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.

Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience

I never thought I would actually look forward to reviewing a Justin Timberlake album. I still find it hard to push out of my mind that NSYNC was a thing.  The boy band era is  long over now, and Justin Timberlake has clearly come into his own as an artist since then.

However, the 20/20 Experience is not something completely new or estranged from its roots in early 2000's pop music.  Every now and again you do actually hear the same quiet aside "Take em to the bridge" from "Sexyback" on Futuresex/Lovesounds, but it is cohesive and spectacular in its own way. Plus who really get tired of 2000's pop music.  Like a finely crafted suit; even after many wears it will still impress. 

In many ways, this album rejoices in its predictability. To me, It basically begs the question: if something isn't original, but is still executed with expert precision, is there anything wrong with that? Like when JT takes the love/drug cliche in "Pusher Love" and plays it out for 8 minutes until it basically implodes, or the song "That Girl" with its crisp 70's, soul style, brass. Yes we have heard these themes many times before, but that doesn't make them less true, or less appealing to me. The 20/20 Experience serves as a reminder of why we love these old tropes: they are simple and they are beautiful.

Plus we have all had enough surprises from JT in the past.

A sense of familiarity also manifests itself in the song lengths.  Most of them clock in around 7-8 minutes, which is a gutsy move, but he pulls it off with smooth transitions, catchy hooks, and glitzy instrumentation.  He is much more comfortable here than on Futuresex/Lovesounds, where I found that most of the songs became stale far before they ended. These tracks are long enough that you could easily memorize the choruses on one listen, which means that if each song didn't have strong, catchy lyrics, this album would have fallen flat on its face...hard.  At least it wouldn't have broken its glasses!..hah 20/20 vision.

That being said, its not like the beats can't stand on their own. They are spectacular and grandiose, and they borrow from many different worlds of music. The track "Don't Hold the Wall" has a very salsa inspired drum beat. The muted arpeggio in the song "Tunnel Vision" sounds like something Flying Lotus could have produced. The backwards strings in the song "Blue Ocean Floor" are just sublime, and set against JT's silky voice, the whole effect is otherworldly.  However, as I listen to this album more and more, I honestly wonder where the 20/20 Experience will get played.  It's not high energy enough for a club, and its consistently too long for the radio.  I normally wouldn't ask this question, but since it's a pop album, I feel compelled to.  The songs are unquestionably meant for dancing, but their control of energy makes me think that only a trained dancer could handle them in a performance; someone like Justin Timberlake.  Which I think really validates the album's name.  Is is an experience, like some gargantuan piece of musical theater.

And I have always wanted to hear more from The Pusher

Once Justin Timberlake sticks into a groove he doesn't let go of it.  He gives each song its own time to run its course.  It is a testament to his self confidence and it also serves as a metaphor for the love and commitment that he praises constantly.  Because above all, this album is about love, not the "Hey I just bought you the on-special highball, so let's we go fuck in a dark corner of the club" kind of love that most pop stars relish, rather the "Hey I taped Grey's Anatomy for you so we can watch it while i give you a foot massage" love. That classic stuff.

Discussion!

• Are the lyrics too bogged down in cliche to carry deeper meaning for you?
• Can you dig into the song lengths? or do you find them becoming boring?
• Does Justin Timberlake's past identity as a boy band member make it hard for you to take him seriously as an artist?

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think.