Album Review: Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires Of The City

“Whenever we came up with something familiar sounding, it was rejected,” said co-producer Ariel Rechtshaid about the third album by New York band Vampire Weekend.

The summer-tinged tropical pop is gone. The naïve college hipster sound is gone. Songwriters Ezra Koenig and Rostam Batmanglij have taken a much more mature approach to Modern Vampires Of The City, where they draw from sounds of the '60s and step away from their prior pop sound. There's a depth to the vocals, however the lyrics are as cryptic as ever. Diane Young is the lead single, and may just be the greatest song they've released to date. 'Diane Young' isn't actually a person, but a character created to substitute for 'dying young'. It's an old fashioned rock'n'roll song, and an image of a black and white video clip with the band's hair slicked back, vintage equipment and wearing tuxedos is given. The lyrics are deep and slightly dark, but Vampire Weekend put an entertaining spin on it. It may be the only track on the record that's reminiscent of the Vampire Weekend you think you know.

That's not a bad thing at all though. They experiment with some fun and interesting sounds and effects, creating an ambience and eeriness that's very effective, even when quite melancholy. However stripped back some songs are, there's still a full sound and a depth that many bands struggle to find in the modern times. Tracks like Everlasting Arms and Hudson have this empty yet overflowing sound, used so effectively that Modern Vampires Of The City is bound to be another cult hit for Vampire Weekend.