F EATURES

MARCH 2008

60 Vampire Weekend
78 The Spin Interview:
How a baby-faced band of Afropop-loving Ivy
Stephen Malkmus

Leaguers shot to the top of the indie-rock heap

These days, the ex-Pavement leader favors

before they even released an album—and

bluesy prog jams over indie-pop anthems and

what this says about the new speed of buzz.

ON THE COVER

is more likely to frequent Gymboree than dis

BY ANDY GREENWALD

Photographed exclusively for Spin by
high-on-the-hog rock stars. But he’s still as
Matt Jones
contrary as ever. BY DOUGLAS WOLK
68 Chicago Hip-hop

Styling by Ting Ting Lin. Hair by Wesley O’Meara at

the Wall Group. From left, on Rostam Batmanglij:

Crash a raucous house party with the brightest 84 Paramore

Steven Alan shirt, Marc Jacobs T-shirt, Buckler belt.

stars of the Windy City’s underground hip-hop
Looking at these young pop-punk heroes, it’s

On Ezra Koenig: J. Press shirt. On Chris Tomson:

Penguin polo shirt, McBriar sweater, artist’s own.

On Chris Baio: J. Press sweater, Penguin shirt.

scene: Flosstradamus, the Cool Kids, Dude
’N Nem, Kid Sister, and, um, a cardboard
easy to focus all your attention on lead spitfire
Hayley Williams. But do it at your own risk—this

Chewbacca. BY JESSICA HOPPER

spitfire is taking shooting lessons. BY NICOLE KEIPER

“We want to do

something that isn’t

stuck-up and lets

people get loose.”

AUTOBOT (RIGHT) OF

FLOSSTRADAMUS, PAGE 70

LIM

MIKO