Right, cards on the table time.  Before listening to the Vampire Weekend’s latest album, the only thing I knew about them for certain was that they had written a catchy song about a comma once.  Other than that I had (possibly unfairly) dismissed them as a band for skinny-trousered, bewhiskered hipsters and mentally placed them in the same category as Mumford & Sons.  Now a more responsible music reviewer would have steeped themselves in the earlier work of Vampire Weekend in order to provide you with a more rounded critique of Modern Vampires of the City.  But I'm not going to do that.  I'm a maverick and I like to play fast and loose with the rules.  DAMN YOU RULES – YOU’RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME.  Ahem.  Sorry.



Modern Vampires of the City is the third full-length album from Vampire Weekend following 2008’s self-titled début and 2010’s Contra. On first listen, MVOTC is more accessible than either of those releases and may well win over new devotees.  That isn't to say that the Weekend have become the new Coldplay – there are still a wide variety of different sounds and rhythms at work and the album is rarely dull.  Some of the tracks are quirky (Obvious Bicycle), some are perky (Unbelievers) still others are both perky and quirky (Diane Young).  The album’s high point is the quite magnificent Ya Hey; a complex, rich, reggae infused song with soaring choral backing that only improves with repeated listens.  The sharp and clever lyrics show a band that wear their intelligence proudly on their sleeves and also demonstrate  a rather cheeky sense of humour; “She’s richer than Croesus, she’s tougher than leather” is a phrase I found myself singing repeatedly under my breath for days.



MVOTC is liberally sprinkled with religious imagery (Unbelievers, Worship You, Everlasting Arms) and Vampire Weekend seem very preoccupied with the passage of time and the eternal consequences of their actions.  I rather enjoyed the existential angst on display, but some may find it a little heavy handed.  There are one or two forgettable tracks but for the most part the album skips along admirably and showcases Vampire

Weekend’s growing maturity and confidence. 



They have officially been removed from the Mumford & Sons category.