Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us Review

The masters of redefining boxed genres eclipse into a new era with their sixth exploration; heavily weighted on the eye of experimentation.

The once-well read indie rock counterculturists of Vampire Weekend were fast in their own shoes; harbouring sing-along indie winks with alternative ska-skew whiff A-Punk and yearning Campus stomping American grounds. With their less-than-desired Father of the Bride not hitting the same mark as those before it, many felt that the OG group were out of the running. But it turns out that producing a more experimental reckoning, makes your relevancy shine again.

Now, they’re older, wizened with the midlife ’40s, they run the ringer with a achy, realist album. Koenig whines and whimpers on string-heavy companion Capricorn, “Too old for dyin’ young, too young to live alone,” as his workload as a lyricist takes stage, front and centre. Whimsical busybody Gen-X Cops is no different, as he sings about, “Each generation makes its own apology.” As with any band on a stretch into their sixth, it takes on the role of a contemplative so-and-so with Mary Boone acting as an emotional do you remember when? to the Big Apple back in the late ’90s. As far as Weekend tracks go here, it’s the most upbeat when it wants to be. But is anchored by Koenig getting lost in his words again.

The album is packed with a lot of noisy experimental pop workings out that are Vampire Weekend as they are Caroline Polachek, as her Desire record seemingly having more of an impact on our future indie than first realised. Fifth track Connect is as close to this connection you can possibly get to, as the shift in piano foray make it a Chaplin excursion.

Above all else, the album is packed to the rafters with piano trinkles, flashes of jewelled strings, harps and cello instrumentals that accompany Koenig’s vocals well. It’s extraordinarily experimental in design but along with the heroics of catchy Classical, it feels precarious, teetering on the edge of ponder.  In the end, I suppose that’s the point of it all. The band have all grown up. Reimagining themselves in a new murky light.