ivy League-educated indie rockers.
Still, itNs hard to feel too bad for the Harvard grads. Bishop AllenNs songs have been featured in prime-time commercials, they appeared on the Nick and NorahNs Infinite Playlist soundtrack, and member Justin Rice is a well-known actor in independent movies. Plus, their new album, Grrr . . ., isnNt half bad. While the previous release, 2007Ns The Broken String, was hummable but sometimes overly sincere, the new work tries hard to be jauntier and less self-conscious. And for the most part, it succeeds, with rousing choruses and whimsical stories, not to mention inspired flourishes on a plethora of string and percussion instruments. Track highlights include “Cue the Elephants,” “DonNt Hide Away” and “The Lion N the Teacup,” the story of a forsaken lover seeking revenge.
Hopefully Grrr . . . will make Bishop Allen widely popular, and, as with Vampire Weekend, music critics will unleash an avalanche of reactionary criticism. ItNs the least they could do.
