The indie-ska-twee craze that came in full swing during the late 2000’s led NYC-based alternative band Vampire Weekend to gain a niche fanbase of pretentious hipsters and posh, rebellious teens. They cemented themselves as a staple in college-station radio with their 2008 self-titled debut record and followed up with three more albums that closely received high praise.
Only God Was Above Us, released on Apr. 5, is their fifth studio album. With topics including religion, war and the fight for serenity, Vampire Weekend adds another layered and dynamic piece to their discography.
Vampire Weekend’s releases have never strayed too far from their original sound. Off the new album, the fourth track, “Connect,” opens with a memorable drumline that has a lot of similarities to the riff in “Mansard Roof” from their first record. However, I think that this latest album proves how the band has matured in lyricism and grown since their debut. The early songs from their self-titled record—like Oxford Comma, which was practically a ballad to American rapper and DJ Lil’ Jon—seemed very experimental and incorporated a lot of ranging themes, like the awkward-narrative storytelling angle of “A-Punk” compared to the surf-rock aspects of “M79.” Though their first album is definitely a classic, it’s hard to discern what exactly the band was going for.
Only God Was Above Us, on the other hand, has a clear message of melancholic acceptance. My favorite song, and one that I think covers this “live and let die” mentality, is the last song on the album, “Hope.”
“Hope” is about acknowledging that not every big-picture burden thrust onto the people is one that they can fix. “The bull has gored the matador / the U.S Army won the war / the meaning died in metaphor / I hope you let it go.” These opening lyrics show that there are certain problems so out of our control that freeing yourself from pessimism and recognizing that there will just always be issues helps in the journey of not feeling weighed down by hopelessness. The track’s vagueness allows for the listener to interpret “letting go” as whatever they deem fit, whether that be personal, political or world-wide frustrations. I think that this is so powerful because true happiness is synonymous with peace, and to achieve that, you cannot let every setback affect you so greatly.
Another song that stuck out to me specifically was the synth-y fifth track, “Prep-School Gangsters.” Inspired by the band’s New York roots, the title comes from a NY magazine story of the same name, by author Nancy Jo Sales, about a group of private school students inserting themselves into gang-life and getting involved with the drug trade in the city. Lyrically, the song reminds me a lot of “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance” off of their debut album because both songs present notions of concern involving the youth: “The paper’s shot to pieces / The kids don’t stand a chance.” along with,“Call it business, call it war / Cuttin’ class through revolving doors.” These lyrics symbolize the juxtaposition of a rich private school student partaking in delinquency. I really like the whispery delivery and backstory of this track, so it is definitely up there with “Hope” as my favorite on the record.
All in all, Only God Was Above Us is a wonderful edition to Vampire Weekend’s catalog. I give major props to lead singer Ezra Koenig and everybody who managed the sound quality and audio engineering of this record. The best part about it is definitely the clear-cut guitar solos and persistent organ and harpsichord. I give this record a strong 4/5 and recommend listening to this, as well as previous albums, to observe how the band has come into themselves over the years.
