Coming to terms with this band which I thought I didn’t like. Its nice to be wrong. @vampireweekend
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Nothing I like more than a record review where I get to hear someone's political views the whole time.
I'm 44 so I'm a couple years older than the guys but I've been on board since the debut, this is a massive return to form for me because I thought Father Of The Bride felt more like an Ezra Koenig solo album as it was loaded with guests and Tomlin and Baio only appeared on a couple tracks, they didn't know quite what to do without Rostam (who appeared more on the album than the two guys who didn't leave), but now it feels like a band again
AVVA – I know you never listen to past work… but vampire weekends discography is such a whole. On this album there are drum lines from the first album references from a track off the third ect. Really rewards you for listening to it all
Also please review ‘twice around the sun’ by ugly. Another great album released this week that you would love and isnt getting any attention from other music crickets
Chris Baio is the 2nd cousin of Scott Baio lol
Father of the Bride was a departure in sound and style. This album I think is an intentional return to the style of their first 3. So I think you would like the first three quite a bit if there are songs you haven't heard.
Ezra Koenig is definitely one of the best writers. You might also like their Modern Vampires album
Rostam is on one song, the Surfer, just like he was on one song on the last album (We belong together). He left the band after the third album. I just viewed your review of Women in Music pt III by Haim, and this is where you will remember Rostam (and Ariel Rechtshaid) from, as they are both all over that album.
FOTB was like a solo detour from Ezra and it had a fairly polarising response, so it's fine if you didn't like that. But, since you loved this one, I'm sure you'd love the first three (the "trilogy" as Ezra himself also calls it). They're much more in line with this album in terms of communicating a central theme, and the instrumentation is fantastic on all of them. Worth going in order to because there's a progression to how those themes, relating to age, existentialism, etc are talked about and composed musically as they grow with each album.
Your politics color your analysis in very interesting ways.
AVAA!!!! The anticipation for this review was huge and I'm thrilled to hear your thoughts. Could you please give this one review of mine about the ong "Classical"? Either way, thank you for your amazing work and never leave this platform, you, who are the oasis in this uncontrollable madness we as consumers of the internet are subjected to. PS: I wrote it in portuguese and asked ChatGPT to translate it into english (I know, I know, contributing to the AI business and exponencial financial success of the wealthiest companies in the world. but it was the only way I could translate it truly accuratley), so I apologize for any grammatical mistakes.
"There are already three singles that are part of the next album by Vampire Weekend, and on the third – Classical – the group sounds better than ever. The musicality and instrumental chemistry among each band member are at their best. From the acoustic guitar that starts the song, to the bass that simultaneously marks the rhythm and melody, to the electrifying riff that sounds more like a violin (hence one part of the association I make with the track's title) that appears every 50 seconds and, just like its presence in the music, i.e., in a loop, promises to stay in constant repetition in the listeners' heads.
But the genius of this song, which I dare say is one of the best in the entire discography of the New Yorkers, lies precisely in the opposite of what they are normally associated with. To a certain extent defined by their usual musical conformity (at least until the last album), and avoidance of experimentation within what indie rock allows (except for some more Afro-centric moments), what Ezra Koenig and company demonstrate here is a genuine explosion of creativity resulting in yet another artistic step characterized by a total organized and stimulating cacophony in every imaginable sense.
Part of this highly heterodox yet strangely satisfying composition is due to the immense amount of the most minute effects and pieces of production happening simultaneously. Here, these include: the incessant rhythm of the lo-fi drums and the bizarre decision to keep it only on the left side; the abrasive and screeching guitar that appears and reappears throughout the 4 minutes of duration in moments of crescendo; and the organ occasionally positioned during the verses. All this organized confusion reaches a climax in the last third of the song, in what is a memorable bridge. While the percussion reaches its peak, there are exchanges of keyboard instruments (piano and organ) and a spontaneous eruption of originality resulting in a totally disoriented and out-of-tune saxophone solo. And yet, the brilliance lies in the fact that all this ecstasy sounds perfectly natural in the context of the song. Because it transforms, perfectly, into 5 seconds of chorus, by leaving the stage, giving way to the essence of the song in its most stripped state with only Ezra's voice accompanied by the guitar and bass, before a last and glorious pre-chorus.
Lyrically, Koenig's excellence follows the rule. This time, an illustration of the eternal reflection and pondering of the revolutionary idealist and his fear of the post-revolution scenario: what will actually happen? And will it be better than the current? What changes? And what remains? And, above all, the difficult acceptance, but inevitable conclusion, that what seems to cyclically unfold throughout the history of civilization – what we previously thought to be the worst demonstration of evils and cruel figures and narratives of the past, are now, the most esteemed ideas and thoughts? In one way or another, power seems never to leave its place. Or rather, the entity that wields it always ends up being the same/previous one. In a constant state of ambiguity, realism and cynicism here show their splendor, ready to conquer what remains of the rebellious spirit:
«Untrue, unkind and unnatural
How the cruel, with time, becomes classical
I know that walls fall, shacks shake
Bridges burn and bodies break, it's clear
Something's gonna change
And when it does
Which classical remains?»"
AVAA I'm a big Vampire weekend fan and even I didn't like much of father of the bride. That's a truly awful gateway into them lol
Can't completely articulate why, but Vampire Weekend is one of the only bands of the new(ish) millennium I actually like.
AVAA. Took me probably 4 or 5 listens to get into this one but I really like it now that I've gotten over that hump!
29:30 Good take professor I share similar thoughts. Glad you've come around to VW. 🙂
That Wilco comparison is bloody brilliant
AVAA!
AVAA you remain my favorite youtuber here. I was shocked at how gracious, funny and poignant the writing on this album is
vampire weeknd.. tjaa
avaa
AVAA I’ve always liked your vids but always felt the politics we didn’t see eye to eye on but you brought such a nice human element and history of your views that I felt Very connected to you the way you talked about everything. I spent 14$ on a burger tonight that I used to get for 5$ back in 2010
Hi Prof Skye, AVAA! Long time viewer but first time commenting (i think), because this album is getting so much play for me at the moment. I have been a fan of Vampire Weekend for a long time, they are actually one of the first few bands which I got into around the mid to late 2000s which felt like being among the first of "my" bands (other examples: Arctic Monkeys and White Lies), so I was anticipating this album for a long time, even after not having been so keen on Father of the Bride. The excitement was ramped up by loving every single they released leading up to the album, but even then my expectations were blown out of the water on first listen to the entire thing, and it gets better every time I listen. I honestly couldn't tell you my favourite/least favourite track as every play seems to bring new aspects to love to the fore!
With 'Hope' in particular, every time I listen I get an eerie feeling that this will be a really useful song to have and listen to during future tough times. It feels so comforting that, even during a good few days currently, it's certainly been bookmarked in my head for such purposes.
As a side note about your influence; while irrelevant to the video here, since I'm commenting for the first time I thought I'd thank you for introducing me to OG KEEMO with one of your reviews a couple of years ago! By coincidence I actually live in Mainz so I am still slightly mindblown to have found out of his links to the city from your video back then.
Ezras last name is pronounced Kay-nig.
I actually like “A-Frame” better as a title than “A Punk”
I bought it at Record Archive too! Blew my mind.