The new Vampire Weekend album “Modern Vampires of the City” has entertaining shifts in sound and a new depth in the lyrics that weren’t found previously in Vampire Weekend songs.
The new album broaches topics such as death, heartbreak, and isolation, a contrast to their previous ones which contained songs about vacationing and adventure.
The first track “Obvious Bicycle” has a repetitive beat that somewhat replicates the sounds of a moving bicycle. The variation comes in bringing in the accompaniment and Ezra Koenig, the lead singers, voice which he varies greatly throughout the soft song.
The next song “Unbelievers” is more upbeat and fast paced due to the choppy percussions by Chris Tomson and tinkering on the keyboard by Rostam Batmanglij. Although the song emits a cheerful vibe, the lyrics discuss religion and death.
By far not the best song on the album, “Step” mostly consists of vocals describing a girl and the attachment the singer had to the girl. The song gives off a heavenly, religious feel. “Don’t Lie” also sounds repetitive with a focus on soft vocals. When the lyrics discuss time and clocks, the sound shifts to that of a ticking clock.
“Diane Young” has the most playful sound out of all of the songs on the album and is by far the most interesting. The song contains many crescendos and decrescendos. The song emits the vibe of a fun beach/surfing song with lyrics about living life to the fullest.
“Hannah Hunt” is another favorite on the album. The song is about a lost love who the singer found incompatible. With soft and playful keyboard and great vocal dynamic, the song has a swaying, tropical feel.
“Everlasting Arms” and “Finger Back” both contain upbeat atmosphere accompanied by lyrics discussing disappointment, death, and ruin. “Worship You” has a similar sound to “Finger Back” with a quick shuffle of lyrics.
“Ya Hey” has a repetitive beat, but the change of pitch during the chorus diversifies the song. “Hudson” has a flowing, eerie sound like traveling through a murky swamp. “Young Lion,” the last song on the track has very few lyrics, but an interesting variation in sound and playful keyboard tune.
The songs start to sound repetitive, but their small changes in pattern and tune are what make them unique and catchy. The album is a nice summer album for relaxing in one’s house or on the beach.
