How many of you dissed Vampire Weekend without ever hearing them? Come

on, raise your hands! You know you did. And rightfully so. Among

purists, there is still something highly inorganic about achieving

instant success via Internet buzz. Even worse, these New Yorkers also

have Ivy League educations (posers!). But the good thing is that,

unlike, say, the Strokes, they don’t try to cover up their privilege

with rock ‘n’ roll costumes. Vampire Weekend are pure, saccharine

indie pop. They are clean-cut, clever, book-learnin’, Afro-inflected

pop; there isn’t a damn bit of rock ‘n’ roll in these boys. Internet

buzz aside, Vampire Weekend would have ignited some rock-vs.-pop

controversy anyway. They are divisive like Belle & Sebastian, the kind

of band Stooges fans love to call “pussies.” They are indie pop for

girls who wear sweaters and boys who tuck in their shirts, which is

another way of saying they are completely harmless. Like shopping at

Urban Outfitters. With Yacht. BRIAN J. BARR

Wed., March 26, 8 p.m., 2008