Intro music: Capricorn by Vampire Weekend
SYDNEY FENER: Hi, I’m Sydney Fener with WNUR News, and today I am joined by…
VERONICA SILVOSA: Veronica Silvosa.
PARIS BOZZUTI: Paris Bozzuti.
JULIET ALLEN: And Juliet Allen.
FENER: And today we are going to be listening to the new Vampire Weekend album that came out on April 5th called “Only God Was Above Us.” We’re really excited. I’m super excited. I’m a massive Vampire Weekend fan. And, um, okay, let’s get into it!
Interlude: Prep School Gangsters by Vampire Weekend
FENER: Okay so we are currently halfway through the album. We have listened to “Ice Cream Piano,” “Classical,” “Capricorn,” “Connect,” and “Prep School Gangsters” and we took a pause to describe some of our thoughts and feelings so far. Would anyone like to start?
SILVOSA: I really– well, this is my first Vampire Weekend album that I’m listening to all the way through. I’ve listened to a few of their songs here and there but I’ve never really, like, stopped and listened to a full album so this is very exciting and I guess I really like the instrumentation in this. I really like the use of piano, especially, like, in the beginning of the– in “Ice Cream Piano” there’s very, like, discordant-like tones, and in “Classical,” everything, like, seems to be kind of, like, clashing in a way.
BOZZUTI: I really like the the use of the piano in it, especially, like, the way that they’re kind of editing the tones or using whatever synth or piano they’re using where it’s kind of like crunchy and there’s like a lot of like noisy stuff going on so it isn’t just piano which is awesome. Also just the production on like every single song is very– is very, very cool, like, it’s really creative and I think …some other stuff feels a little sometimes formulaic to me and I think the production on this album kind of pulls it out of that which I like.
ALLEN: I don’t think Vampire Weekend has ever been known for its lyrical subtlety, but they are clever. But I think the first three songs specifically were, like, very Vampire Weekend, had a lot of the elements that they normally roll with, the lead singer has this very specific tone and pronunciation that you can hear through the whole album. But I really have been liking where we’re going with the album. I think “Connect” and “Prep School Gangsters” definitely gets into sort of a newer style that I have heard less of from them, which I’m really excited about.
FENER: I totally see where you’re coming from when you said that these songs sort of sounded a lot like their older music. I think that’s something that people have been saying a lot especially with um, you know, um the songs that have been put out so far. I think that this album has a major theme of, like, generations and, like, heredity and, like, looking back through time. I think that this is obviously major on “Classical,” but also “Ice Cream Piano,” like, right off the bat, they’re talking about, um, you know, there’s that lyric, “We’re all the sons and daughters of vampires who drain the old world’s necks.” So, you know, thinking about where we came from and, like, the legacy of these old world, you know, constructs, I think “Classical” is so interesting in its, I mean, obviously, its lyrics really, like, confront that– that theme very directly or unsubtly as, um, as you put it. But, um, in the instrumentation, which, which you guys both mentioned, I sort of feel like there’s this, like, there’s that like a piano, like, harpsichord line, but it feels a little corroded. Like there’s this like digital, like buzz to it that I think is sort of interesting and it sort of complicates, um, what could be kind of like a straightforward, like, um, sound.
BOZZUTI: The lyrics feel very right now. They feel very like, not to be like that person, but they do feel very, like, post-COVID world, like the kind of, like, feeling like you’re very, like, isolated and, like, looking for more and like searching for meaning and all of those things. And I do think that that comes through really well. Um, I also just, just wanted to say, I thought “Classical” sounded a lot like Flaming Lips. And I thought that was really cool. I’m hearing some Flaming Lips influences. Um, I don’t think that I’m hearing Black Country New Road influences, but I think Black Country New Road was definitely just influenced by this band.
FENER: Okay, I was gonna say, on “Classical,” there was that like, trumpet moment, and I was like, this is giving black midi.
SILVOSA: I was gonna say the beginning melody reminded me of this band I like a lot called the Lemon Twigs which are very reminiscent of the 70s. I’ve, like, been hearing some, like, kind of, like, 70s – I forgot like the exact– art pop kind of genre. I’ve been hearing little bits of it here and there throughout the album, which is, like, very nostalgic, which I guess like leads into what you said about like thinking about the past a lot which is mentioned in this album so I I’m guessing it’s probably done on purpose, but I wonder if–
FENER: Yeah, yeah, evocations for sure. I wanted to get into some of those, um, those connections that I’m thinking of. I also feel like, um, thematically, with “Prep School Gangsters,” so, I looked it up and apparently, so this song is named after a New York Magazine story entitled Prep School Gangsters, which was about, um, these New York City gangs, which were made up of these really wealthy elite private school kids selling drugs to each other. So it was about, like, these people at elite private schools, these kids, taking on this, like, quote unquote, like, gangster, like, lifestyle. I feel like this is something that’s so interesting for this band to do, because Vampire Weekend has this very extremely like, preppy vibe, which partially comes from like, who they are, which is a band that formed at Columbia University. Um, but also like, they have a lot of songs like, I mean, you may know the song “Campus,” there’s like, “Ladies of Cambridge,” “Diplomat’s Son,” like, they have this very sort of like, East Coast, stately, um, like, elitist, preppy vibe, and I think it’s kind of interesting for them to sort of like, confront that really directly through this song. I could see them, like, self examining a little bit, um, which is a cool thing to do.
If you want to hear about our favorites so far, and our thoughts about the rest of the album, make sure to head over to our website wnurnews.org, for now I’m Sydney Fener for WNUR News.
Outro music: Gen-X Cops by Vampire Weekend
Faves so far?
ALLEN: Oh, I love “Connect.” I think it’s, like, I was, like, bopping my head the entire time. I just love the pace. I love the urgency of it. Um, and it just, it keeps driving you forward. And I did like how, um, Vampire Weekend does have this sort of way of interrupting themselves, which is really cool and sort of keeps you on your toes, but I did like how “Connect” felt a little more consistent. But it was just fast and really well paced.
BOZZUTI: I also think “Connect” so far. I don’t really have that much to say about it. I just like, I liked it a lot. I liked the, the chaos and then the kind of pulling back into, like the regular, sound. I just thought it was cool. I thought it was very, like, dynamic.
SILVOSA: Yeah, I also really liked “Classical,” but I also really enjoyed “Capricorn” ever since like I heard it when it came out. I wrote down that I would have eaten this up in eighth grade as a compliment. As a compliment, I was listening to some good stuff in eighth grade. But I feel like I would’ve really enjoyed, like, listening to this and, like, walking around the halls in middle school, feel like I would’ve, and it would’ve, because it feels like a song that I already listened to and I already like, feel nostalgic for it for some reason.
FENER: That’s such a good observation. I totally see that. Yeah, I think my, my favorite so far is still “Classical.” Um, I really liked “Ice Cream Piano” a lot.
ALLEN: It felt like, like their theme song almost.
FENER: Yes, it was like, oh my god, it’s like a thesis statement for this album, which– I love it when bands do that. It’s like, just give it to me straight. Um, okay. Let’s get back into it.
Interlude: Hope by Vampire Weekend
FENER: And we’re back. So we just finished the album. How are people feeling? What’s the thoughts?
SILVOSA: I guess after finishing, I think I definitely liked the first half better than the second half in my opinion. I think the last three songs started to get a little bit repetitive for me, but I really liked “The Surfer” and “Gen X Cops.”
ALLEN: I have words for “Surfer.” The vibe that I got, I also really liked it. Um, it felt to me sort of like a jam sesh, especially with that sort of long form instrumental, instrumental introduction. Um, it sort of just, it felt organic, which I think is something that isn’t quite what Vampire Weekend is up to a lot of the time.
BOZZUTI: “The Surfer” was also, that was my favorite on the album, I think. I really liked that one. Yeah, I loved it. Um, it reminded me a little bit of, kind of like a happier, preppier version of, I don’t know if anyone’s listened to “Heaven is a Junkyard” by Youth Lagoon. My favorite album that came out last year. It is so good. Well, not my favorite, probably my second favorite, but it’s so good and it just kind of had a similar vibe. Um, I don’t know. I kind of liked the, the shift from, from the other songs and then I think it went really well into “Gen-X Cops.” I thought that one was straight gas. Really enjoyed that one. All I wrote down was, “okay, I like.” And then, “yeah, this is gas.”
ALLEN: I liked the choral-y elements of that one, like in the back.
FENER: Yeah, and, um, on “Mary Boone,” there was a really cool choral arrangement. I really like “Mary Boone.” I thought that song was super good. Actually, okay, I looked it up. Mary Boone is an art dealer. She’s like a famous art dealer in New York. Um, and there’s like this long quote from, um, the lead singer about it, but I’m not going to read the whole thing. But, um, it sort of reminded me of another song, um, called Hannah Hunt, um, just like a woman’s name. Um, and, yeah, neither of them are like women that he actually knows very well. He just sort of, like, liked their name. He said he describes himself as a name fetishist, like he just finds a name that he likes. So that’s sort of interesting.
SILVOSA: I looked up a little bit also about Mary Boone and I found out that it was like someone that she was like an art collector that was like very big in like the 70s or like whenever she came up but then recently she was like caught for tax fraud and actually she’s in jail now and then it’s something that I was listening for in, like, throughout the song, it talks a lot about like old New York and I guess it’s the same thing about like reminiscing about the past. I wrote down, “this is Vampire Weekend’s ‘New York I love you but you’re bringing me down’ by LCD Soundsystem.”
There’s a really obvious theme in this album not just with the, like, looking back but also with war. There’s so much mention about war in like every single, and every single, like probably every single song, like, and they just like, keep going about with themes of war, which is very interesting and obviously very timely. It just, I really like that as a very distinct theme that crosses through all the songs.
FENER: Um, going off that theme of war, what did you guys think of “Hope?” What did you think it was saying? Like to end the album on that song, like what was the vibe? What do you guys think?
SILVOSA: I guess there is just, like, a sense of optimism, but also kind of nihilism because it’s like, it says like, “our enemy’s invincible, I hope you let it go.” It’s like, I guess we’re not gonna like, defeat the evils. But then I guess just like, live in the now, I guess.
FENER: It’s kind of ironic because the song is called “Hope,” but the hope is that they give up. So it’s like, is this hopeful? Like, is there something positive in that? Or is it just like, sort of a, um, a dark joke that’s like the, the highest hope I can have is that we, you know, lay our weapons down and give up.
ALLEN: I thought it was, I thought hope was good. It was, the, the lyrics are a little, like, are vaguely reminiscent of “The Kids Are All Dying” by Finneas. But, a little on the nose. But, um, I also, you know, I liked it, I thought the melody was good. I did think it was too long.
FENER: It’s Vampire Weekend’s longest song.
ALLEN: Yeah, there you go.
SILVOSA: Yeah, I think I have a thing sometimes, with not all long songs, but I feel like with some of them, if the, I think most of the songs sounded, like, too similar other than the instrumental break in the middle, which was, like, awesome. But then it just, like, went back to kind of sounding a little similar, which– I think– but I still liked it, um, but I like I think I think this was my least favorite song in the album, I’m not gonna lie.
BOZZUTI: Yeah, this closing did not work for me, I feel like, at all. I also feel like there was kind of a shift in like the second half of this album where it was very different and I liked it, like, I liked where it was going the second half more than I did the first half and then this kind of felt like a weird mending between the two that just didn’t really work for me. They lost me somewhere.
FENER: What else? What else you guys thinking? Anything? Final thoughts?
ALLEN: I’m not sure how I feel about the, the callbacks to their, their previous songs. I think some of them are done well, but I kind of don’t understand why.
FENER: Like why they’re done well or like why they did that?
ALLEN: Why they did that in the first place.
FENER: I think I see how it works thematically. I think that this album is very retrospective in a lot of different ways. Um, and I think that they, this is a band that’s in general, like, they’re very enamored with the past in a sort of, like, somewhat sardonic way. This is something that, like, only, I don’t know, like, only someone who loves this band so much would love, but they, they, like, all of their songs have these, like, incredibly, all these really specific historical references all the time. They love to do it. Um, and they just, they just have this style that’s, like, we were, we were talking about how nostalgic they seem, like, they have a sort of like, um, they have this, this sort of like, love for the past and I think that it’s sort of interesting to think about how they’re confronting their own past, like, artistically. I sort of see where they’re coming from with that. I also can see how someone could think that that’s maybe lazy or unoriginal. Um, but if you love everything that they do, it’s hard to be like, Oh my god, stop doing that thing that they do.
SILVOSA: I thought it was really cool. Again, I liked the first half a little bit better than the second half. But I think overall it’s very great. I guess my, my thing with like Vampire Weekend, I guess like the reason why I’ve never heard an album in full is because I do sometimes find their songs a little repetitive. Um, which I guess like makes sense now that I realize that they use a lot of like their old songs like in their new songs, but I thought it made a lot of sense this time, and I really liked, um, a lot of these, like, kind of, like, 70s elements. Around the second half when they started using, I think, more strings was also pretty cool. And the, like the ominous chorus in the background of “Mary Boone” was kind of boss. I thought it was pretty cool. Um, but yeah, overall, you really, really enjoyed this. I can see myself listening to a lot of these songs again, specifically “Surfer,” “Classical.” I’ve already been listening to “Capricorn”, um, ever since it came out as a single. Um, but I’m excited to listen to this again and also listen to their other albums in full now.
BOZZUTI: I really liked it overall. I thought it was, it was very interesting and it kind of both played into and defied, like, all the things that I think about Vampire Weekend in a way where it was like the things that I like about them they kind of emphasized and they were by going back and like repeating some of their old styles. But also they experimented with a lot of different sounds and I think it’s– I don’t know. I think it’s cool that this album is like both something that fans of the band will like and also maybe people who aren’t super into them or don’t really know them. Like. it kind of can function as all of those things for people. And so I think it’s kind of worth a listen, no matter where you stand on the band, because you’ll either find some songs that you’re like, “Oh, this is really, like, different for them. This is kind of a departure from some of their other stuff.” Or if you love their old stuff, you’ll find things that you’re like, “Oh, this is really similar to that.” And I think it’s cool that they, I don’t know, found a nice balance between experimenting with new things and also staying true to what makes them a band and what makes them appealing to people.
ALLEN: Yeah, I liked it. There was definitely no point where I was sitting listening like, “wow, I cannot believe that I agreed to listen to this album,” so that’s good. I think “Connect” is still my favorite. It definitely, it just felt different and fun to me. I definitely agree with what Paris was saying about how it definitely played into all of the Vampire Weekend tropes that we love and then also, or maybe hate, but um, it, but it also sort of subverted their own genre. Um, I really liked the middle of the album the best. Like, I feel like “Ice Cream Piano,” “Classical,” “Capricorn,” we were sort of ramping up. It was, felt almost like a warm up to me. Like, it was, they were very similar to some of their old pieces. Then like, “Connect,” “Prep School Gangsters,” “The Surfer,” “Gen-Z [sic.] Cops” all felt like super, like, fresher. Different. I really liked that middle and then I feel like we sort of went back back down– We came back down with the other three. So, yeah, overall good album. I don’t think I will personally be, like, revisiting a ton of these songs on the album regularly. I’ll probably add “Connect” to my– to my playlists, but that’s yeah, those are my thoughts.
FENER: Okay, well, thank you guys so much for joining me in listening to this album and thank you guys for having this riveting discussion. I really enjoyed listening to this with you guys and, um, dissecting it a little and– Yeah, this was great. So thank you guys. Um, and again, for WNUR News, I’m Sydney Fener. Oh, by the way, Juliet’s also on WNUR. They said I had to say that.
ALLEN: Oh, really? Oh yes. I’m Juliet Allen for WNUR.
FENER: Yeah. But this is my piece. Don’t get it twisted.
ALLEN: Only one person on the byline.
FENER: Okay. Bye.
Outro music: Gen-X Cops by Vampire Weekend
