Artist: Vampire Weekend

Album: Modern Vampires of the City

Released: 2013

Style: Indie Rock

Format: FLAC

Size:265 Mb

Teasing your new album with a cryptic ad in The New York Times' classifieds is the
kind of thing GaGa might do; it's flashy, it's presumptuous, it's try-hard. And if
it was anyone other than Vampire Weekend, we might just have a problem with it. But
this is a band who outwardly tugged at the merits of good grammar and punctuation
for one of their (and this century's) best tunes, plus singer Ezra Koenig only
recently aped all that is Brooklyn Hipster in an episode of (what else?) Girls.
Don't be fooled by the tucked-in button-downs; this lot made their name being all
smartypants with a wink in their eye.

Given that they mastered the balance of real talk + musical mischief on their classic
self-titled debut album and cooked it up even more on their second, Contra, this is the
point where Vampire Weekend are supposed to reach the Next Level; Modern Vampires of the
City should be bigger and not just in name. Band multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij,
who co-produced the album with Ariel Rechtshaid, told DS that they threw away what wasn't
working "more so than ever before". So, has all the hard work paid off?

'Obvious Bicycle' sets the scene of the city this record represents: New York. Koenig plays
God and instructs his people to "listen, don't wait" atop Batmanglij's fruitful piano and a
soothing choir out in the distance; you can already sense the splendour. And what would a
city be like without religion? It's that which the frontman confronts on the rhythmic
'Unbelievers', wondering: "We know the fire awaits unbelievers... Is this the fate that
half the world has planned for me?" It's a bleak look at faith and its conflicts, and a world
away from Oxford commas.

'Step', one half of the album's double A-side lead single, is up there with the most affecting
songs these have done. Its glistening keys are swanky to hell, but Koenig all grown up and
remorseful ("I'm stronger now, I'm ready for the house, I can't do it alone") and the A$AP
Rocky-y boom bass conclusion take it somewhere special. One quick hit of the single's other
side, 'Diane Young', and bang! The mad-farting synths, the panic-stricken drums, Koenig "baby
baby baby"-ing his latest break-up repartee ("You torched a Saab like a pile of leaves, I'd
gone to find some better wheels") to warbling Elvis limits; it's simply a one-shot reminder
of how adventurous his band are.


What Modern Vampires does so convincingly is take from Vampire Weekend's trademark sound and
pay it tribute rather than replicate. 'Hannah Hunt' rehires airy tones first heard on their
debut and, about two-thirds in, flies into a fresh climate of rapture. The rumbling drums
and church organs are back out for 'Finger Back' - the sweet story of an Orthodox Jewish
girl who falls for an Arab guy in a New York falafel shop called Jerusalem (wait till Glee
gets wind of this) - and make for the best pop moment on here.

Koenig jabbers faster than ever in 'Worship You', while 'Ya Hey' is as full of beans as 'Diane
Young'. It drops us in Les Mis-meets-Holy Grail medieval strings and a chorus Batmanglij and
bassist Chris Baio help to squeal merrily, all the while the singer stands against his country's
identity ("America don't love you, so I could never love you, in spite of everything"). How such
a slap-happy song can be so bitter is an achievement.

And if you thought the tales of remorse, religion and fading romance weren't heavy enough, wait for
'Hudson'; a chilling choir and slow-burning melodies recall the death of Henry Hudson, the sea explorer
who scouted New York and was left for dead by his crew... So, what an album. Vampire Weekend haven't
just reached the Next Level; they've conquered the art of songwriting, created their own city and filled
it with heart and intrigue. Never have they been this serious, this fun, this good.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_mDxcDjg9P4

Tracklist:
01 – Obvious Bicycle
02 – Unbelievers
03 – Step
04 – Diane Young
05 – Don’t Lie
06 – Hannah Hunt
07 – Everlasting Arms
08 – Finger Back
09 – Worship You
10 – Ya Hey
11 – Hudson
12 – Young Lion

Format : FLAC
Format/Info : Free Lossless Audio Codec
File size : 22.8 MiB
Duration : 4mn 11s
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 761 Kbps
Album : Modern Vampires of the City
Album/Performer : Vampire Weekend
Part : 1
Part/Total : 1
Track name : Obvious Bicycle
Track name/Position : 1
Track name/Total : 12 / 12
Performer : Vampire Weekend
Recorded date : 2013
Writing application : X Lossless Decoder 20130407
ISRC : GBBKS1300001
Comment : Hell0
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iTunes_CDDB_1 : 9B0A140C+193676+12+150+18994+34194+53066+65071+81077+98925+112674+128121+143214+166663+185773

Audio
Format : FLAC
Format/Info : Free Lossless Audio Codec
Duration : 4mn 11s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 760 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 44.1 KHz
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Stream size : 22.8 MiB (100%)
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