Only God Was Above Us

Like the tangled mess of the New York subway map, the history of rock is full of unpredictable twists and strange connections. When Vampire Weekend jumped on board with their self-titled debut in 2008 (followed by *Contra* and *Modern Vampires of the City* a few years later), the indie old guard was instantly suspicious. Who were these Columbia University kids, suddenly riding a wave of hype that felt just a bit too big to be real? What’s with all these chirpy major chords? And that breezy voice—doesn’t it sound a little *too* much like Paul Simon? Wait a second… is this *ska for preppies* I’m hearing??? Yes, the band deserves credit for bringing Afrobeat guitar riffs, dusting off classic Brill Building-style pop, and even sprinkling some subtle hip-hop touches—ingredients that would go on to influence a ton of acts afterwards. But the damage was done. To many, they were nothing more than rich kids turning indie rock into a Cosmopolitan fashion accessory. Things only got worse when Rostam Batmanglij left and the band put out *Father of the Bride*, a patchy, bloated record that felt more like an Ezra Koenig solo project than a real band effort. After three notable albums, the hype bubble had eventually popped, and so the Vampire Weekend train seemed to have left the station for good. Which is why *Only God Was Above Us* felt like such a huge surprise last year. From the opening seconds, Koenig’s sly, understated voice made it clear we were in for a wild ride, against all odds: “Fuck the world / You said it quietly / No one could hear you / No one but me…” The distortion may be dialed down in the overture of first track "Ice Cream Piano", but when it hits, it hits hard. And what follows is a mad, joyful sprint that recalls the band’s earlier energy, but with a new trick: an avalanche of finely-tuned details that push their sound somewhere totally new. Jagged bursts of noise, Broadway-worthy string swirls, melancholy piano lines, whiplash tempo shifts… Vampire Weekend had rediscovered their live-wire spark, but now with a more ambitious, “grown-up” edge—thanks in no small part to Ariel Rechstaid’s lush production and a crew of handpicked session players. It all *feels* like it could fall apart, but somehow it never does. That’s especially clear in the next trio of C-gems —"Classical", "Capricorn", and "Connect"—which lay out the three main paths this album explores. Take "Classical": it’s got a lurching, heavy rhythm, guitars that squeal and charm in equal measure, a wild free-jazz sax, and a meaty upright bass. The old Paul Simon comparisons resurface here (helped along by sunny refrains and a 12-string folk guitar), but this is Paul Simon on speed and amphetamine, hurtling into unexplored urban skylines. And you can also gaze upon those shaky skylines in the tense, post-punk shadings of "Gen-X Cops" (a rare minor-keyed song in the band's discography), or in "Mary Boone", which mashes up a massive Soul II Soul breakbeat with choirs that sound like they fell straight out of heaven. Then comes "Capricorn", which slows things way down. Its distorted, foggy textures call back to Animal Collective, with a gentle drum groove and ghostly strings that feel like memories dissolving into mist. It’s a bittersweet ballad about aging gracefully—or not—and it kicks off a run of slower songs that showcase Koenig’s songwriting chops, from "Prep-School Gangsters" to the majestic closer "Hope". But among those three C-titled cuts sowing seeds throughout the rest of the record, the centerpiece is most certainly "Connect", and the only fitting word to describe the latter is: *incredible*. Incredible like its fast-paced piano arpeggios that sound part Bach, part Thelonious Monk, complete with tiny flubs caught on tape. Incredible like Koenig’s vocal, reaching for memories that could belong to the 1930s or the 2000s. Incredible like the whole structure—playful, unpredictable, never pompous—bringing to mind *Congratulations*-era MGMT. And that’s before you factor in the freewheeling drums, dreamy choirs, mischievous synth stabs, and the cheeky final double-bass note that closes the track with a wink. Follow this crazy rollercoaster to the end and you’ll be laughing in disbelief. There’s really nothing else in Vampire Weekend's catalog—or in rock history—that quite matches "Connect". And yet that spirit of restless invention carries through the whole record: sudden drum fills, abrupt swerves, warm textures one moment, strange surprises the next. Just listen to the last-minute brass that erupts in "Prep-School Gangsters", or the way an Afro-rock guitar riff gets swallowed by eerie synth washes in "Pravda". And then there’s "Hope". Eight stunning minutes, built on a deceptively simple piano line and Koenig’s aching, majestic vocals. The song slowly builds, tension rising until it finally explodes in a storm of horns and strings. It’s the album closer, and as such, it is obviously a farewell—maybe to a lover, maybe to New York itself, whose sounds and spirit haunt every corner of this record. Either way, it’s devastatingly beautiful. Forget the hype, past or present. With *Only God Was Above Us*, Vampire Weekend have finally delivered the density and all-encompassing emotional weight that had always seemed just out of their reach. “Each generation makes its own apology,” Koenig reminds us on "Gen-X Cops". Apology accepted, Ezra. Let us humbly offer ours as well. This text is a translation of the review I have written last year for the French music website Mowno. https://www.mowno.com/disques/vampire-weekend-only-god-was-above-us/ We now have an English version gathering some of the pieces written in the original French version of the website, by the way. https://www.mowno.com/en/ --- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ----- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 49 (including this one) Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 62 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 114 --- Hey, Émile. J'ai enfin trouvé le temps de répondre ! Regarde sous la review de *Young, Loud And Snotty* des Dead Boys !

In my review for the other Vampire Weekend album, I said I'd rather submit this one over Contra. At the time this album wasn't submitted and someone listened. This is my favourite Vampire Weekend album and got me into the band. Not much to say beyond I love it and it completely works for me. My personal rating: 5/5 My rating relative to the list: 5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes. Pick this over the other one.

Only God Was Above Us came as a surprise to me. I completely forgot Vampire Weekend after their first two good albums. I still have to listen to album three and four, but this album is a fabulous comeback. Musically the variation in genres and styles is immense. It's a collection of great songwriting and the tunes are very catchy. For example "Classical" immediately makes you hum along.

This is a pretty tough review for me. I actually really like Vampire Weekend's stuff - but hadn't heard this before the recommendation. I'm not 100% sure that there's anything particularly new to it that they hadn't done in previous albums. That being said - it's a canny album, unobjectionable, apart from the somewhat janky-sounding production, which somehow manages to get some things to be crisp as an autumn leaf, but leaves other things (particularly the hi-hats) to be as muddy as a fenland field in March. The de-tuned piano HAS to be deliberate. There's no way it could sound so off without it being on purpose. There's also a surprising amount of synth in this for Vampire Weekend - so maybe that is the "something new"? Saying this - needing to put something in for a review had me re-listening to it. And I think this might well be something that rewards an active listen, because there's a lot more in it than the original jangliness might first indicate. Maybe I'll spend a bit more time with it.

Not first listen-- in fact, I've heard all of em Vampire Weekendses. I started in chronological order, listening to their self-titled & Contra last year, but then skipped ahead to this one after the (exclusively online) buzz became too loud to ignore. I thought it made a strong impression, but then again I Shazamed a song in a restaurant this year, thinking it was really cool, and it was "Mary Boone" from this album. *Googles 'can 29-year-olds get dementia'* In my defence, my first listen was like at 4am. Also from my listening history, it MAY have been overshadowed by Imaginal Disk that week. But it's a good example of Vampire Weekend pushing their sound about as far as it will go while still sounding like themselves. As surprising as the overall noise level was, those soweto-style guitar licks are still there in "Classical" and "Pravda"*. Somehow these twee bastards put more vitriol in "Gen X Cops" then I've heard from a lot of American "political" tunes I thought "Hope" was a little repetitive and lackluster the first time, for an album closer, but it keeps sounding better and better. The album cover evokes the unique production. It's a bit gross and unsettling until you see the whimsy of some dude walking on the walls. I have a feeling this is something I'm going to keep coming back to, so I'm feeling generous with the star rating.** *Vampire Weekend was one of my "new" favourite acts last year. Though after finding some thinkpiece about their lifting of certain Afropop tropes, I happened to find another of my favourite listens, The Indestructible Beat of Soweto (1985). Never hurts to know where your favourite artists steal from (see also: Paul Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo from the original list) **I may be a bit reticent with the 5-star albums this year. After all, including this one, only 4 of the top-rated albums were ones I had never heard before, and I was basically indoctrinated from an early age to like one of those four (Fully Completely 🇨🇦). Expect a couple edits for the 5iest of my 4-stars... HL: "Classical", "Connect", "The Surfer", "Gen X Cops", "Mary Boone", "Hope"

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Capricorn, Classical, Connect, Hope

Good, easy listening. Nice story telling

Nice to know these boys are still out there making music, I guess. Not sure it hits as much as their older stuff.

Vampire Weekend is a neat idea on paper but is always just indie rock that plays and I listen in execution

I think Vampire Weekend is pretty good, but they get a little cutesy for me. This album is no exception. 3 stars.

Interesting listen and I kind of liked the stringed instruments… Not sure this is a total hit with me but I can see why someone might nominate it.

Another vampire weekend album, I love the band and this is a good album,I listened to it a lot last year but into as much this year, but I’m still picking vampires in the city or their debut over this one. So just the 3 stars from me for this specific album.

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Vampire weekend really can’t make bad music. Their newest album isn’t my favorite of theirs but I do prefer this over Contra. Oddly enough those are the only two albums on this list. So slight edge for this one over contra. It’s succinct but the instrumentals are splendid in this album. Not as care free as their older stuff but that’s typical with age. 7.6/10

Nice enough

I've mostly given up on keeping up with these user picks, not because they're bad but because Sisyphus' never-ending task was a punishment endured in Hell and I want to choose my boulders wisely. But I'm chiming in today to say: what? I like Vampire Weekend, Contra was on this user list and that's a 5-star for me. This album came out *last year* and it just doesn't come close to the heft of, frankly, any other VW album. Not a bad album by any means, but must listen before you die? 3.5/5

I enjoy this record and while Vampire Weekend isn’t really a band I seek out very often whenever I do listen to them I enjoy them. Having said that this is another for my I would love to know the person chose this for a 1000 record. What moved it from just being a really good record to a 1000 must hear before you die.

Uhh didn't even see they released a new album. Damn, it's as uneventful as the others. 2 Oh wait, gen x cops Na, false alarm

Only God Was Above Us does absolutely nothing for me. It's very very dull. 2.

Somehow better than their debut but also less memorable

I mean, it's alright? Just kinda inoffensively bland in a way. Some decent guitar and a fun moment here or there, but Koenig has clearly run out of Ivy League experiences to write quirky, worthwhile indie songs about. The lyricism and instrumentation on VW's LPs have consistently sagged further into almost balmy dad rock territory, and this doesn't really suggest a change in that trajectory.