Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride

after much deliberation, i've decided i like 'rich man'. that is all.

you get the sense the band is just relieved to have run the gauntlet of their existential doubts and come out relatively unscathed, grateful to be here.

This is a.... weird take on an album that has "Harmony Hall" on it

― Guayaquil (eephus!), Sunday, May 12, 2019 8:07 AM (three hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah but all the existential dread is so artfully woven in with the whole headbands and tevas lolz that i think this really is what a lot of people get out of it, and want out of it, sighing about how the world -- or, a world, certainly not everyone's world -- is fucked, over an iced white wine. they really do foreground the easy-breezy aspect of their lives both in their art and its accoutrements, so for people to have that as their prime source of enjoyment for VW doesn't seem very surprising

Or maybe the way it's layered is what people respond to. Not just that it's breezy but there's also a darker undertow. (Speaking of Fleetwood Mac...)

curious if scottpgwp has come around to this yet. i felt bad for him and his gf reading that post upthread lol. i love nearly all of the album now. no idea if it’s their worst (maybe bottom 2 would be this and contra?) it has their worst songs, but also many of their best, and i love the way ezras songwriting has matured, anyways i can’t even remotely rank their albums just love them all so much

― flopson, Saturday, May 11, 2019 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

The whittled down version I made — 11 songs — I quite like. It still ranks below the other three imo but I enjoy it. I did an experiment and put on just the 7 songs I’d deleted and was like YEAH NOPE.

My Mistake and Spring Snow, neither of which are bad songs in isolation, both break up the flow of the and I can't tell where better it would be to put them on the record to make it work.

dang i think Spring Snow is a tier 1 track on the album. and for me a nice resolve before the send off of JNYB

I didn’t know M. Ronson was on this track.
https://youtu.be/FwkrrU2WYKg

I think he has a co-write for the bass line on that.

Oh ok thanks !
That video is nice. So LA.

Ezra was on the Broken Record podcast this week talking about making the new record. I enjoyed it.

loved that, thanks for posting. as a lifelong chromeo stan it’s fun to hear that dave had such an active role on the album

Kinda hilarious that the guy from Chromeo was the one forcing Ezra to write better lyrics.

totally lmao

listened to that pod made me appreciate ‘married in a gold rush’

that was a really good interview

It is! But he values "Married in a Gold Rush" rather too highly

Aw I like that song. Catchiest chorus on the record, except maybe JNYB.

This albums has only gotten better for me on repeat listenings

It is! But he values "Married in a Gold Rush" rather too highly

― recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, May 24, 2019 3:12 AM (thirteen hours ago)

And you view your opinions as facts.

Alfred rated FOTB like ten slots below an album by Reba McEntire in his albums of the year list

OK?

and what's your point, sailor?

1Alfred rated FOTB like ten slots below an album by Reba McEntire in his albums of the year list

― flopson, Friday, May 24, 2019

good heavens

besides making clear that the list wasn't ranked, what's wrong with a Reba album being superior -- especially when Koenig probably enjoys Reba alums too?

i don't think this album works as an album at all, makes for a really frustrating listen every time even though i love a few of the songs

i don't want to make a direct comparison between the two but the national record threw this impression into relief

i love a lot of it and it's still kinda frustrating how messy the sequencing is

yeah it's a very jumpy experience it's true tho idk how much of it is a sequencing problem and how much of it is a "putting some not great songs on the album" problem

Honestly, I think it hangs together pretty well if you just omit “My Mistake”

this is a nice springtime record i will say

The tracks that have lead features are the worst. I assume the lack of rostam generated insecurities.

Ezra = still beautiful though, despite reef sandals

Sympathy is the only one I skip. I love My mistake (esp the trumpet part).
Yes, the sequencing is a bit weird, esp the opening, but I don’t really listen to albums in sequence so who cares

just teasing, Alfred

and what's your point, sailor?

― recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, May 24, 2019 9:59 PM (two days ago)

it's annoying and you should stop

No more than anyone else. If you're unsure about your opinions, then it's your problem.

What a bizarre thing to complain about on a message board.

I like this album a lot and still listen to it regularly but somehow, the main effect this whole release campaign has had on me is making me rediscover... Dylan's "Jokerman" (and the accompanying album) !

I was surprised to hear Ariel Rechtshaid refer to Ya Hey as a reggae song. It doesn't feel reggae at all to me. Am I mad?

hum. It is a little, yeah. The bassline/rhythm.
Even Ezra's delivery, actually !

And the namedrop 'Israelites'

yes, of course !

Basically, if you just throw in the typical reggae guitar rhythmic lick, you get a reggae song.

(And the shaker plays that guitar rhythm)

Actually « Gold Rush » is a reggae too !

What a bizarre thing to complain about on a message board.

― recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 27 May 2019 12:49 (five hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Basically, if you just throw in the typical reggae guitar rhythmic lick, you get a reggae song.

― AlXTC from Paris, Monday, May 27, 2019 3:29 PM (two days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I can imagine that "chick-eh" guitar part but without it I just feel it as four on the floor, references to Babylon and "The Israelites" notwithstanding.

Oh I agree. Before that mention upthread I had never thought of that song as a reggae song.
But now, with that in mind, I can't hear it another way !
If you consider the shaker's rhythm, the drums that has a reggae groove, not a disco type 4 on the floor, the use of the reverb and most importantly, the syncopated bass line on the verses and Ezra's delivery and pronounciation (+ the lexical field :zion, babylon, israelites...), it's clear !
Actually, it's a pretty amazing production/arrangements to make a reggae song that no-one will notice...

maybe i'd find the groove on "ya hey" less awkward if they'd committed to the reggae thing on it more strongly, i can hear what they were going for now but it doesn't quite get there for me

Finally listened to this last night and it was nice but sorta breezed by without catching my attention much. Last track is great.