Vampire Weekend

Chris Tomson and Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend performs during Day One of San Diego Street Scene festival on September 19, 2008 in the East Village in San Diego, Calif.

Their name sounds like a Goth band, but Vampire Weekend has a history of not being what they seem -- four Ivy League-educated musicians who make brainy music that's also infectious.

In May 2013 their third album, "Modern Vampires of the City," debuted at Number One on the Billboard charts.

By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan

The indie rock band Vampire Weekend arrives for the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, February 13, 2011.

They met a decade ago as undergraduates at Columbia University. Chris Baio, Rostam Batmanglij, Ezra Koenig and Christopher Tomson played their first show in 2006 in a "battle of the bands." Four groups entered; Vampire Weekend finished third.

The band's name came from a film Ezra Koenig shot and edited while in college. As he wrote on his 2005-2006 blog, Internet Vibes, "Vampire Weekend" begins with the The film opens with the death of the main character's father at the hands of a sunglasses-wearing werewolf-vampire.

His father's final words: "Walcott, you must go to Cape Cod. Tell the Mayor that vampires are taking over your country. You must kill as many of them as ... possible."

Ahead of his time! You can view the trailer on YouTube.

Ezra Koenig of the band Vampire Weekend performs at the 2008 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival on June 12, 2008 in Manchester, Tenn.

Their sound developed early: a cross-cultural mosaic of rock, African guitar pop and classical music with a provocative preppy veneer.

The band quickly generated buzz on Internet blogs. In 2008, Spin Magazine picked them for its cover even before Vampire Weekend's first album was out. By the end of the year that debut record had sold nearly half a million copies.

Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend performs during the 2009 Lollapalooza music festival at Grant Park on August 9, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois.

From left: Musicians Christopher Tomsom, Ezra Koenig, Chris Baio and Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend attend the 2009 All Points West Music & Arts Festival at Liberty State Park on July 31, 2009 in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend performs during 106.7 KROQ FM's Almost Acoustic Christmas 2009, at the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk, December 13, 2009 in Los Angeles.

Ezra Koenig (right) and Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend perform during the Day One of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., Friday, April 16, 2010.

From left: Rostam Batmanglij, Ezra Koenig and Chris Baio of the band Vampire Weekend perform during Day One of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, at the Empire Polo Club, April 16, 2010 in Indio, Calif.

Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend performs on stage during Groovin The Moo Festival 2010, at the Maitland Showground on May 8, 2010 in Maitland, Australia.

Chris Tomson of Vampire Weekend performs during the KROQ Almost Acoustic, at the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk, December 12, 2010 in Universal City, Calif.

Chris Baio of Vampire Weekend attends the Soho House Pop Up with Bacardi during Coachella 2013 at Merv Griffin Estate on April 20, 2013 in La Quinta, California.

From left: Musician Rostam Batmanglij, actress Britt Marling and Ezra Koenig attend the screening of "The East" during the SXSW Music, Film + Interactive Festival at the Paramount Theatre on March 16, 2013 in Austin, Texas.

Donald Bowers/Getty Images for American Express

From left: Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Baio and Chris Tomson of Vampire Weekend perform for the American Express Unstaged music series, directed by Steve Buscemi, live streamed from the Roseland Ballroom on April 28, 2013 in New York City.

From left: Chris Tomson, Rostam Batmanglij, Steve Buscemi, Chris Tomson and Ezra Koenig attend the after-party for Vampire Weekend's performance in the American Express Unstaged music series, at the Empire Hotel in New York City, April 28, 2013.

You torched a Saab like a pile of leaves
I'd gone to find some better wheels
4, 5 meters running round the bend
When the government agents surround you again.

If Diane Young won't change your mind,
Baby, baby, baby, baby right on time.

Left: A still from the music video of the Vampire Weekend song, "Diane Young." Cars were set on fire, including two 900-series Saabs. The response of some Saab owners was similarly enflamed.

The cover of Vampire Weekend's third album, "Modern Vampires of the City," which Rolling Stone gave 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. The magazine called Vampire Weekend one of the 25 best things in rock 'n' roll.

"Do you think of yourselves as rock stars at this point?" asked CBS News' Anthony Mason.

Ezra Koenig replied, "Well, you've got to remember that the kind of era [when] we started, the mid-2000s, was also kind of the time when the word 'rock star' had been incredibly debased. That was around the time Rock Star Energy Drink came out. People started wearing bedazzled shirts that said stuff like, 'I'm a rock star.' "

"That would be a 'No,' then?" Mason asked.

"Yes, the answer is no," Koenig replied. "I don't know what a better word for [rock star] is."

The band Vampire Weekend. From left: Rostam Batmanglij, Ezra Koenig, Chris Baio and Christopher Tomson.

For more info:
vampireweekend.com
"Modern Vampires of the City" (XL Recordings); Also available on iTunes and Amazon

By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan