ADM Chart topper

Modern Vampires Of The City

Vampire Weekend

Modern Vampires Of The City

Third album of indie pop / rock from the New York four-piece produced by Ariel Rechtshaid (Charli XCX, Usher, Major Lazer)

ADM rating[?]

8.2

Label
XL
UK Release date
13/05/2013
US Release date
14/05/2013
  1. 10.0 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    Yet another giant leap forward for the band, sonically, musically and thematically
    Read Review

  2. 10.0 |   The Digital Fix

    It’s hard to shake the feeling that Vampire Weekend might just have produced a real contender for modern greatness
    Read Review

  3. 10.0 |   A.V. Club

    As a capstone to what it’s done so far, Modern Vampires Of The City feels pretty perfect
    Read Review

  4. 9.3 |   Pitchfork

    You don't have to get obsessed to enjoy this music, but it's presented with such care that you can't help but want to learn about its deeper meanings
    Read Review

  5. 9.0 |   Slant Magazine

    Perhaps the best album in a year already thick with great material
    Read Review

  6. 9.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Modern Vampires of the City shows that if you’re still giving a fuck about a Vampire Weekend privilege narrative, you’re having the wrong conversation
    Read Review

  7. 9.0 |   No Ripcord

    This is a fully realized Vampire Weekend, one that has transcended their Graceland/Afro-Pop influences and criticisms into something entirely their own
    Read Review

  8. 9.0 |   Entertainment.ie

    An extravagant bounty of pop gifts, an album that restores our faith in the belief that pop music is capable of delivering surprises when we least expect it to
    Read Review

  9. 9.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    Immaculate, beautifully balanced and enthralling pop music
    Read Review

  10. 9.0 |   DIY

    Their most complete record. Full of heart and full of ideas, it’s big, clever and brilliantly odd
    Read Review

  11. 9.0 |   Clash

    Melodic gifts are here in abundance: but the palette used to explore them has been vastly enhanced, Ezra Koenig’s vocals rich, varied and, at times, transcendental
    Read Review

  12. 9.0 |   Rolling Stone

    Vampire Weekend have gotten better at just about everything they do. The grooves – always the thing that made the band's twee side work – are more self-assured
    Read Review

  13. 9.0 |   Uncut

    A more enjoyable pairing of words and music this year is hard to imagine
    Read Review

  14. 8.8 |   Billboard

    Vampire Weekend's most musically accomplished album to date
    Read Review

  15. 8.7 |   Paste Magazine

    It may not meet the high standards of Contra, but these new songs come pretty close, which is no small feat
    Read Review

  16. 8.5 |   Beats Per Minute

    Vampire Weekend have gone from puckish indie rockers to a fully formed indie rock institution
    Read Review

  17. 8.0 |   The Quietus

    Modern Vampires quite often touches brilliance, and does so without audibly straining for 'maturity' or pushing hard to be some po-faced Great American Album
    Read Review

  18. 8.0 |   Fact

    This album is as life-affirming a piece of music as anything else you’ll hear this year: there’s nothing more uplifting than a good band getting better
    Read Review

  19. 8.0 |   All Music

    Even if Koenig and company fear getting old, maturity suits them well
    Read Review

  20. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    Vampire Weekend have re-imagined themselves as the sort of band who could be doing this well into their 30s
    Read Review

  21. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    Those who have been gripped or at least mildly interested by the band’s progression over its first two LPs will find Modern Vampires of the City to be an expansive, illustrious work
    Read Review

  22. 8.0 |   Spin

    Their sound is thicker now, and moodier too, with streaks of gray in a palette that was once all neon and pastel
    Read Review

  23. 8.0 |   Evening Standard

    Shows a band getting more interesting as it grows up
    Read Review

  24. 8.0 |   Q

    Magical pop album about life and death. Print edition only

  25. 8.0 |   Mojo

    Gone are the tightly coiled high-life guitars and fleet-footed syncopations, supplanted by something more intuitive and inclusive. Print edition only

  26. 8.0 |   State

    This is not a maudlin record. It is not a saccharine ode to home or a cliché-ridden coming of age. It’s tight, but never claustrophobic
    Read Review

  27. 8.0 |   The Arts Desk

    Mixes louche, languid tracks with summery indie rock jams, all underpinned by the world music-inspired rhythms that have become the band’s trademark
    Read Review

  28. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    A lot of noughties alt-rock bands arrived with sound and image fully formed, then struggled to transcend it when the novelty wore off, but that's just what Modern Vampires of the City succeeds in doing
    Read Review

  29. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    What on earth is that sound? Oh, yeah – it’s gorgeous pop music, the likes of which just don’t seem to get made anymore
    Read Review

  30. 8.0 |   Independent on Sunday

    Their most cohesive and convincing effort yet
    Read Review

  31. 8.0 |   The Observer

    Their erudition, musical and lyrical, remains a pleasure, but what convinces on Modern Vampires are their beating hearts
    Read Review

  32. 7.8 |   Under The Radar

    Review 1: Unlike its predecessors, Modern Vampires of the City just doesn't have as much good music to justify its lofty ambitions (6.5/10). Review 2: Their best album to date, one that should not only maintain their level of popularity but elevate it (9/10)
    Read Review

  33. 7.5 |   The 405

    Previously written off as stomach-wrenchingly twee, they may be, but this latest instalment holds enough weight to be opinion-altering
    Read Review

  34. 7.0 |   FasterLouder

    When it hits the mark, Modern Vampires is an elegant record
    Read Review

  35. 7.0 |   The Fly

    Though ‘Modern Vampires Of The City’ is flawed repeat listens to this third act are rewarded
    Read Review

  36. 7.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Even as the band’s sound has evolved, the music remains immaculately crafted and distinctively its own
    Read Review

  37. 7.0 |   NME

    This is a gorgeous album, but sacrifices had to be made. They've undeniably lost something that made them special in the first place
    Read Review

  38. 6.0 |   The Independent

    Experimentation is generally to be applauded, but too often here it works to the detriment of the songs
    Read Review

  39. 6.0 |   Blurt

    The album starts to wear thin about halfway in and never really gets back the strength of those first few songs
    Read Review

  40. 5.0 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    As it stands, it’s just another Vampire Weekend album, except the songs are less catchy and more sterile this time around
    Read Review


blog comments powered by Disqus

Watch it

Roll over video for more options

Hear it

Preview & download it

Vampire Weekend: Modern Vampires Of The City

  • Download full album for just £8.49
  • 1. Obvious Bicycle £0.89
  • 2. Unbelievers £0.89
  • 3. Step £0.89
  • 4. Diane Young £0.89
  • 5. Don't Lie £0.89
  • 6. Hannah Hunt £0.89
  • 7. Everlasting Arms £0.89
  • 8. Finger Back £0.89
  • 9. Worship You £0.89
  • 10. Ya Hey £0.89
  • 11. Hudson £0.89
  • 12. Young Lion £0.89
  • Service provided by 7Digital

Latest Reviews

More reviews