The chandelier that filled most of the cover of Vampire Weekend’s debut album looked like it was hovering happily above a happening college party. On the new album’s seventh song, Everlasting Arms, we’re “trapped beneath the chandelier that’s going down.” Modern Vampires Of The City closes a loose trilogy of albums for a band who are clearly relishing exploring the darker ‘vampire’ part of their band-name over the carefree ‘weekend’.
Time is forever ticking, from the tick-tock rhythms backing some songs to Don’t Lie’s nagging, “I want to know, does it bother you/The low click of a ticking clock.” First single Diane Young is a disarmingly spritely tune, even by Vampire Weekend’s standards, but it’s more about dying young than a sweetheart who happens to be called Diane. The dozen songs are wrapped up in an album adorned by an apocalyptic vision of New York suffering under a wave of pollution.
But, for an album that dwells on the inevitability of growing older, and is swimming with references to religion and spirituality, it continues the trend of Vampire Weekend having a lot of fun. The music tunes down the Afrobeat dial further and there’s less of Rostam Batmanglij’s frantic guitar-work, but there’s no letting up on the power-pop hooks. Ezra Koenig has never sounded better and, to match the joyful step of the music, makes fun references to everyone from Souls of Mischief and OutKast to Modest Mouse and Ras Michael & the Sons of Negus.
Immediate on first listen while continuing to engage on repeat spins, Modern Vampires Of The City is also Vampire Weekend’s most consistent album. The Ivy League quartet have pushed outside of the ten-track template of their last two albums and successfully stretched themselves without losing their footing.
BY CHRIS GIRDLER
Best Track: Ya Hey
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Bankrupt! PHOENIX, Tomboy PANDA BEAR
In A Word: Revamped
