Written by George Heftler
Vampire Weekend is dead. Long live Jam-pire Weekend.
Ask 10 people about Vampire Weekend, and you’re likely to get 10 different opinions – everything from “they’re the apex of yacht rock” to “unbearably white,” which is amusingly the name of a song on this album. Despite the varied opinions, Vampire Weekend has carved a niche for themselves in the alt rock space, jumping from vibe to vibe as each album corresponds to a different season – Vampire Weekend is summer, Contra is fall, Modern Vampires of the City is winter, and their new release, Father of the Bride, is representative of spring.
And a spring vibe it has. This album casually strolls through stories of renewal and growth while still acknowledge the destruction that begets creation across 18 songs, all while utilizing front-man Ezra’s voice in new and interesting ways. The songs feature some more “jam band” Instrumentation that is great throughout, but guest guitarist Steve Lacy (of The Internet) is featured on two songs and knocks them out of the park – especially the noodley “Sunflower,” a song I defy you to not dance to. Another interesting move by the band is including three duets with Danielle Haim, whereas previous albums were all Ezra, all the time.
That is not to say the album is perfect. There are a couple songs that probably could have been excised from the track list without much loss, especially with so many – “Spring Snow” and “Big Blue” being the two that really jump out at me. But it is a fun next step for the band that works for old fans and brings new listeners. In fact, I have some friends who (to my chagrin) don’t just dislike Vampire Weekend’s previous work, they loathe it. But as I forced them to listen to songs from Father of the Bride, they gave it a positive reception and even downloaded a handful. So even if you haven’t been a fan before, this is the perfect time to enjoy the Weekend.
High Points: This Life, Harmony Hall, Sunflower, Sympathy, Stranger
Low Points: Spring Snow, Big Blue
