We kick things off with "Obvious Bicycle", a mellow, downtempo number that shows off the eloquent vocal stylings of frontman Ezra Koenig, who contributes a great deal to the band's soft spoken nature of having fun while playing songs that evoke the band's individual musical influences that run the whole musical spectrum. "Unbelievers" picks up the melodic pace with an optimistic sounding tone running amok throughout the entire track, and features colorfully inventive instrumentation all the way throughout that shows that the band know how to have fun and make the audience part of the act while crafting these highly advanced tunes. My favorite track off the album is the incredible first single "Diane Young", an eclectic, R&B infused number that brings about a wide array of instrumentation that when all combined together, is both refreshing and an incredible step forward for the band who have been making a living entertaining the masses and keeping them coming back for more. "Hannah Hunt" is a breezy, piano styled tune that brings the collective energy down several notches to present a different side of the band that we haven't had much opportunity to see before, and showcases their wide ranging set of musical capabilities that go far beyond what we expected from them, and is a welcome change of pace for the band that just seems to get better and better with each album they make.
The second half of the disc begins with "Everlasting Arms", an upbeat, eclectic tune featuring a dazzling smorgasbord of intricate percussion arrangements and smooth guitar riffs that put everything in perspective here and gives you more audible pleasure right at the tip of your ears. "Worship You" finds Ezra speeding up his vocal abilities considerably to craft a fast paced, straight shooting blast that lays it all out there pretty quickly, and doesn't find the need to try anything too extravagant or risky and instead relies upon the guys trusting their own instincts and sticking to their guns while doing what they do best. The disc begins to wind down on "Ya Hey" a relaxing, toned down affair that sees the band bringing in all of the musical elements from their arsenal, and allowing the album to close on a scale that is the complete opposite of how it began, but shows a definite progression from start to finish. "Hudson" closes it all out with a moody, trodden number that shows off a side of the band we haven't seen before, but the band does a commendable job for accomplishing the task with great skill and determination, and wraps things up neatly on a well accomplished record. I've been a huge fan of Vampire Weekend ever since I first saw them on the cover of Spin Magazine back in 2007, and was totally enthralled by the band because of their name even though I hadn't heard any of their music yet, but once I did hear them, I realized that all the hype was worth it and these guys are definitely at the forefront of the indie music scene today with a spectacular and wide ranging set of talents that they're capable of displaying at given time with great fervor and enthusiasm.
Overall, an outstanding and terrific effort from Vampire Weekend, who have evolved their sound somewhat from their prior effort, and showcases a band that is more musically deep than they've ever been before and as a result, have really gelled considerably as band mates.
Album Score: 4/5
Track Listing:
- Obvious Bicycle
- Unbelievers
- Step
- Diane Young
- Don't Lie
- Hannah Hunt
- Everlasting Arms
- Finger Back
- Worship You
- Ya Hey
- Hudson
- Young Lion
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