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Ezra Koenig is the lead singer of “it” band, Vampire Weekend. They describe their musical genre as “Upper West Side soweto,” which in English means it sounds like African-influenced indie pop/rock (there’s definitely some Paul Simon parallels to be drawn there, as well). They’ve enjoyed the status and acclaim that comes with being the “it” band, but without much backlash or even many negative reviews. People like them because they’re good. Their lyrics are really smart (they have a song about the “Oxford Comma”), and they are smart as well (the band members met at Columbia University). Other band members are Rotsam Batmanglij, Chris Tomson, and Chris Baio (no relation to Scott). In fact, as a whole, they’re a pretty good-looking band (yeah, the guy in the striped shirt is a bit doofy looking, but I do like his sweater).
Why He’s More Than Just Eye Candy: Not only is he a musician (he handles guitar and vocal duties for the band), but he is a filmmaker. They got their name, Vampire Weekend, from one of his short films. He also played saxophone in the improvisational jazz band, Total War, and the art rock band, Dirty Projectors, and was a member of the comedy-rap band, L’Homme Run. He and the band also did some campaigning for Barack Obama (which I realize some people wouldn’t see as a good thing, but I do).
Here’s the band’s single, “Oxford Comma.” (Note: Here be some salty language).
The Ebb and Flow 