Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City

"Dear congregation,

We are gathered here today to witness the baptism of a new member of our holy family."

A sweaty and stunned looking Ezra Koenig waits just out of view, in the clutches of an eager girl, whose face shimmers like the golden cross around her neck.  She intends to hold him for his assurance, but she might as well be a pair of shackles.  Suddenly his name is called and he's pushed into the spotlight as the audience applauds. 

"Wait!" he cries. 

"Let me think about this for a while."

The priest, Father Paul Simon, nods confidently in agreement and the congregation leaves Ezra to think.

The outcome of this imaginary scene is Modern Vampires of the City; Vampire Weekend's third album.  The group has turned their attention away from Caribbean music, towards more straight-laced indie pop with a slight gospel bent.  It is less flamboyant than their earlier work, but it retains the precociousness and clever lyricism that makes this group so engaging.

Thematically, this album revolves around a doubtful relationship with Christianity, ageing, and death.  Judging by the lyrics in "Obvious Bicycle" and "Unbelievers," it seems like selfishness and distrust mainly keeps Ezra from his faith.  Although he seems cynical, the upbeat and cheery delivery keeps it both relatable and likable. These themes, combined with the slower pace of the album, make it the most thematically focused and mature work Vampire Weekend has done yet.

These more serious topics in the lyrics also reflect a disenchanted feeling in the instrumentation.  It is nowhere near as bright and colourful as the rest of Vampire Weekend's work.  They have eliminated the bongos, steel drums, and even most of the guitars and string sections that used to define them.  In their place they use a lot of ancient sounding keys, and even the occasional choir, but it is definitely sparser.  It gives their music an airy and smoke filled quality, which doesn't always work perfectly.  For instance, the harpsichord in "Step" sounds hazy and frayed, like it's being played in a dusty cathedral.  I hear the same musky acoustics coming off the organs in "Finger Back," "Everlasting Arms," and almost every other time it makes an appearance.  Although it may be a stylistic choice, I still don't like how it sounds.  To me, it muddles the prim and proper, Princeton image that they are still trying to cultivate.  "Diane Young" is the clear exception to this.  The synths and the bass in this track are just so sharp and crisp.  Every time they play, it's like being slapped in the face...in a good way.

This is going to sound awesome!

The last thing I want to point out is Ezra Koenig's voice.  In "Ya Hey" it is unbearably annoying.  It sounds like a character from a kids cartoon targeted at the hyperactive and hard of hearing.  They use some far more endearing effects in "Diane Young" to make it sound like they are inflating and deflating him like some sort of balloon. 

In closing, I don't think that this is Vampire Weekend's best album, but I definitely don't dislike it.  They definitely show some more confidence on slower songs.  It's also great to see that their songwriting can stand out, without the embellishments of the instruments they are used to playing with.  If it weren't for the dirtiness of the production and Ezra Koenig's unpredictable and sometimes shrill voice, this album could have been great, but I think it stops just short of that.