by CAROLINE GAVURA Staff Writer
Since the 2010 release of “Contra”, fans have been anxiously awaiting Vampire Weekend’s return. Their new album, “Modern Vampires of the City” has met fans’ and critics’ expectations, along with being well worth the three year wait.
The band, consisting of vocalist and lyricist Ezra Koenig, guitarist Rostam Batmanglij, bass player Chris Baio, and drummer Chris Thomson, originally met as undergraduates in Columbia University. They have been pumping out hit albums ever since, “Modern Vampires of the City” being no different.
Rolling Stone gave the album four and a half out of five stars, and claimed the band was one of the 25 reasons to be excited about rock and roll.
“I get a chill when I feel something, it just feels right,” said Batmanglij to CBS reporter Anthony Mason. “Like I feel there’s another layer of emotion you get when the song hits a nerve right away. It’s always what I’m chasing when we’re working on a song.”
That certainly gets across in ghostly melodies, “Step” and “Hannah Hunt”, both provoking feeling out of the listener.
“Step,” which tells the story of two friends slowly heading toward romance, is filled with clever rhymes such as, “I just ignored all the tales of a past life, stale conversation deserves but a bread knife.”
“Hannah Hunt,” the slowest song on the album, is about being sad and the death of a relationship. Koenig has said he wrote it after breaking up with his longtime girlfriend from college.
“‘Step’ is my favorite off the entire album. I think Ezra’s lyrics are beautiful and it’s amazing how he can rhyme so well,” said sophomore Maryluz Carvajal.
Along with slow, romantic songs, the album also features multiple fast paced songs, which are perfect to dance to with friends.
“Unbelievers” discusses finding one’s place in the world and how our beliefs affect others. It has a bit of a Bruce Springsteen vibe, and has Koenig repeatedly asking, “I’m not excited, but should I be? Is this the fate that half of the world has planned for me?”
“Diane Young,” which is the first single off of the album, is a play on “Dying Young” and focuses on French revolutionaries in 1968. Koenig’s lyrics are better than ever with witty lines like, “Irish and proud, baby, naturally, but you got the luck of a Kennedy. So grab the wheel, keep on holding it tight, til’ you’re tottering off into that goodnight.”
“I like that Vampire Weekend’s music is catchy and played on the radio, but also has meaning to it. That’s hard to come by and rare nowadays,” said junior Sydney Murano.
Overall, the album is a perfect end to a trilogy. It is about death and maturity, finding out who you are and not being ashamed of it. This is a perfect album to bring with you while traveling this summer, especially if you are visiting New York City, Vampire Weekend’s stomping ground.
I give “Modern Vampires of the City” five out of five stars, and urge anyone who has not heard it to give it a listen!
What is your favorite song off MVOTC ?