Only God was above us

Vampire weekend

Only God was above us

Columbia

April 05, 2024
Web Exclusive

By Mariel Fechik

A day before its release Vampire Weekend's self-titled debut album in January 2008, Nitsuh Abebe of Pitchfork he called it “Already one of the most talked about and divisive records of the year.” 2008 seems like relatively ancient history in the timeline of indie rock (and general music consumption culture), and from the vantage point of 2024, there's something charmingly funny about a group of recent Columbia grads unleashing their exuberant jumble of baroque tunes. Afropop, and a subtly warped fantasy of New England wealth in the wake of the Great Depression and living to tell the tale.

But at the time (when the balance of cultural capital still favored music bloggers), the band had to fend off incessant jabs from self-conscious hipsters and middle-aged defenders of Paul Simon's apparent claim to African hand drums. Miraculously, the smart, quirky and undeniably talented band managed to establish themselves as indie rock royalty within the year. Over the years and albums since, they've broadened their palette of textures and influences—but even when they moved from relatively sparse instrumentation to the richer, more experimental soundscapes produced by former bandmate Rostam Batmanglij, they never sounded otherwise or fell victim to the streaming age's demands for more mainstream-sounding hits.

After 2019 Father of the Bridea dense, jam-packed band-adjacent solo effort from frontman Ezra Koenig following Batmanglij's departure from the band in 2016, Only God was above us it feels in many ways like a homecoming. Only God is in new york what Vampire weekend it was on Cape Cod, and it's classic Vampire Weekend: smart, darkly funny, brooding, exuberant. Lyrically, Koenig has always mined the richest narratives from ephemera, creating collages of curious detail, expert cultural references, and wise observations about people and the world.

Only God was above us takes its title from a 1988 headline in the New York Daily News about an Aloha Airlines flight whose roof was torn off mid-flight—the paper appears to flash its bold headline as a warning on its surreal cover image album, taken by New York photographer Steven Siegel as part of his 1980s Subway Dream series. The band seems to have taken its cue from Siegel's strange, almost post-apocalyptic vision of late 20th century New York. Only God was above us it's rougher and more confusing than they've ever been heard.

Koenig digs into dark New York art histories and strange titles, singing of violent dreams, war, existentialism and wasted time. “Fuck the world,” he wails on the front line of the near-noisy album opener “Ice Cream Piano.” But despite this apparent turn toward cynicism, a nearly 40-year-old Koenig sings with the same honeyed tone and gleeful abandon as his 24-year-old self bellows over the pounding bass of “A-Punk.”

On Only God was above us, The melodies are weirder, the production crisper. There are saxophones and guitar lines that don't fit well in a big chord, harsh drum sounds and loose, dirty bass. But there are also sweet harpsichord interludes, charming classical piano patterns and incredibly danceable rhythms. They offer clever interjections of their own musical past that land like delightful Easter eggs for longtime fans: on album highlight “Connect,” Chris Tomson recycles a frantic drum sync from their first single “Mansard Roof.” The angular opening guitar melody on “Classical” is like a funhouse mirror reflecting the chamber strings on “M79”. Batmanglij even contributed to the record and his presence is strongly felt in many moments of production that feels like a natural progression from 2013 The modern vampires of the city.

It's both an ambitious record and one that will sound right at home to anyone who still associates Oxford parties with the band. It's likely to bring in a new generation of fans, as well as draw some who have strayed back into their orbit. There's something oddly comforting about a band that can create something so fresh in its second decade of life and that can also, after all these years, still make a sound on an upward grand scale so stylish. (www.vampireweekend.com)

Author Rating: 9/10