Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires Of The City: All 12 Tracks Reviewed & Analysed

3. Step

Harpsichord takes this track over - Ezra's best attempt at rapping occurs on a lilting, emotional upright bassline. With quotable lyrics like "She's richer than Croesus" and "girl was in Berkeley with her communist reader," there's a lot of nostalgic matter throughout, although there's no way there's any sliver of memory of any of this happening for the listener. You're pulled into the story - a seemingly light, impressionable story about a girl - something most people can get behind. The most quoted lyric of this entire song nearly sums up many moments of the album - "Wisdom's a gift, but you'd trade it for youth" but the more impactful lyric of the bridge section is "We know the true death / The true way of all flesh / Everyone's dying, but girl / You're not old yet." The track pulls all instruments back and allows a distant piano to take the song on home.

rating: 5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mDxcDjg9P4

4. Diane Young

Because 'Dying Young' is a scary title, 'Diane Young' explodes and renders the entire first three songs' light, floaty side and flips it with heavy, loud guitars punching through lyrics 'Out of control / but you're playing a role.' Voice effects on the first chorus might plague this for some, but the track uses this to not literally echo Buddy Holly and to seem somewhat different, rather than just writing another 'A-Punk.' 'Diane Young' is incendiary - and choosing this as the lead single was the perfect way to trick people into thinking their third album was going to be anything like the previous albums. Other than the outro 'Young Lion,' this is the shortest song on the album, which is a head-scratcher, considering its insane catchiness for being so short.

rating:4.5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG6lTQNW04I&feature=c4-overview&list=UUUGzhBmck61sa3eGxp9xI8A