Friday, 10 May 2013

Review: Vampire Weekend - Ya Hey

(Originally published on DIY)
Despite sounding like an homage to a certain Outkast song, the latest single to be released from upcoming album Modern Vampires of the City is actually a documentation of Ezra Koenig’s growing disdain for god.  
Ya Hey may sound like nonsensical sentiment, but in fact it’s a reference to Yahweh, the national god of the Iron Age kingdoms of Isreal and Judah. Yes, really. “I can’t help but feel that you see the mistakes, but you let it go” sings Ezra, who lists the nonbelievers as the faithless and the zealous hearts.
If Ya Hey is any kind of sampler for the new album, it seems Koenig and co have replaced the tales of college campuses, taxi cabs and traditional rice drinks for more sombre and serious themes. Ezra’s said in interviews that Modern Vampires of the City is the final instalment in the Vampire Weekend trilogy, but if the album continues down the path that Ya Hey, Diane Young and Step have paved, it looks like it might not be a very happy ending.
The song is accompanied by a video of various monks and members of the band spraying champagne off of a rooftop in New York (of course) which you can watch below.

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