Turns out I’m a Vampire Weekend fan - "Only God Was Above Us" analysis 

The prep school thing was always a joke. They knew they would be perceived a certain way cause where they went to school and played into it.

If Father of the Bride was your first experience with the band, I’d highly recommend going back and listening to 2013’s Modern Vampires of the City. FotB is widely considered to be their weakest album but the rest of their discography is pretty great overall.

AoTY in my humble opinion.

I think this album towers over the rest of their work, except for Modern Vampires of the City. That's their masterpiece, in my opinion, and the brilliant climax of the Ezra/Rostam collaboration. But who knows, maybe this will overtake it, over time. Doesn't matter, really I love both of those records. Only God Was Above Us is fantastic. Thanks for a a thoughtful analysis!

AVAA As a longtime Vampire Weekend fan I was also surprised at how effective the writing is on the new album. I’m so glad you love the “which classical remains” line as much as I do, frankly gives me chills.

hey, AAVA! Couple of things: - Chris Baio IS related to Scott Baio - I noticed the melodic similarity of "Connect" with Dido's "Thank You" too - Ezra has mentioned Wu-Tang and Cypress Hill as an influence on "The Surfer" so that "Protect Ya Neck" comparison is spot on - Another commenter mentioned this too, but the whole preppy image was definitely something they cultivated mostly as a joke/branding early on & have struggled to get out from under. Not that it matters, really, but their actual backgrounds are about a hundred times more working class than The Strokes. - I also hate love letters to New York, but I think it's interesting there's a concerted effort in the lyrics on this album (even a major theme) to show some love to the Tri-State area and the infrastructure that connects it to the city.

“You missed their collaboration with the weeknd called vampire weeknd” had me dying 🤣🤣

"Hope" has quickly become my favorite Vampire Weekend song, and it's honestly likely to be one of my favorite songs period. It arrived exactly when it needed to for me. Also, I echo the comments to check out Modern Vampires of the City.

AVAA!! I love the loose structure of your videos and how much interesting history you add! As a 22 year old coming out of college, it’s fascinating to hear your life perspectives and how they differ from my own, love your reviews!

1st 3 albums are honestly some really good albums, all different and unique in their own way. OGWAU is a spiritual successor to their 3rd album Modern Vampires of the city. I appreciate father of the bride a lil more now though

Your vampire slander at the start of the review almost pushed me over the edge, Skye. Also interesting about your point of how you felt that the album spoke to you about a loss of discourse a civility in America since 2016. This idea is pretty specifically addressed on Father of the Bride several times. “Why’s it felt like Halloween, since Christmas twenty seventeen?”

Hi Prof Skye, AVAA! Long time viewer but first time commenting (i think), because this album is getting so much play for me at the moment. I have been a fan of Vampire Weekend for a long time, they are actually one of the first few bands which I got into around the mid to late 2000s which felt like being among the first of "my" bands (other examples: Arctic Monkeys and White Lies), so I was anticipating this album for a long time, even after not having been so keen on Father of the Bride. The excitement was ramped up by loving every single they released leading up to the album, but even then my expectations were blown out of the water on first listen to the entire thing, and it gets better every time I listen. I honestly couldn't tell you my favourite/least favourite track as every play seems to bring new aspects to love to the fore! With 'Hope' in particular, every time I listen I get an eerie feeling that this will be a really useful song to have and listen to during future tough times. It feels so comforting that, even during a good few days currently, it's certainly been bookmarked in my head for such purposes. As a side note about your influence; while irrelevant to the video here, since I'm commenting for the first time I thought I'd thank you for introducing me to OG KEEMO with one of your reviews a couple of years ago! By coincidence I actually live in Mainz so I am still slightly mindblown to have found out of his links to the city from your video back then.

AVAA! Love that you sneaked a small weezer reference in, hope you get to make it to their 30th anniversary blue tour this year!

Longtime fan VW here - I really enjoyed your very thoughtful assessment & glad you dug it. Couple of funny things I noticed while watching your video: You talk about making pancakes for your baby and listening to the record, funny enough, Ezra recently remarked on his internet radio show about how thats his specific favorite environment for listing to music (it's also depicted in the Harmony Hall video). Also you wished Baio was related to Chris Baio, he is not, BUT he is a distant cousin to Steve Buscemi and his first cousin is Harrison Bader on the mets. You say A-Trak instead of A-punk, A-trak is a dj, who's brother is Dake 1 (collaborator, friend and one half of Chromeo - him and Tomas from Phoenix were the two guests at the recent Eclipse show.

that noise blast in the 2nd chorus of 'Capricorn' just floored me. I have no idea what that sound is but damn it's some heavy noise that blends with the pop.

AVAA. I think you'll enjoy the new Julia Holter album, Skye.

AVAA! even though Rostam left the band in 2016 he does has a writing and production credit on track 6 "The Surfer".

the Thank You - Dido to Connect reference is spot on, and I had to go back to listen to that song. Do I hear that same sort of 'woo' or shout sound in the Thank You beat in Mary Boone's beat breakdown as well? Maybe Ezra is recreating it.

"We're all the sons and daughters of vampires who drained the old world's neck." Is my favorite lyric on this album. But I agree with you, this album is next level. I really enjoyed your review. It made me see the album from a different angle, and it definitely helped with some of the historical context.

Professor! Cobain was a GenXer, only two years older than I. As for VW, I have always gotten a kick out of their albums. I'm trying to think if any musical artist or group has ever made me mad, though I might not be analytical enough.

So glad you’ve stepped on over. AVAA ! Vampire Weekend is solid. Also, loving the term ‘Nim’, imma use it. By the way, been loving your channel since your review of Gus Dapperton’s Orca. If you are interested in hearing a fan’s album, I have an album coming out on April 22nd called ‘Sheepy With Footrot’. It’s definitely poop doo doo compared to this album you’re reviewing now- But it would be incredible just to know you’ve heard my stuff. :^}

AVAA!!!! The anticipation for this review was huge and I'm thrilled to hear your thoughts. Could you please give this one review of mine about the ong "Classical"? Either way, thank you for your amazing work and never leave this platform, you, who are the oasis in this uncontrollable madness we as consumers of the internet are subjected to. PS: I wrote it in portuguese and asked ChatGPT to translate it into english (I know, I know, contributing to the AI business and exponencial financial success of the wealthiest companies in the world. but it was the only way I could translate it truly accuratley), so I apologize for any grammatical mistakes. "There are already three singles that are part of the next album by Vampire Weekend, and on the third - Classical - the group sounds better than ever. The musicality and instrumental chemistry among each band member are at their best. From the acoustic guitar that starts the song, to the bass that simultaneously marks the rhythm and melody, to the electrifying riff that sounds more like a violin (hence one part of the association I make with the track's title) that appears every 50 seconds and, just like its presence in the music, i.e., in a loop, promises to stay in constant repetition in the listeners' heads. But the genius of this song, which I dare say is one of the best in the entire discography of the New Yorkers, lies precisely in the opposite of what they are normally associated with. To a certain extent defined by their usual musical conformity (at least until the last album), and avoidance of experimentation within what indie rock allows (except for some more Afro-centric moments), what Ezra Koenig and company demonstrate here is a genuine explosion of creativity resulting in yet another artistic step characterized by a total organized and stimulating cacophony in every imaginable sense. Part of this highly heterodox yet strangely satisfying composition is due to the immense amount of the most minute effects and pieces of production happening simultaneously. Here, these include: the incessant rhythm of the lo-fi drums and the bizarre decision to keep it only on the left side; the abrasive and screeching guitar that appears and reappears throughout the 4 minutes of duration in moments of crescendo; and the organ occasionally positioned during the verses. All this organized confusion reaches a climax in the last third of the song, in what is a memorable bridge. While the percussion reaches its peak, there are exchanges of keyboard instruments (piano and organ) and a spontaneous eruption of originality resulting in a totally disoriented and out-of-tune saxophone solo. And yet, the brilliance lies in the fact that all this ecstasy sounds perfectly natural in the context of the song. Because it transforms, perfectly, into 5 seconds of chorus, by leaving the stage, giving way to the essence of the song in its most stripped state with only Ezra's voice accompanied by the guitar and bass, before a last and glorious pre-chorus. Lyrically, Koenig's excellence follows the rule. This time, an illustration of the eternal reflection and pondering of the revolutionary idealist and his fear of the post-revolution scenario: what will actually happen? And will it be better than the current? What changes? And what remains? And, above all, the difficult acceptance, but inevitable conclusion, that what seems to cyclically unfold throughout the history of civilization - what we previously thought to be the worst demonstration of evils and cruel figures and narratives of the past, are now, the most esteemed ideas and thoughts? In one way or another, power seems never to leave its place. Or rather, the entity that wields it always ends up being the same/previous one. In a constant state of ambiguity, realism and cynicism here show their splendor, ready to conquer what remains of the rebellious spirit: «Untrue, unkind and unnatural How the cruel, with time, becomes classical I know that walls fall, shacks shake Bridges burn and bodies break, it's clear Something's gonna change And when it does Which classical remains?»"

AVAA I’ve always liked your vids but always felt the politics we didn’t see eye to eye on but you brought such a nice human element and history of your views that I felt Very connected to you the way you talked about everything. I spent 14$ on a burger tonight that I used to get for 5$ back in 2010

AVVA - I know you never listen to past work… but vampire weekends discography is such a whole. On this album there are drum lines from the first album references from a track off the third ect. Really rewards you for listening to it all Also please review ‘twice around the sun’ by ugly. Another great album released this week that you would love and isnt getting any attention from other music crickets

Ezra Koenig is definitely one of the best writers. You might also like their Modern Vampires album

29:30 Good take professor I share similar thoughts. Glad you've come around to VW. :)

The "Walk on the Wild Side" bassline pull was insane, and when I went back to find it and I heard it I legit got emotional. AVAA

I'm with you Skye. This record has got me into a Vampire Weekend hole - go deeper. Unreal back catalogue to get into... HIT Contra next. Baby crying no issue.

Love your videos Prof Skye but listening on an elliptical while watching a movie on mute while taking notes in the notes app is diabolical 😭

Do you just pick movies at random for your gym movie album listening or do you try to preempt the tone of the album and match it? I wonder how watching something unrelated changes the experience. I can’t imagine trying to take in a movie and album at the same time!

Father of the Bride was a departure in sound and style. This album I think is an intentional return to the style of their first 3. So I think you would like the first three quite a bit if there are songs you haven't heard.

I have to be honest - as someone from the south who is also in GenX, when I think of NY I always think of rich people, prep schools, bankers, investors, or extremely poor people, ghettos, and homeless. Maybe you just didn't see what the rest of us saw until you got older or left? That happens. I have always enjoyed Vampire Weekend, but I just listen to the music. I also have a science degree and applied what I learned in college to my life - that being too rigid in your beliefs or theories stifles discovery. Sure there are rules in science, but when it comes to the self you create those rules typically. One thing I quit doing in the early 90's was caring so much about individual band members. I feel like many people develop this type of parasocial relationship with a band or they make themselves all about a specific musical genre. I quit doing that in college - worrying about the history of a band etc? The idea that this translates to a better ability to appreciate a song is kind of silly and just a way of gatekeeping. There are still bands I may ignore, but they have to be on the level of Ted Nugent or Don Henley for me to make an effort to avoid their music.

Rostam is on one song, the Surfer, just like he was on one song on the last album (We belong together). He left the band after the third album. I just viewed your review of Women in Music pt III by Haim, and this is where you will remember Rostam (and Ariel Rechtshaid) from, as they are both all over that album.

AVAA - Shout out to everyone in a good school district praying to catch a plug, can't wait for the stars to align so I can hear the inevitable rap classic that comes out of that milieu

I bought it at Record Archive too! Blew my mind.

That Wilco comparison is bloody brilliant

It's not a new album anymore, strictly speaking, but I still think Sarah La Puerta's "Strange Paradise" deserves some attention-- no one seems to know about it, but it's truly amazing. I rave about it every chance I get, but have no audience. Sarah La Puerta deserves some eyes and ears!

FOTB was like a solo detour from Ezra and it had a fairly polarising response, so it's fine if you didn't like that. But, since you loved this one, I'm sure you'd love the first three (the "trilogy" as Ezra himself also calls it). They're much more in line with this album in terms of communicating a central theme, and the instrumentation is fantastic on all of them. Worth going in order to because there's a progression to how those themes, relating to age, existentialism, etc are talked about and composed musically as they grow with each album.

Brilliant analysis, many mic drops ✊🎤

Interested if you’ve listened to/reviewed any Ariel Pink

AAVA Made me want to listen to the album again agfter your review!

YESSS AVAA SKYE X VAMPIRE WEEKEND MY TWO FAVORITE THINGS C:

AVAA. Took me probably 4 or 5 listens to get into this one but I really like it now that I've gotten over that hump!

are you going to review the New Libertines album?? I´m curious if you ever like them? They were important in my adolescence

AVAA! Would you review the new black keys album?

AVAA, A-Trak is a hip-hop producer, you might've been -- subconsciously, I guess -- thinking of him. The track is A-Punk. Ariel Rechtshaid's surname is pronounced rek-shyde, also

Your politics color your analysis in very interesting ways.

Long time VW fan here! Glad you loved the album like I did, and AVAA! Father of the Bride isn’t a very good starting point as it’s a solo album branded as a VW album: no other members had any part in the making of that album. Anywhere else is a good starting place, but the debut is the most Millennial Ivy League New York-ish, so you might want to avoid it for now. My personal favorite is Contra. It’s also only ten tracks long!

AVAA love to hear your thoughts on the new bladee, its somewhat of a return to form and to his old sound

Yeah Yeah Yeahs too, Fever To Tell and Is This It have saved the millennium for me. Room On Fire 🔥

AVAA prof this album rules!!!!

AVAA! Apone is one of the Colonial Marines in Aliens Skye. First review of yours I have watched and it was great! As many have already said, Father of the Bride is the weakest of VW's albums and that might be because it was solely an Ezra project (CT and Baio gave their blessings but were not involved). I would definitely recommend Modern Vampires of the City and Contra based on what you like about OGWAU. Thanks for a great review!

Where did you get that poster in the bottom left? I can't find it

"Imagine my surprise" indeed. I remember so well feeling resentful and cynical about any new album that too many people told me I MUST hear. When you describe your early reaction to Vampire Weekend, it reminds me of that feeling. Part of wisdom is recognizing that accidents of biography play an enormous role in the music we like and dislike. Where did you first hear it? Who were you with? What were you doing? Were you in love? Did you hear it on the car radio, or through your friend's gigantic Klipsch speakers?

AVAA Vamp Week is the 🐝s sneeze. Loved em since I was a teen. God I feel old

Hey Skye! Just wanted to rec you the album 'On Purpose, With Purpose' by Ghetts. In my top 4 of the year so far (Vampire weekend, Adrianne lenker, vultures & this), and I think it's no.1! He's a British rapper so ofc nobody is talking about but he's a British legend that has made his best album to date, and I think you'll love it if you love good music.

AVAA you remain my favorite youtuber here. I was shocked at how gracious, funny and poignant the writing on this album is

AVAA this is my current favorite album of the moment.

Check out their album Modern Vampires of the City!!

I’m fine with parenting sounds

The Vamp is the last US rock band that matters...so there....i was a casual fan at the beginning, dug Contra, Vampires of the Modern City or something like that made me go wow this is a really good band, wish Rostram hadn't left and all of that...seen them live in a small venue with awesome acoustics here in Mexico City....Father of the Bride made me a real fan, no fucking around, just the first song i remember had so much narrative and intention, and of course the rest of the album with the whole Paul Simon circa Graceland influence....and yeah, this last album made me say, hey this is maybe the last great rock band standing, last as in their debut was years after the Strokes...and im a massive Strokes fan, so that's saying something...

AVAA prof skye Ritchie from injury reserve released a album it’s pretty good

(AVAA) Hey man, this is an amazing video and I also love the New Abnormal album you have behind you. Cheers! Edit: No this is not an amazing review. How did you pull so many political references from lyrics that have absolutely nothing to do with politics? And if you've listened to previous VW albums you'll know they are not over-political with their songs.

Classical took me a bit to arrive at an option of what it meant. My final thoughts if you were cruel and devious enough to wipe out your enemies and come to a sufficient size of empire, people coming after you would respect your accomplishments, and see you as Classical. Also, in your analysis, you brought in some complaints. Sadly, they are futile, and as VW said, I hope you let it go. The album to me seems rather stoic. In that you best focus on what you can control. I am in large agreement with that approach. All this being said, I greatly appreciated your review. I thought it was largly spot on.

It's a sonic master class.

All VW lyrics are bangers ❤️

AVAA , 13:38 this moment made me burst out laughing 😭

This album is the Wilco “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” for 40 year olds today. When Yankee came out in my 20’s I didn’t connect to the lyrics as much at the time. Now this is that for 40 year olds today.

have u listened to the new kim gordon ??

One of my fav albums this year, which is weird cause evertytime i listened to vampire weekend before i found it annoying, but this one is great

Lol we also were mad at you gen x.

AVAA ❤

As a Vampire Weekend superfan, I don’t blame you for having the opinion you previously had of the band when only knowing A-Punk and Father of the Bride. In my opinion, Father of the Bride is their weakest album by a large margin. I’d recommend listening to all of their other albums (their first three), because they really are great. I used to consider Modern Vampires of the City to be their best, and one of the best albums of all time. But that was before I heard Only God Was Above Us…

VW is one of my favorite bands, and I don’t particularly enjoy father of the bride. I’d check out modern vampires instead! AVAA

AVAA - Friko review when?

This review is longer than the album! 😂

Chris Baio is the 2nd cousin of Scott Baio lol

AVAA, I think this album is definitely among their best, if you liked it Contra and Modern Vampires of the City are in a similar vein. You were not alone in not liking father of the bride, I think it’s Ezra’s weakest writing to date

AVAA I'm a big Vampire weekend fan and even I didn't like much of father of the bride. That's a truly awful gateway into them lol

AVAA!

Can't completely articulate why, but Vampire Weekend is one of the only bands of the new(ish) millennium I actually like.

Yall are talking about the new abnormal but what you should be focusing on is earthmover

I actually like “A-Frame” better as a title than “A Punk”

vampire weeknd.. tjaa

avaa

Your baby??? I fell off RU-vid a bit but when I was watching you you didn’t have A BABY?? Where did this third child come from lol

The Strokes are the greatest

this is right there with Adrianne Lenker for AOTY

I want to listen to this album and enjoy it, but I find Ezra’s weird affected accent to be so difficult to get past. Is he supposed to be playing a character? Like is he intentionally using his voice to create an artificial persona?

Nothing I like more than a record review where I get to hear someone's political views the whole time.

Amazing how many irrelevant things you can throw into this "review."

AVAA!

AVAA!