Ready to enjoy a Vampire weekend — even if new album underwhelms

It was a strange feeling, something completely unfamiliar. I was listening to Vampire Weekend's latest album, "Only God Was Above Us," and found it … underwhelming. This is rare. Over the last 15 years, I've thoroughly enjoyed most of Vampire Weekend's work. Their music to me has always been pleasant, enjoyable, but with a suitable rough edge. This is reflected in their melodies and in their lyrics, which can be deep and thoughtful, but also comical and ridiculous. I first became aware of Vampire Weekend in 2008, when my brother presented the members of his wedding party with a mix CD. One of the tracks was Vampire Weekend's "M79," a bouncy and joyous four-minute musical exercise. "No excuse to be so callous," sang lead singer Ezra Koenig. "Dress yourself in bleeding madras. Charm your way across the Khyber Pass." I had no idea what any of that meant — Wikipedia wasn't quite as readily available on my phone in 2008 — but the song never failed to up my mood. The band continued to be a part of my musical experience. In 2015, the band put out its album "Modern Vampires of the City." A woman I knew sent me a message. "If you don't love this album," she said, "we can't be friends." I bought the album, listened to it, and loved it. The woman and I remain friends. Even some nine years after its release, I find myself going back to that album; it probably is my favorite record of the 2010s, with sweet melodic endeavors like "Obvious Bicycle," haunting tracks like "Hudson," and perhaps my favorite Vampire Weekend song, the upbeat "Unbelievers." In 2019, the band scored again with the album "Father of the Bride," and the wonderful "Harmony Hall." The song not only contains a lovely, hopeful melody, but lyrics that became all the more suitable about a year later. "I don't want to live like this," Koenig sings. "But I don't want to die." That lyric came back to me — repeatedly — during the COVID-19 pandemic that hit in 2020. Sometimes, it helped me through some challenging days. I will always be grateful to the band for that. In the summer of 2019, I went to see Vampire Weekend in Cleveland. It was a fantastic show, highlighted by live performances of "M79" and a cover of Crowded House's 1980s hit "Don't Dream it's Over." The show felt like a party, a celebration of fun music from a fun band. The group even had a period where they asked the crowd what songs they wanted to hear, and played a verse for the adoring audience. I felt so much that night, so much joy and connection with the band's music. Which may explain why this new record distresses me so much. It's not that the album is bad, it's just that it hasn't grabbed me the way Vampire Weekend songs and albums usually do. Maybe I just haven't listened to it enough? "Only God Was Above Us" has gotten great reviews, as VW's albums usually do. The Guardian music columnist Kitty Empire called the record "musically adventurous," giving it four stars out of five. Maybe that's it. Maybe I was simply expecting one thing and got another. Well, I'll keep listening. Vampire Weekend has always been good to me. Baker is sports editor at The Courier.