Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig
Photo: MTV News

When Vampire Weekend decided to name their new album Contra, they knew there were going to be repercussions ... mostly of the "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A" variety.

"Look, I was born in 1984, so I'm not going to name an album Contra and not think about that video game," VW frontman Ezra Koenig laughed. "To me, there's not an explicit connection ... I think what attracted us to the word 'contra' was the root of it, thinking about the word and all the different implications of it.

"I did have a moment where I stopped and thought, 'Wow, everybody my age, when you say "Contra," thinks of the video game, and everybody my parents' age thinks of the [U.S.-supported, 1980s-era] counter-revolutionaries in Nicaragua,' " he continued. "It couldn't be two more different things. One incredibly serious and kind of f---ed up, you know? [Then-President Ronald] Reagan pouring money into that stuff, and the other one being a video game ... and it's so weird. And that game came out in the '80s, too. Why did they name it 'Contra'? That maybe be neither hear nor there, but it's a weird thing."

Totally — we think! Anyway, it turns out Contra goes much deeper than just some Konami codes: It's a concept, too, one that runs through most of the album's 11 songs, and one that has more than a little to do with just how Koenig and his mates have been portrayed in the media since their rise to fame.

"I do think it's related to our identity as a band. When you're in a situation where you all of a sudden get people writing about you and saying things about you, of course you're going to have a lot of people who try to identify you by a series of bullsh-- signifiers," Koenig said. "They'll try to say because you wear this kind of shirt you come from this kind of family, or because you have a song with this word in it you must be of this political persuasion.

"So we did a lot of thinking about the idea of opposition, and how people try to place you in categories, and how we all do it — it's not just in terms of critics versus bands, or politicians, we do it in our personal life," he continued. "It's very easy to get into that mindset, and I think a lot of things in our lives are trying to make us choose between these really basic things, when ultimately it's not a good way to look at the world."

Contra — which the band was working on when we visited their Brooklyn studio earlier this year — doesn't hit stores until January 12, which means that Koenig still has plenty of time to field questions about old Nintendo games. Something he's more than equipped to do, as luck would have it.

"It's pretty funny now," he said. "But I've got to admit, I didn't play the original 'Contra' all that much. I was more of a 'Contra III' guy, on the Super Nintendo."

• Vampire Weekend

Cam Gigandet
Photo: MTV News

What do "Twilight" star Cam Gigandet, Steve-O, "Gossip Girl"'s Leighton Meester, Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig and rapper Nicki Minaj all have in common? Well, for one thing, they all graduated from high school. And with each high school graduation comes unique memories — in some cases, really unique memories. (Check out the Jonas Brothers' graduation memories right here.)

"Jackass" star Steve-O — who was attending school in London at the time — spent his pre-party in jail. "I got arrested the night before high school graduation," he said. "It was like 5 o'clock in the a.m. when they let me out of the drunk tank."

Although Steve-O eventually made it to his graduation, "Gossip Girl" star Leighton Meester managed to miss her ceremony. "I didn't go to my high school graduation," she said, explaining, "I graduated a year early out of a small private school that was different then my school. I went to Beverly Hills High School. But I'm OK that I missed it — that week I was in Hawaii, working."

And although "Twilight" star Cam Gigandet didn't have anything momentous or unusual happen to him when he graduated, the man voted "Best Dressed" by his classmates does admit that by the time graduation rolled around, he was over it. "I was so ready to move on that I just stuck my head down and all I could focus on was the end," he said. "Towards the end, I'm not sure if I had any friends either."

But he is almost certain of one thing about his look back then: "I think I had hair down to here," he said, pointing below his ears. "I have my 10-year reunion coming up, so I'll ask them."

Rapper Nicki Minaj attended LaGuardia High School, on which the movie "Fame" is based, meaning that hanging out in dressing rooms was part of the curriculum. "What was great for me in high school was the fact that I was a drama major and, being a drama major, we had a dressing room," she said, adding that "it allowed us to be able cut class and go somewhere and just be silly all day. We would do, like, beating on the table and making up rhymes. When we graduated we were, like, on the boat!"

So, leave it to the rocker in the group to have the most typical of high school graduation experiences. "I was in this white tuxedo," Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend, who we caught up with in the studio last week, said. "With, like, really curly, shaggy hair, giving a speech on the baseball diamond of my high school."

Welcome to Class of '09 Week on MTVNews.com, where we're celebrating a memorable time in the lives of more than 3 million high school seniors: graduation! We'll be rolling out articles and videos with graduation memories from your favorite celebrities and much more. Be sure to upload your own three-minute video for our Class of '09 Valedictory Search to Your.MTV.com — the winner will be flown to New York for lunch with MTV News' Sway and will attend a taping of MTV's new series "It's On With Alexa Chung."

• The Class Of 2009

• Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig and Rostam Batmanglij
Photo: MTV News

Vampire Weekend could have done this anywhere: Malibu. Mauritius. Manhattan.

Given the unexpected success of Vampire Weekend's self-titled 2008 debut, which took them from blog buzz to the Billboard charts, they really could have worked on the new album in any number of ultra-luxurious studios in any number of ultra-exclusive locales around the world. Instead, they're holed up in Treefort studios, a dingy space in a high-rise storage facility near DUMBO in Brooklyn, where they also recorded part of their first album.

"We thought a little bit about going to other places. The idea was floated of recording in L.A., but ... because everything is done within the band, it's kind of important for us to have our own space," VW frontman Ezra Koenig told MTV News. "And this is definitely 'our' space. ... There's nothing around here. No restaurants, nothing. And that's a double-edged sword, because on one hand, we think it keeps us focused, but on the other, when you're really hungry, the only place you can go quickly is McDonald's. So, when you're in here, you stay for a while. You stay for a long time."

And since February, they've been doing just that, spending long hours between Treefort's wood-paneled walls, writing and recording the songs that will make up the new album, which they hope to release sometime this year. And on Monday, they were good enough to invite MTV News into the studio to have a listen to their endeavors. We heard a pair of vastly different songs — the tinkly, uptempo "White Sky" and a dubby piece called "Taxi Cab" — selected by the band to showcase the range of tempos and rhythms they've been experimenting with this time out. A range that is much greater than anyone imagined.

"One thing that's interesting about this album is that, to me, I think it has a wider range of feelings and tempos than the first album," Koenig said. "There are faster songs than what you've heard — or what at least feels like our fastest song we've ever made — and also [the] slowest [song] we've ever made. There are songs where I'm singing very high, and I think also the lowest I've ever sang on a VW album — I tend to use a certain range — and so those ones [you heard], I don't think even show the extremes of vibe on this album."

"White Sky" isn't exactly new. The first time Vampire Weekend played it was at the album-release show for their first album, and back in March, they performed it on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon." It's certainly a VW song in spirit, but with its lilting low end, handclaps, bleeps and rinky-dink keys, it's also a pretty good example of how they've progressed as musicians, songwriters and producers.

"That song came together in a way that none of our older songs ever have," Koenig explained. "[Multi-instrumentalist/producer] Rostam [Batmanglij] made a beat and sent it to us, and I spent some time writing lyrics and a melody to it, and then we put it together into what it is now. On that level, it is very distinct from what we've done."

"Taxi Cab" takes that idea and moves it one step further. At its core, it's a downtempo number — certainly a first in the VW catalog — built around a bubbly dub line, some upright bass and waning cello. But for all that bubbly looseness, there are also measures of decidedly uptight Baroque piano, a nod to their first record.

"That's one of the only songs, really, that ties back so explicitly to the first album. With 'Taxi Cab,' I think it was important that we made a song that was mellow, because if you listen to our first album, there's a certain level of pumped-up-ness," Batmanglij said. "I guess at some point this spring, I got obsessed with Lou Reed's 'Walk on the Wild Side,' and I just wanted to hear that over and over again. And so hopefully 'Taxi Cab' will connect with that, somehow, in some way."

So while Vampire Weekend are certainly taking leaps on album number two (Koenig freely describes it as "diverse"), they're also trying not to stray that far from the formula that got them here in the first place. Tempos and instruments might change, but these are still pop tunes: very pretty, intricate and instantly catchy. You know, the kind that sound like they were born in a bazillion-dollar Malibu studio, not a Brooklyn storage unit. And that, really, was the plan all along.

"We wanted to work; to get in here and work and do it on our time was very important," Koenig laughed. "We're on a deadline here. We're a hardworking band. We don't take vacations."

• Vampire Weekend Are Back In The Studio

• Vampire Weekend

Coldplay's Chris Martin
Photo: ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images

The All Points West Music & Arts Festival will return for a second year with a lineup that includes the Beastie Boys, Coldplay and Tool as headliners. The festival, held at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey, will take place July 31 to August 2, with tickets on sale Friday.

Put on by Goldenvoice, the same promoters behind next month's Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, APW will again present a heady mix of alt-rock and rap superstars, new-wave legends, rock, current indie and comedy in the 80-acre Jersey park that's just across the Hudson River from lower Manhattan with a clear view of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the New York skyline. Promoters said they are also transforming the Queen of the Valley stage into a Coachella-like tent to showcase DJs, electronic acts and comedy this year and are improving the site to be more accessible and comfortable for attendees.

And like Coachella, Stagecoach, Bonnaroo and Rothbury, APW will offer cash-strapped fans the option of buying three-day passes on a layaway plan.

Among the other acts on the bill are Vampire Weekend, MGMT, Neko Case, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys, Echo & the Bunnymen, My Bloody Valentine, MSTRKRFT and Fleet Foxes.

APW will take place one weekend before this year's Lollapalooza festival in Chicago, August 7-9, and the fests will reportedly share the Beastie Boys as a headliner (the Beasties are also scheduled to play Bonnaroo in June). Lollapalooza is expected to announce its lineup in several weeks.

The full lineup for APW:

Friday, July 31: Beastie Boys, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Vampire Weekend, the National, Fleet Foxes, MSTRKRFT, Q-Tip, the Pharcyde, Organized Konfusion, the Knux, Ra Ra Riot, Seasick Steve, Telepathe, Shearwater, Heartless Bastards, Flying Lotus, College Humor Live, Arj Barker, Eugene Mirman and Bo Burnham.

Saturday, August 1: Tool, My Bloody Valentine, Gogol Bordello, Arctic Monkeys, Neko Case, the Ting Tings, Yelle, Crystal Castles, St. Vincent, Tokyo Police Club, the Cool Kids, Kool Keith, Cage the Elephant, Chairlift, White Rabbits, Electric Touch, the Postelles, Black Gold, College Humor Live, Tim & Eric, Judah Friedlander and Jim Jeffries.

Sunday, August 2: Coldplay, Echo & the Bunnymen, MGMT, the Black Keys, Elbow, Silversun Pickups, Mogwai, We Are Scientists, Ghostland Observatory, the Gaslight Anthem, Etienne De Crecy, Lykke Li, Akron/Family, Steel Train, Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, College Humor Live, Janeane Garofalo, Michael Showalter and Todd Barry.

• Coldplay
• Beastie Boys
• Tool
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• The Ting Tings

Photo: sxsw.com

South by Southwest is sort of like running a marathon, except you're drunk most of the time, and there's nothing but BBQ and tacos to eat, and have sun stroke, and you basically hear live music from the moment you wake up until the second you pass out. So, actually, it's not really like a marathon at all, except in duration (and probably perspiration).

Yes, it's that time of year again — SXSW is upon us. It's a magical week that comes around each March, when the city of Austin, Texas is overrun with hundreds of bands and thousands of hipsters in really tight pants, all braving the blazing Texas sun to catch can't-miss sets from much-buzzed blog acts, top-secret performances by some of the biggest names in music (there's a couple of doozies this year), and have a really gigantic, really debauched party.

At SXSW 2008, there were performances by mainstays like Paramore, N.E.R.D., R.E.M., and My Morning Jacket, star-making turns by Vampire Weekend, No Age, MGMT and Katy Perry, appearances by Perez Hilton and Rachael Ray, even a Britney Spears rumor (and, as luck would have it, we spoke to almost all of 'em). Rumor has it, there was also plenty of partying — though we don't really remember, to be honest.

This year, things are looking to be just as awesome. There are rumors (repeat: rumors) of performances by Metallica — under the relatively awesome Norse name of Volsung — on Friday and Kanye West on Saturday. We'll see the return of alt-rock greats Jane's Addiction — in all their original-lineup glory — and faerie queen Tori Amos. Big Boi, Rick Ross and Jadakiss are all scheduled to appear. There will be sets by the Silversun Pickups, Explosions in the Sky, Primal Scream, Devo, the Hold Steady, M. Ward and Peter Bjorn and John. Plus, indie heavyweights like the Thermals, the Decemberists (performing their new album, The Hazards Of Love, in its entirety) and Grizzly Bear, who will unveil tracks from their much-anticipated Vecktimest album at what promises to be a revelatory church show.

We know it's a lot to handle.

Of course, it wouldn't be SXSW if there weren't also a ton of up-and-comers grabbing headlines, too. From lo (perhaps even no)-fi noisemakers like San Diego's Wavves and Brooklyn's the Pains of Being Pure at Heart to NME-approved female electro-poppers Little Boots and Ladyhawke, there's no shortage of buzzed-up bands to catch in and around Austin this week. And that's not even mentioning bands like Passion Pit, Crystal Stilts, the Dirty Projectors and Marnie Stern — who's already given us an SXSW preview of her own. Throw in a strong hip-hop contingent — multiple sets by Asher Roth, Kid Cudi, Kid Sister and B.o.B — and you can see why the whole "marathon" comparison is more than apt. There literally is not enough time in the day to see everything, but that doesn't mean you're not gonna try your hardest to do it.

And, of course, MTV News is going to be there too — checking out bands, staying up way too late, making terrible decisions and trying very hard to remain sane. We'll be bringing you up-to-the-minute updates on SXSW on MTVNews.com, the Newsroom blog. We'll have live video of shows, interviews with bands and even a BBQ story or three. In short, we're going to try and bring you everything you're missing at SXSW 2009. It's hard work, for sure. But we do it because we care.

MTV News will be all over the South by Southwest festival this week, with blogs, articles and video on all the gigs, the artists and the scene!

• South By Southwest 2009: Looking Back

• Passion Pit
• Metallica
• Silversun Pickups
• The Decemberists
• Kanye West

David Archuleta
Photo: Steve Granitz/ WireImage

Last week, when we published a list of artists' favorite songs and albums of 2008, we expected to get some feedback ... but what we couldn't have predicted is just how much of that feedback would come from other artists.

Seems that everyone wanted to get in on the act, which meant that over the past few days, we've been getting even more lists from some of the artists who had huge impacts on 2008 — everyone from "American Idol" contestants and hip-hop headliners to much-buzzed blog bands and returning legends. In fact, the response was so overwhelming that we decided to do a second round of artist's picks — their favorite songs and albums of the year — which you can read below.

David Archuleta
"One of the biggest songs of the year for me was definitely 'I'm Yours' by Jason Mraz ... you gotta love that song. I mean, who doesn't? If you don't there's something wrong going on. It's an awesome song.

"Some of the big albums for me were We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things by Jason Mraz, Where The Light Is, the live album by John Mayer, Pocket Full Of Sunshine, Natasha Bedingfield — that's a good one. I really liked Fearless by Taylor Swift, that's an awesome album. I like, uh, Sara Bareilles' one, but I don't know if that came out this year or last year. I don't know which ones came out when."

David Banner
"My album of the year would be Wayne's [Tha Carter III], and it would be him for a couple of reasons. Number one, my connection to his album and, number two, just what he did for rap music. Look at it, Wayne just breathed life back into the opportunities that we all can have if we work hard.

"My favorite song? 'Get Like Me,' David Banner, Chris Brown, Young Joc. It was different from anything I heard this year and I was on it."

John Mayer
"I'm gonna go for Nas' [album], because it was one of the most amazing things to listen to. It was like somebody doing a backflip a billion times in one record. Because every time you write a lyric, and you do a little twist, and the whole record is like that. It's like Cirque du Soleil for lyrics. The Q-Tip album is really incredible. He doesn't have that chip in his head that cares about selling a billion albums, and it's kept him so authentic for so long. He keeps putting out the stuff he needs to make that other people will get inspired by, make a billion dollars, thank Q-Tip in the liner notes, and he'll keep being the artist's artist ... and I think that's super responsible.

"The M.I.A. track is unstoppable. Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown's 'No Air' is such an incredible track. Rihanna's 'Disturbia.' Try this: make, like, a 'Rihanna Disturbia Count' for your day — you'll get up to five or six, even if you don't go to a club. Go to a Subway sandwich shop, you're gonna hear it twice. It's just everywhere. Katy Perry's 'I Kissed a Girl,' that's kind of like the novelty track ... this year is about tracks. Leona Lewis is fantastic. Ray LaMontagne is the songwriter of the year, forget it. That album he put out, you put on the song called 'Let It Be Me,' and it's a full-on flush. Regardless of what's inside of you, forget it ... tears."

Mark Hoppus
"Vampire Weekend's album. I had heard a lot about this band, but never really listened to their album. Then we all ended up hanging out at the mtvU Woodie Awards and I bought their album afterwards. Now it's in constant rotation on my iPod. The songs are all really well-written, and I dig the kind of lo-fi recording quality it has. The music reminds me of a modern version of Paul Simon's 'Graceland' album in a lot of ways.

» Socratic's Spread the Rumors: The band asked me to produce this record and it was one of the best experiences for me as a producer. They all wanted to try different instrumentation and arrangements. Their influences come from all over the musical map. At the heart, they are a pop band, but much more clever."

» Kanye West's 808's & Heartbreak: I love that you never know what Kanye is going to come with on each new album. He's really a genius. I've only had the album for a week now, and every time I listen to it I hear more elements that I really dig."

Ryan Ross, Panic at the Disco
"Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes: This band got a lot of attention this year, and rightfully so. Crazy that this is their first album, they already have such a distinguishable sound. 'Beach Boys meets Bob Dylan' is the catchiest comparison I can make with this band — really interesting lyrics, but also fantastic vocal arrangements and harmonies. 'White Winter Hymnal' is probably my favorite track. I recommend 'Ragged Wood' and 'Quiet Houses,' but really the whole album, though.

» Dr. Dog, Fate: I was just turned onto this band recently. I don't know what you'd call them — a little rock and roll, a little pop, a little folk — their own thing, really. And from this album I'd recommend 'The Breeze,' 'The Old Days' and 'Army of Ancients.' One thing I love about this band is the vocal harmonies, and the singer's voice — you just want to believe what he's singing.

» Noah and the Whale, Peaceful: 'The World Lays Me Down,' 'Give a Little Love,' '5 Years Time,' and 'Shape of My Heart' are probably my favorite songs on this album, although the whole thing has a really unique sound. Great fun pop melodies; it's nice to hear a band not be afraid to be catchy.

» The Fireman, Electric Arguments: Paul McCartney has put out a few albums as The Fireman, but this is the first with vocals. The first song floors me ... It's heavy and so impressive [that] he can still sing as well as he does at his age. The second song, 'Two Magpies,' is one of my favorites from the album also ... such a juxtaposition from the first track to this. The production on the album is really deep as well, a lot of really fascinating sounds.

» Phantom Planet, Raise the Dead: We toured with this band earlier this year, and I didn't know much about them before that. I got this album a few weeks before the tour started and was blown away. By far their best album, and very underrated — people need to hear this. 'Quarantine' is excellent, and 'I Don't Mind' might be my favorite song of this year."

Adrian Young, No Doubt
"The Killers are really great. I just bought their record on iTunes two days ago, and I have their other two records, and ... they're really, really a great band. I really enjoy their albums."

Lisa Origliasso, The Veronicas
"We both loved Paramore's 'Decode.' Seriously, we love that song. Kings of Leon 'Sex On Fire.' MGMT's 'Electric Feel,' that was a great song too."

Nick Lachey
"Leona Lewis's album. I think she's a phenomenal singer, and a beautiful girl and she's certainly made a huge splash this year. Ne-Yo's really made his mark this year, too."

Ezra Koening, Vampire Weekend
"It wasn't my favorite song from the album, but I think it is the song of the year, so I'll say 'A Milli,' because it sort of took over the world. I heard a million different versions of it, heard it on the Subway, people blasting it everywhere, and it's really a weird song and it's awesome it's such a huge hit."

Rostam Batmanglij, Vampire Weekend
"Kanye, 'Love Lockdown,' that song is incredible. It's really special. I think we all appreciate the fact that whole album has a musical concept, you know? It's like a limitation in terms of what sounds are on that record, and that's the kind of thing that makes us really excited, those kinds of musical concepts. So I think that album 808s & Heartbreak, that's really cool."

Chris Tomson, Vampire Weekend
"My favorite song is 'Courtship Dating' by Crystal Castles. It sounds like a Timbaland beat, but with the cheesiness turned down a little bit. And 'In the New Year' by the Link TextWalkmen. Their You & Me is one of the only albums I bought this year; it's great."

Nick Harmer, Death Cab For Cutie
"1. TV On the Radio, Dear Science
2. My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges
3. Frightened Rabbit, Midnight Organ Fight
4. Radiohead, In Rainbows
5. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes
6. She and Him, Volume One
7. Mates of State, Rearrange Us
8. Torche, Meanderthal
9. Ra Ra Riot, The Rhumb Line
10. Beck, Modern Guilt"

Gabe Saporta, Cobra Starship
"T.I., 'Live Your Life:' The last CD I actually listened to was T.I. vs. T.I.P. — it's still in my car's CD player from last year. Then T.I. all went and got arrested for trying to buy some machine guns, and I was all thinking that was the end of T.I — but I was wrong. I was DEAD wrong. And I'll be the FIRST to admit it.

» Chromeo, 'Bonafied Lovin:' I always thought of Chromeo as that cooler, smarter, better-looking older brother who you'll never be as good as, and doesn't really know you exist. Like, I thought I was pretty bad (as in Michael Jackson Bad, as opposed to 'not-good' bad) for being Latino and Jewish, but if a girl wants some delectable French cuisine at a competitive price? Well, then, call Dave Macklovitch — homeboy is FRENCH and Jewish. He can dance, make money and cook you some good sh--.

» MGMT, 'Electric Feel:' I really only liked this song when I thought the lyrics were, 'Ooh girl, club you like a baby seal.' Then learned the real lyrics and hated it. Then it showed up on 'Gossip Girl' and I loved it again.

» John Legend featuring Andre 3000, 'Green Light:' Again, songs are always better when you make up your own lyrics. This song was known on our tour as 'Shreddy to Bro.' It's really good, but Andre's rap is what does it for me. I can especially relate to the part where he goes, 'Let's hop in a cab and split it/ Naw, I'm kiddin' — we ain't goin' to where you live.' 'Cause sometimes I'm also like, 'Damn girl! Really? The Montrose stop? That's like 45 minutes if the L is even running. We can take a cab, but I only got 10 bucks.'

» Cobra Starship, 'I Kissed a Boy:' Like I said, songs are always better if you make up your own lyrics.

» Millionaires, 'Alcohol:' What's better than three 19-year-old girls writing a song whose chorus is, 'Let's get f---ed up/ Gimme my alcohol?' Well, what if I told you that they even spelled it out for you? 'Cause, like, they're still in school and stuff. And, like, spelling is really important.

» Fall Out Boy, 'I Don't Care:' There really is no role more suited for me to play than a creepster who is running around the city exposing himself. Damn, I look really creepy in this video. Call me.

» Flo Rida, 'In The Ayer:' So our sound guy Chris V wears baggy shorts, likes to break-dance and hates our band. So he always plays hip-hop in between sets, which would be fine by me, except he always wants to play this back-packer sh-- that, like, three dudes drinkin' PBR will know. And I'm all, 'Yo V, put on some sh-- to make my booty pop.' So he added 'Ayer' to his playlist."

This is just their opinion — what's yours? Share your lists by uploading a video to YouRHere.MTV.com or leaving a comment below.

• Who Do The Artists Think Had A Great '08?

• David Archuleta
• John Mayer
• Vampire Weekend

Kanye West in "Heartless"
Photo: Roc-A-Fella

Kanye West is never one to shy away from tooting his own horn, and he's taking the success of his latest single "Heartless" as one of those rarely missed opportunities.

On his blog, in all caps, Kanye wrote, "It doesn't sound like anything else ever made in history!"

"This is a song nobody can front on!!! The beat is on some RZA sh--, and every line could make the ultimate rap hook!"

Despite all the great response he's been getting about the album, Kanye wants to let it soak into the cultural psyche and not release too many singles too fast. "I'm gonna walk this album slow like a more independent approach," he wrote. "I feel like a new artist. There's actually arguments again. It reminds me of the first album when everybody said I couldn't rap."

Kanye also muses that the next single from 808s & Heartbreak might be "Paranoid," but he isn't ready to settle on anything just yet. "['Paranoid' is] neck and neck with 'Robocop'!!!" he wrote. "I'm not gonna release either for a while because I want 'Heartless' and 'Love Lockdown' to soak into the culture!!"

He's also proud of the fact that the album is more far-reaching than his previous efforts. He even admitted that he wasn't satisfied with his mega-selling last album, Graduation. "I felt like certain records were keeping it from being a play in every environment," he wrote. " ... It was such a big compliment for me to have songs that are #1 on [BET's '106 & Park'] and can play right next to Vampire Weekend, Sade or Silverchair in a high-end fashion store!"

He also attributes a lot of the success to the far-reaching power that "Love Lockdown" has had since its release earlier this fall. "It's such a triumph to have 'Love Lockdown' on radio," he said. "This is new music! It might take some getting used to, but when it sets in it will make all the difference!"

• Kanye West
• Vampire Weekend
• Silverchair
• Sade

Chromeo and Vampire Weekend perform at the mtvU Woodie Awards last week
Photo: MTV News

The 2008 MTVU Woodie Awards taped last week, and the night, as usual, was filled with hot talent. Paramore, All-American Rejects, All Time Low and many others were in attendance — but the focus during the show was on the performances, specifically special collaborations between artists that were organized for the event.

And this year's show did not disappoint with its ambitious team-ups: world-pop outfit Vampire Weekend and dance-rock mavens Chromeo; Swedish chanteuse Lykke Li (who's been covering A Tribe Called Quest's "Can I Kick It") with Tribe Called Quest MC Q-Tip; and two rising hip-hop stars (and buds themselves), the Cool Kids and Asher Roth.

We snuck into rehearsals, where Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig told MTV News: "I think we're all excited. This is our first time to play with any other musicians since way back in the day, when we collaborated with John Atkinson of [Brooklyn indie outfit] Aa," apparently forgetting about the show last summer when Andrew W.K. joined the band onstage for a Tom Petty cover.

After the rehearsal, Chromeo's Dave 1 assessed, "It's about 70 percent there. They play with a little different swing than I heard in my head. We still have to work on it — we just put it together now. ... Pete [a.k.a. bandmate P-Thug] and I are going to take our instruments home to practice."

The Cool Kids and Asher Roth had a different approach to rehearsals: The Kids' Chuck Inglish stood onstage and proclaimed, "I don't think we should rehearse it!" while cohort Mikey Rocks added, "Let's just go with it when we get up there — we get the basic premise." The duo met the up-and coming Roth when he came to Chicago to work on some tracks for his upcoming record. "We're the same age and we do dope music," Asher said of what the two artists have in common. "When you do things the way we do, it makes it easy," Inglish added.

But not all of the night's collaborators knew each other ahead of time: the Woodie rehearsals brought together Lykke Li with Q-Tip for the very first time, but Li's covering "Can I Kick It?" during her live sets certainly broke the ice. Q-Tip said he hadn't known who Li was before, but he's "glad it happened and found out who she is — her album is amazing."

All seemed to go well for the pair during the rehearsals, too. "He's like a pro," Li said. "It was real easy — it took one minute to get it all together."

And with rehearsals over and done, the stage was set for the big show.

The 2008 mtvU Woodie Awards will premiere in full on mtvU, mtvU.com and the HD channel Palladia on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET

• Q-Tip And Lykke Li, Vampire Weekend And Chromeo: Odd Collaborations Rule At The mtvU Woodie Awards

• Paramore, All-American Rejects, More Take Home Timber At The 2008 mtvU Woodie Awards

• Q-Tip
• The Cool Kids
• Asher Roth
• Chromeo
• Vampire Weekend

Paramore's Hayley Williams and Jeremy Davis at the 2008 Woodie Awards
Photo: Rob Loud/ Getty Images

Paramore, Jack's Mannequin and Motion City Soundtrack won big, and Vampire Weekend, Santogold and All Time Low rocked hard Wednesday night at the mtvU Woodie Awards, the channel's celebration of college music, campus life and erection punnery. Fittingly, there was also beer pong.

More than 5.2 million votes were cast by college students nationwide to determine just who would take home awards like Woodie of the Year and the Good Woodie, and just about that many folks packed New York's Roseland Ballroom for the fifth annual show, held by MTV's 24-hour college network. The vibe was raucous (which would explain the beer pong), the winners grateful and the performances unpredictable.

First, those who got wood. Paramore knocked off acts like Lil Wayne, MGMT and Santogold to win the night's biggest award, Woodie of the Year. Motion City Soundtrack's "It Had to Be You" took home the Best Video Woodie, besting clips by Gnarls Barkley, Erykah Badu and Vampire Weekend. Chromeo won the Left Field Woodie, given to the most original artist. Minneapolis hip-hop duo Atmosphere won the Performing Woodie for best tour. And Jack's Mannequin frontman Andrew McMahon won the Good Woodie for his Dear Jack Foundation, which raises money and awareness for cancer research.

Onstage, there were surprise collaborations aplenty. Up-and-coming MC Asher Roth kicked the show off with a performance of his song "I Love College," and was joined onstage by the Cool Kids for a version of "Delivery Man" that culminated in all three passing ice-cream sandwiches out to the crowd.

Swedish pop-tart Lykke Li brought legendary lyricist Q-Tip onstage for a version of A Tribe Called Quest's "Can I Kick It?" and a medley of Tip's own songs, including "Vivrant Thing." Santogold did a version of "L.E.S. Artistes," and then was joined by Spank Rock for a dirrrty take on "Shove It." Vampire Weekend teamed up with electro duo Chromeo for versions of "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance" and "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa." Oh, and All Time Low performed all by their lonesome, though the boozy sentiments of "Poppin' Champagne" were not lost on the Woodies crowd.

Presenters included Mark Hoppus, the All-American Rejects, Boys Like Girls, Kid Sister and Moby. Kanye's touring DJ, A-Trak, provided the backing beats throughout the night.

The 2008 mtvU Woodie Awards will premiere in full on mtvU, mtvU.com and the HD channel Palladia on November 19 at 8 p.m. ET. All Time Low will also host a half-hour "Best of the mtvU Woodie Awards" special — filmed at the Woodie afterparty — that will air November 21 at 7 p.m. ET on MTV2 and November 22 at 10 p.m. ET on MTV.

The full list of winners for the 2008 mtvU Woodie Awards:

» Woodie of the Year: Paramore

» The Breaking Woodie: There for Tomorrow

» The Left Field Woodie: Chromeo

» Best Video Woodie: Motion City Soundtrack, "It Had to Be You"

» The Good Woodie (Greatest Social Impact): Jack's Mannequin's Andrew McMahon

» Performing Woodie: Atmosphere

» College Radio Woodie (Best Campus Radio Station): 91.7 FM, WICB, Ithaca College

» Best Music on Campus Woodie (Best College Band): The Bride Wore Black

• Paramore, All-American Rejects, More Take Home Timber At The 2008 mtvU Woodie Awards

• Paramore
• Jack's Mannequin
• Vampire Weekend
• Motion City Soundtrack

Vampire Weekend's Chris Baio and Ezra Koenig on the set of their "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" video
Photo: MTV News

SPRING LAKE AND SEA GIRT, New Jersey — "Every time we talked about this video, it had something to do with the beach," said Ezra Koenig, frontman for the year's pre-eminent new pop-rock band. "We're not fans of being too literal, but it is called 'Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa,' and so I think it makes sense that part of it takes place on the beach."

So that's where I found Vampire Weekend, the improbable breakthrough boys, sitting on the porch of a handsome home on the Jersey Shore, looking out at the Atlantic Ocean. On day two of the video shoot — "the longest shoot we've done" — they were decked out in standard-issue VW gear: Polo, Lacoste, Sperry. Even I rocked J.Crew threads. But not for long.

Mere hours later, performing on a secluded nearby beach after dark, it was Vampire Weekend like you have never seen them before — sporting a look more in keeping with their "Twilight"-ready name. With white faces, spiked hair and black outfits, suddenly our Columbia grads were a Misfits cover band, prepsters turned Goths: Chris Tomson at a black drum kit, bassist Chris Baio in black lips, Rostam Batmanglij at a black harpsichord surrounded by candles, and Koenig with a getup reminiscent of Robert Smith of the Cure. Or Siouxsie Sioux.

(Get a behind-the-scenes look at the set visit, in our Newsroom blog.)

How did they get that way? Well, there's the story line — something VW have not done until now. "I think with this one we consciously decided ... we've done fairly abstract videos in the past, in that there's no narrative," Koenig said. "We thought maybe it'd be fun if there were actual characters." Koenig first came up with rough ideas for those characters and images for the video as far back as a year ago, but as with the band's last clip, the farm-set "Oxford Comma," it was director Richard Ayoade who helped, in Koenig's words, "to take vague ideas and turn them into a story. We used to shy away from anything that even came close to 'acting' in videos, but in this one there is interaction among people, so in that sense it is more of a story. There are preppy people in it and non-preppy people in it. So it was a chance to have some of our friends come be in the video."

One of those friends is a red-haired goth girl who connects with the band and figures into their ghoulish transformation. She's played by Batmanglij's friend Jenny Murray and looks like she could've stepped right out of a John Hughes movie. "We should also mention that this video is set in the '80s," he told me. "It's the first time we've done a video not set in the present. And we actually mentioned John Hughes in talking about this. I think there's a Tim Burton element as well."

None of which — apart from the beach setting — has anything to do with the song itself. "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" is one of VW's earliest works — first appearing for download on the band's Web site and on their MySpace in August 2006. With its easygoing, Congolese-influenced sound and lyrical mentions of linens and sweaters and Benetton, it's the one Vampire Weekend song that more than any other led to that "Afropop" tag they have been unable to shake ever since. Still, for the video, there's not a dashiki in sight.

"That might also be too literal. Just because it references Africa in title and musically, we didn't want to be heavy-handed," Koenig explained.

The song also references a certain English rock star, in the line "It feels so unnatural, Peter Gabriel too" (a line, by the way, which the guys say they will use again in a forthcoming VW song, oddly enough), and according to recent reports, not only is Mr. Gabriel himself a fan of the band, but it looks like he may actually cover "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa." "We don't want to confirm anything until it's on iTunes Music Store," Koenig said, "but that's an idea that's been floated around before 'cause it seems so perfect. But yeah, it looks like it's happening."

This marks the fourth single and video for the boys — rare even for established artists these days, and almost unheard of for a band on their first album. But far from being bored by it, Baio told me, "since we devote so much time to touring, when we do something different like this, it is an exciting thing." Added Batmanglij, "That's the kind of band we are. We're interested in visuals, and it's a treat for us to get to do this." But he added that those rumors that there may be a video for every song on the album are just that. "There may be one more, or maybe two, but we do want to move on to working on new music."

To that end, on a recent tour break the band recorded one new song, and they've been playing another one in their set in recent months, which they're still calling "Untitled Song #2." Plus, Koenig has a Word document full of bits and pieces of lyrical ideas. But there is time. The year is only seven months old and it's been a remarkable ride already for Vampire Weekend: Spin, "Saturday Night Live," the SXSW, Coachella and Bonnaroo festivals, a rain-soaked hometown show in Central Park, "FNMTV" and this weekend's Pitchfork fest, followed by Japan, Australia, and Reading and Leeds.

But there is one obvious gig they have yet to play: Cape Cod. No band has celebrated the preppy peninsula more than VW, so how about playing there?

"It doesn't look like it's gonna be this summer, and in some ways that serves them right," Koenig said. "Because we tried last summer for Cape Cod but, you know, nobody wanted us at the time. We hope to get there at some point."

C'mon, P-town, Wellfleet, Hyannis — get it together!

• Vampire Weekend

Woodie Awards 2008 Performers

• Q-Tip
• Chromeo
• Vampire Weekend
• Asher Roth
• Santigold

Woodie Awards 2008 Red Carpet

• Paramore
• The All-American Rejects
• All Time Low
• Lykke Li
• Santigold

Vampire Weekend, Jane's Addiction, More At Lollapalooza 2009

• Depeche Mode
• Perry Farrell
• Kings Of Leon
• The Knux
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Jay-Z, Coldplay, More At All Points West 2009

• Jay-Z
• Coldplay
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• MGMT
• Vampire Weekend

Paramore, Kanye West, More Come Out For KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas 2008

• Paramore
• Kanye West
• Stone Temple Pilots
• The Cure
• AFI

T In The Park Festival 2008 In Kinross, Scotland

• Panic at the Disco
• Kate Nash
• Amy Winehouse
• The Ting Tings
• R.E.M.

Kanye West, Pearl Jam, Death Cab For Cutie And More At Bonnaroo 2008

• Pearl Jam
• Kanye West
• Vampire Weekend
• My Morning Jacket
• Death Cab For Cutie

Vampire Weekend, Paramore, N.E.R.D., & More Rock SXSW 2008

• Kaki King
• Mike Farris
• R.E.M.
• The Von Bondies
• The Raveonettes

MTV's Artist of the Week 03.03.08: Vampire Weekend

• Vampire Weekend