Modern Vampires Of The City
by Vampire Weekend

From DriftingOrpheus 05/26/2020 03:33 | #252083 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

The halls of Columbia University birthed Vampire Weekend, a baroque pop outfit with a pension for utilizing world music. They were critically lauded soon after, but in the eyes of those who equate surroundings to people, they were little more than privileged rich boys who gained the favor of those with power in the industry. The band shrugged such ridiculous claims off and just kept on keeping on. In other words, they kept making some of the best pop music of the decade. Nevermore was their genius more validated than with 2013's Modern Vampires of the City. Sporting a crystalline sheen and drastically more sinister tone, Vampire Weekend concocted its best collection of tracks to date.

Seemingly alternating between uptempo, positively-charged romps and sentimental, breezy ballads, Modern Vampires of the City prioritizes balance far more than the band's prior work. The first landmark comes in the form of third track Step, which twinkles triumphantly leaving Rostam Batmanglij's production as the hallmark of the sweepingly gorgeous cut. The album soon receives an adrenaline shot in the form of Diane Young, a full-gear stomper which emphasizes a desire to live life at its fullest, with no regrets about being rebellious or young for that matter. One of the album's most audacious excursions comes in the form of tenth track Ya Hey. Frontman Ezra Koenig's vocal delivery is in stark contrast to the rest of the album, invoking religious fervor at a subdued pace.

As convention would have it, Modern Vampires of the City is indeed a pop record. It's one that takes risks, nudges away stereotypical classification and entrenches Vampire Weekend as a prominent force in modern music. Provocatively written, skillful executed and exquisitely produced, the album is a testament to the blossoming creativity of a young group on the rise, with much success predicted to follow. The album has a warm quality and has effectively become a comfort piece for me, calling back to better times. It's a record for those with youthful flesh and minds with temperaments far beyond their years.

"Ancestors told me that their girl was better
She's richer than Croesus, she's tougher than leather
I just ignored all the tales of a past life
Stale conversation deserves but a bread knife"

-Step

Standout Tracks:

1. Step
2. Finger Back
3. Don't Lie

99.6

From Necharsian TOP 100 COMMENTER 05/20/2013 06:19 | #76680 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

i just dont see the appeal of this. everything here just seemed meh to me. noting terrible but nothing particularly interesting. sorry friends but atleast its a kinda cool album cover

This album makes Vampire Weekend one of my classic examples of "Which is better: An album that is consistent, or an inconsistent album with higher peaks?" If Vampire Weekend is an example of the first type of album, that makes MVOTC definitely one of the second ones. The first four songs on the album are just straight excellent. Nothing short of perfect. "Don't Lie," is good, but not great. It is not as good as any of the songs on VW's first album. "Hannah Hunt" is up there with the first four tracks. Just positively amazing. And then, after that, "Everlasting Arms," is really good, but still not better than any of the debut work, but "Worship You" and "Ya Hey" are just as good as the aforementioned five. So, in a perfect world, the album would have ended with "Ya Hey." It would have been a 37-minute long (less than average, but still not terribly short), 10-track album. It would have been great. Possibly the best album of the year. But it went on to "Hudson" and "Young Lion" which just makes the album difficult to want to finish. Apart from that, it has 7 of VW's best songs and it is really a straight up excellent album.

On first listen I thought it was a pleasent collection of solidly executed ditties. On fifth listen it's actually the album that best explores and explains this generation's sense of apathy towards and disconnection to the values and morals of the older paradigm. It's essential to say the least.

First Vampire Weekend album I have bought. I must say I have enjoyed it. It is more chilled and slow to what I usually listen to but I will be able to fit it into my collection easily. Every now and then I will buy an album out of my comfort zone, usually it doesn't pay off. This time it did.