Vampire Weekend (2008)
The band’s first album, self-titled, is a beat poet’s dream come true. Any self-respecting college-aged Romantic has walked a campus with these strange, pretentious lyrics playing in their ears. You’d think you would be able to predict what kind of sounds would come from a group of Columbia graduates led by an English major, but you’d be wrong. In a pleasant way. With upbeat bops like “A-Punk” and slow, stuck-in-your-head laments like “I Stand Corrected,” it has every possible tune you’d need to soundtrack an indie film. Or your life.
Best Listened To: On rainy days, underneath trees in full bloom, city sidewalks, & when you want to feel like the protagonist of your own artsy college film.
Contra (2010)
For their second album, lead singer Ezra Koenig and his bandmates turned the “chill” vibes up to fifteen. What they’ve kept the same, however, are those iconic VW lyrics, stuffed with academia and lengthy words split stunningly into their simple syllables by Koenig’s crooning voice. Sorry, lost myself a little there. Contra is more romantic, in my opinion, with the gay & angsty “Diplomat’s Son,” and the pleading, destructive “Run.” Are they healthy love stories? Absolutely not, but they know what they are and they’re not trying to romanticize themselves. It’s an album dedicated to the fumble through life when you’re reaching for a purpose you haven’t found yet. Here’s what’s nice about having the English major write lyrics–Koenig not only knows which words should be put together narratively, but he knows how to make them sound good too. Addictive.
Best Listened To: On car rides, in close proximity to the ocean, on your way to a first date, & laying in bed with the lights off and your mind wandering.
Modern Vampires of the City (2013)
Next, their saddest album thus far. Widely known to be darker than previous VW work, the album grapples with (arguably) scarier issues than the first two. Songs are dedicated to the inevitability of life ending, the fleeting nature of time, legacies, & what’s to be considered real in this chaotic world. Don’t be fooled into thinking this is an album of slow, moping reflections, however. There’s room for those, “Obvious Bicycle” and “Hudson” come to mind, but this album is also home to one of the most motivating, get-up-we-have-to-dance songs they’ve ever released, “Diane Young.” Who says contemplating life’s biggest mysteries can’t be fun?
Best Listened To: When you’re returning to your hometown, for help deciding your major, visiting foreign countries, & on a bicycle.
Father of the Bride (2019)
After a SIX-YEAR hiatus, the band returned with this masterpiece. (I’m not biased, I swear). Breaking every mold VW had been cast into, Father of the Bride featured the largest variety of genres yet. Multiple duets with 1⁄3 of the all-girl group HAIM brought folk to the record, collaborations with Steve Lacy brought more techno-funk sounds into the mix, & their usual fluctuations between sorrowful slow songs & catchy contemplating lyrics all added up to a chaotic double record. It’s what you call a grand re-entrance. Amongst these new styles, however, are those same clever lyrics and Ezra Koenig’s unique call. Overall, there’s more of a California feel that contrasts their previous northeastern tone, but that was never what made Vampire Weekend who they were anyhow.
Best Listened To: Literally anywhere, on the way to a music festival, to start off a grand adventure, & when you physically cannot get out of bed in the morning.