“Only God Was Above Us” is the highly anticipated fifth album of American rock band Vampire Weekend. This album marks the mastery of the band’s distinct indie rock sound. Due to this distinct sound, the album feels so uniform. So much so that it often seems as if listening to only one song for the entire 47-minute runtime.
While each song is far from boring, employing catchy melodies, clever lyrics and overwhelming instrumentals, they lack individual identity. The album as a whole feels rather homogenous. This record lacks something critical — a distinctly interesting song, the kind that has you thinking about it days later.
A Love Letter?
This album is written like a letter for one person. With frequent uses of “you” and “your,” it is easy to tell that this album is directed at someone in specific. How the band feels about this person is somewhat harder to tell.
In “Ice Cream Piano,” a song as chaotic and nonsensical as the title itself, you’ll find the lyrics, “Cynical, you can’t deny it/ You don’t want to win this war, ‘cause you don’t want the peace.” These lyrics paint the picture of a very complicated and mutually destructive relationship.
However, in “Mary Boone,” the lyrics, “Well, I hope you feel like loving someone soon,” and “You’re the author of everything,” show a very contrasting relationship, one of infatuation and adoration.
While these songs could very well be about different people, to me, it is much more likely that this album is a love letter to a turbulent and unpredictable relationship. The stark differences in tone between songs would normally give the listener whiplash, but it is done tactfully enough that you hardly notice it’s happening until after the album is over.
A Familiar Sound
Using lyrics with a melancholy undertone paired against upbeat and often overwhelming instrumentals, the album stays true to form and feels very “Vampire Weekend.” If the 10 songs that make up the album were to be split up and placed on previous albums, I am sure that no one would notice. The album sounds very familiar. It lacks distinction from the bands’ previous works. This record begs the question: When will Vampire Weekend try something new?
All things considered, “Only God Was Above Us” is a very well-constructed album. The soulful lyrics and creative storytelling make this album an interesting listen. The familiar indie rock sound is very similar to “Bleachers” or early “MGMT.” Fans of these groups should definitely check this album out. Fans who loved the first four albums will be eager to learn that the Vampire Weekend they have come to know is not going anywhere, not anytime soon at least.
However, the release of this album does make me wonder, how many more of these albums can the band put out before fans want something more? Overall, the album had a great vibe with several standout songs. The songs were moving and there is something to be learned from each one, even if that lesson is soon forgotten.
