Album Review by Juhi Matta
Modern Vampires of the City – Vampire Weekend (XL, 2013)
My Rating: 4.5/5
Standout tracks: Finger Back, Diane Young, Unbelievers
Anyone who keeps up with indie pop music has probably heard a lot of (or about) Vampire Weekend in the last few months. The band’s new album, Modern Vampires of the City, has been the talk of the town ever since it was announced. Vampire Weekend have gone to great lengths to promote them — ranging from live shows and interviews to a video series with Steve Buscemi. Yes, you read that right.
From the very first listen, Vampire Weekend’s third LP is infectious. I immediately found myself trying to sing along with vocalist Ezra Koenig, even though I’d never heard most of the songs before. It’s immediately clear that Modern Vampires of the City was well worth the wait.
The album starts off on an almost melancholic note. On the opening track, “Obvious Bicycle”, Koenig sings “It’s been twenty years and no one’s told the truth”, setting the tone for the album. While Modern Vampires of the city is far from being “sad”, it’s happy tunes still mask darker undertones than the band’s previous works. Lyrically, the album is much different from 2008’s “Vampire Weekend” and 2010’s “Contra”. Where Koenig sang about not giving a fuck about an oxford comma and campus encounters, he now sings “The gloves are off / The wisdom teeth are out” and “I feel it in my bones / I’m stronger now”. This wisdom and maturity is obvious in the band’s latest effort.
Tracks like “Diane Young” and “Unbelievers” which were released/performed earlier remain the highlights off the album. A surprisingly refreshing track on the LP is “Finger Back”, which contains a spoken part about an orthodox girl in love with a falafel vendor. Somehow, this ends up being one of the best things the band has done, I kid you not.
“Hudson” is another noteworthy track on the album. The track, which sounds like it belongs on a thriller movie’s soundtrack, is probably the darkest song Vampire Weekend have ever released. On “Hudson”, Koenig sings about British explorer Henry Hudson’s death and still manages to make it sound wonderful.
The album does have a few weak points, though. The studio version of “Ya Hey” features heavy production on the chorus. While the track is still enjoyable, the magic of the live versions of the track with bassist Chris Baio singing is lost.
However, Modern Vampires of the City still shines in every possible way. Each track is different, yet familiar. It’s a perfect listen for a road trip or a beautiful day and definitely one of the best albums I’ve heard in months.
life in terms of music 