Modern Vampires & Musings
Admittedly, I am a bit late to the game that is Modern Vampires of the City, the third album from Vampire Weekend. The fault is all my own; Vampire Weekend is one of my all-time favorite bands... I hold their first two albums close to heart. They were soundtracks to different periods of my undergrad days and one of my first real fan forays in to the indie-rock world. Their lush instrumental tracks, best described as chamber pop, and Ezra Koenig's unusual yet impressive vocals captured my imagination. The romance of the band was compounded by their classical musicianship along with a perceived Ivy league image; I believe it's safe to say my infatuation with Ivy and prep wear began with these four Columbia alumni.
My deep sentimental attachment and infatuation with the band's first album made me nervous for their second.... would it measure up? Despite my fears, I jumped at the chance to listen to Contra as soon as I could; it did not disappoint. It easily built off the first album but was obviously a product of passing time, syncing perfectly with my own life fluxes.
With all of this in mind, as build up for a third album began, I was skeptical.... Could they do it again for me?
Of course.
As I find myself a post grad, holding down two jobs with a major move and grad school ahead (but with lots of student debt looming), I've been musing quite a bit on life in general and looking around in a way I haven't before.
Ezra Koenig summed up the band's 3 albums (and my last 6 years) with this thought: "The naïve joyous school days in the beginning. Then the expansion of the world, travel, seeing other places, learning a little bit more about how people live. And then the end is a little bit of growing up, starting to think more seriously about your life and your faith. If people could look at our three albums as a bildungsroman, I’d be O.K. with that."
It's nearly impossible to mention Vampire Weekend, especially now, and not bring up the the band's style sense. As Koenig openly expressed to Amos Barshad at GQ this April, the band is first and foremost about their music and the messages behind their lyrics and artistry, but "I mean, I'm always happy to engage in a dialogue about Polo shirts."
Koenig mused about the association of sweaters, a staple of Ivy league style, with the band: "I feel like sweaters will always be a part of our band. But maybe the moment for them to be at the forefront has passed, in a healthy way? And we can start focusing on other items?"
As I've been contemplating large, serious life topics as of late, the evolution of my own personal style has also taken up a small niche in my mind. Koenig's comment seemed to offer me a vessel for moving forward. Clothing is such an intimate, daily part of life--why is it that certain pieces seem to stick around forever in your wardrobe, while others that seemed so infatuating and irresistible in the moment you laid your eyes on them, are ready to be purged merely a year within being bought? I've found myself (finally) starting to become a bit choosier about the pieces I buy; I want pieces I will love and can enjoy wearing years from now.
I've found that I crave the same stability, in a sense, within my personal relationships: family, friends and intimate. That being said, it holds true that there will always be moments, whether brought on by the passing of a superficial infatuation or the making of a major decision, where as Koenig said "the moment for them to be at the forefront has passed, in a healthy way".
Whether it's finally cleaning out my closet or making wiser decisions about the people I spend my time with, all that can be done is the acceptance that change can be incredibly healthy.
That of course doesn't discount the love felt for an object or a relationship in the past, but much like a favorite album from a favorite band, will always readily bring to mind a chapter in my ever-evolving life story.
My future is unknown to me; will I like it as much as I liked previous chapters?
Will I like whatever album Vampire Weekend puts out next?
Time will tell.
My deep sentimental attachment and infatuation with the band's first album made me nervous for their second.... would it measure up? Despite my fears, I jumped at the chance to listen to Contra as soon as I could; it did not disappoint. It easily built off the first album but was obviously a product of passing time, syncing perfectly with my own life fluxes.
 |
| Photo credit: GQ |
With all of this in mind, as build up for a third album began, I was skeptical.... Could they do it again for me?
Of course.
As I find myself a post grad, holding down two jobs with a major move and grad school ahead (but with lots of student debt looming), I've been musing quite a bit on life in general and looking around in a way I haven't before.
Ezra Koenig summed up the band's 3 albums (and my last 6 years) with this thought: "The naïve joyous school days in the beginning. Then the expansion of the world, travel, seeing other places, learning a little bit more about how people live. And then the end is a little bit of growing up, starting to think more seriously about your life and your faith. If people could look at our three albums as a bildungsroman, I’d be O.K. with that."
It's nearly impossible to mention Vampire Weekend, especially now, and not bring up the the band's style sense. As Koenig openly expressed to Amos Barshad at GQ this April, the band is first and foremost about their music and the messages behind their lyrics and artistry, but "I mean, I'm always happy to engage in a dialogue about Polo shirts."
 |
| Photo credit: MTV |
As I've been contemplating large, serious life topics as of late, the evolution of my own personal style has also taken up a small niche in my mind. Koenig's comment seemed to offer me a vessel for moving forward. Clothing is such an intimate, daily part of life--why is it that certain pieces seem to stick around forever in your wardrobe, while others that seemed so infatuating and irresistible in the moment you laid your eyes on them, are ready to be purged merely a year within being bought? I've found myself (finally) starting to become a bit choosier about the pieces I buy; I want pieces I will love and can enjoy wearing years from now.
I've found that I crave the same stability, in a sense, within my personal relationships: family, friends and intimate. That being said, it holds true that there will always be moments, whether brought on by the passing of a superficial infatuation or the making of a major decision, where as Koenig said "the moment for them to be at the forefront has passed, in a healthy way".
Whether it's finally cleaning out my closet or making wiser decisions about the people I spend my time with, all that can be done is the acceptance that change can be incredibly healthy.
That of course doesn't discount the love felt for an object or a relationship in the past, but much like a favorite album from a favorite band, will always readily bring to mind a chapter in my ever-evolving life story.
My future is unknown to me; will I like it as much as I liked previous chapters?
Will I like whatever album Vampire Weekend puts out next?
Time will tell.
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