Vampire Weekend are one of those bands that you either love or loathe. They have charm about them, but also a preciousness that turns off curmudgeonly old hipsters that don’t think they’re actually hipsters. On the other hand the band has songwriting chops and intellectually inviting lyrics thanks to singer/songwriter Ezra Koenig. Koenig can make things like “oxford commas” and “horchatas” seem important, revelatory even. And his adoration for Paul Simon’s Graceland made for a fine couple first records.
2013s Modern Vampires of the City was the last Vampire Weekend album with member and studio wizard Rostam Batmanglij, making his exit from the band a memorable one. That album still stands as Vampire Weekend’s finest moment, both in the writing and the production. Six years later the band released Father of the Bride, a fine record that proved the band could continue on without Batmanglij’s expert touch in the studio.
Vampire Weekend have returned with Only God Was Above Us, an album that sounds like it’s both back to basics while still moving forward creatively. It continues to prove those old hipsters wrong, and might even bring some of them around(but I doubt it.)
Only God Was Above Us has a grittiness to the sound. It’s still a studio construction for sure, but the pristine sheen of Vampires of the City has been replaced with a sort of DIY sound. Drums sound like something you’d hear coming through a transistor radio, while effects chopping guitar and vocal sounds suddenly almost bring to mind The Flaming Lips’ ‘Yoshimi’. It’s still very much tinkered over and perfected, but in a different way.
Piano is a big component of the record, giving it all a very baroque pop feel. “Connect” is a perfect example; lush piano chords butt heads with choppy drums as Ezra Koenig’s vocals hang in the air like a ghost. Synthesizers give it an overall aged feel. I can almost hear Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmas Time” in the refrain. “Prep-School Gangsters” is totally a Vampire Weekend song title, and it’s also a great pop song.
Elsewhere album opener “Ice Cream Piano” is a triumphant note to open on, and has an ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ sound to it. While album closer “Hope” ends on a melancholy note, complete with barroom piano and a head bopping rhythm.
Vampire Weekend have proven they have staying power, much to the chagrin of their biggest haters. Only God Was Above Us is proof of that.
Complex Distractions 
Vampire Weekend was one of those bands that my complaint was that they were too “cute” and seemed a little too preoccupied with their own cleverness. Having said that, I like the new album quite a bit, which I didn’t have on my queue card. I don’t know if I ever actively hated on them like a lot of my contemporaries but I’ll freely admit there were times I dismissed them as nothing more than post-grad mid-level indie. One of the things I’m not a fan of is revivalist Ska and VW was a little too guilty of engaging in that kind of thing for my tastes. Still, I’ll admit this record slays and “Classical” reminds me so much of a NYC that is no longer around due to it’s sheer Lou Reed love. I mean how can you not hear that upright bass line and that breakdown and not think of the early 70s work of Reed is so famous for?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree with everything you said. The whole Ska thing was a bit much, but I think more than anything I got tired of reading about how amazing VW were by music rags. That was more of a me problem than a VW problem. Going back and relistening to their catalog after the new one came out I was reminded that they write catchy songs, and Vampires of the City is a pretty amazing album with some truly great production. The new one grabbed me immediately.
LikeLike