Father of the Bride by Vampire Weekend

When I first heard Father of the Bride, Vampire Weekend’s fourth album, I wasn’t into it. Rostam (Batmanglij, whose solo album Half-Light was #2 in 2017) had left the band, and I was letting that fact cloud my enjoyment of what lead singer/songwriter Ezra Koenig had been able to put together on his own. It was too catchy, too poppy, too giddy, and it didn’t offer enough diversity upon first listens. But over time, I kept reaching back for it, without really knowing why. Then, somewhere around the 10th time through the album, I realized I knew all the songs, I would happily sing along to most of it, and I had nothing but positive feelings about the album. It had somehow turned a corner in my head, and then never looked back.

The first three Vampire Weekend albums were collaborative efforts between Koenig and Rostam, and they were all fantastic (their 2nd album, Contra appeared at #6 in 2010 and Modern Vampires of the City appeared at #3 back in 2013). When Rostam left the band, it clearly hit Koenig hard, as there was a six year gap between when their previous album came out and this new one. But the wait has proven worth it.

Nearly exactly like Bon Iver (discussed back at #9), Vampire Weekend’s first four albums have been unbelievably good. Like Bon Iver, their first album came out in 2008, and their most recent fourth album came out in 2019. Both bands have produced a fantastic, if limited, body of amazing music in that time. Just four albums, in 12 years time. This isn’t scattershot, push a bunch of stuff out there and see what sticks. Instead, this is studied, worked and reworked music, signs of an artist / group of artists never being satisfied with their work, and not knowing exactly when to stop. It makes you wonder: how much would you like the work if they’d stopped working on it five months prior? What about five months after? Somehow, they find that magic formula and release it just when it strikes gold.

Back on Christmas Day, a podcast that I love called Song Exploder released an episode featuring Koenig, talking about the making of the song “Harmony Hall”. I recommend giving it (and every other episode of the podcast) a listen, because it provides so much insight into the struggle, joy, pain, and elation that goes into writing music, as spoken by the artists themselves. Without listening to it, I never would have paid attention to the lyrics of the song:

Anger wants a voice, voices wanna sing
Singers harmonize 'til they can't hear anything
I thought that I was free from all that questionin'
But every time a problem ends, another one begins

It’s actually a quite dark song. The main line of the song, “I don’t wanna live like this, but I don’t wanna die,” is actually a reprise of that line from a previous Vampire Weekend song, “Finger Back” from Modern Vampires of the City. So much is said in that sentence: I’m not depressed or sad enough to kill myself, but I really don’t like how my life is currently. It’s a problem I think most everyone can relate to, and it’s that kind of turn of phrase that Vampire Weekend, and Koenig in particular, is great at.

Father of the Bride is not your typical Vampire Weekend album. But Vampire Weekend is no longer your typical Vampire Weekend. I’m glad Koenig was able to move on in such a great way, after his critically successful third album resulted in the departure of his songwriting partner. I’m anxious to see where they both head next.

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4. Two Hands + U.F.O.F. by Big Thief
5. Remind Me Tomorrow by Sharon Van Etten
6. I Am Easy to Find by The National
7. 5 + 7 by Sault
8. Giants of All Sizes by Elbow
9. i,i by Bon Iver
10. Kiwanuka by Michael Kiwanuka
11. The Destroyer (Parts 1 + 2) by TR/ST
12. When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? by Billie Eilish
13. Cheap Queen by King Princess
14. Anima by Thom Yorke
15. Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Parts 1 + 2 by Foals
16. Gallipoli by Beirut
17. My Finest Work Yet by Andrew Bird
18. Four of Arrows by Great Grandpa
19. Designer by Aldous Harding
20. Norman Fucking Rockwell! by Lana Del Rey
21. Our Pathetic Age by DJ Shadow
22. Juice B Crypts by Battles
23. Pony by Orville Peck
24. Hyperspace by Beck
25. Eraserland by Strand of Oaks
26. Dogrel by Fontaines DC
27. You’re the Man by Marvin Gaye
28. Big Wows by Stealing Sheep
29. 1000 gecs by 100 gecs
30. In the Morse Code of Brake Lights by The New Pornographers
31. Radiant Dawn by Operators

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