Vamp Weekend

Dogs In A Pile, Beyonce, Josh Ritter, and Vampire Weekend

You drive like you're wanted in four states
In a busted truck in Opelika
Your bad reputation carries, and I'm just like ya

—Waxahatchee, 3 Sisters

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Kody is still on a Waxahatchee bender so she’s featured again this week, providing our intro lyrics from her new album, Tigers Blood. We hope our Bama friends appreciate the Opelika (WDE) reference. Speaking of new albums, Vampire Weekend has a new one out. Our Bonus Track guest introduces you to VW and “Only God Was Above Us.”

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Ugly Song by Dogs In A Pile (Adam)

“You know you're kind of ugly but I love you still”

As I sit here writing this, I am currently mourning an embarrassing loss by my beloved New Orleans Pelicans. At the beginning of each season, I am extremely elated for the opportunity of success in the NBA and at the end of every season I feel let down, but still hopeful. The lyrics of "Ugly Song" by Dogs In A Pile resonate deeply with me due to these feelings. Even when things go bad I love this team still.

The Dogs hail from the home of Bruce Springsteen and the infamous Stone Pony venue. Mistaken for a Grateful Dead cover band (hence their name), their music is electric and I have hopes to see them live soon. If you haven't had the pleasure of listening to them yet, I highly recommend giving them a try. Their talent is unmatched at times and their tunes are just downright catchy.

Hold Up by Beyonce (Mat)

I have Beyonce on my mind these days because she gave a shoutout to her dad’s hometown of Gadsden, AL on her latest record. As a proud resident of the City of Champions, I am celebrating our big mention!

I chose this particular song for this week, however, because it was written by Ezra Koenig. Can’t you feel the Vampire Weekend vibes coming off this tune? Enjoy!

A Certain Light by Josh Ritter (Kody)

It’s been winter for awhile
The north wind’s wail cut like a baby child’s
It was hard to think her smile could bring springtime

But it did, now it is
The green, green grass has grown up green and it’s
Feeling just the way it did the very first time

I love how Josh uses the transition from winter to spring as a picture of feeling happy “for the first time in a long time.” Masterclass songwriting right here. I’m personally rejoicing that spring is here! The KC winter wind’s wail cut like a baby child’s, but the green, green grass has grown up green and it’s feeling just the way it did the very first time.

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Bonus Track: Hear Me Out, Vampire Weekend by Brandon Alley

Hear me out. Vampire Weekend. Usually, when I suggest Vampire Weekend to a friend, the immediate reaction is a double take or a smile that means “yeah, right.” Visions of teenage boys singing about the love they found and lost flash to the front of their minds and they wonder why I am selling them on, what they assume to be, just another boy band. After all, with a name like Vampire Weekend, what else would you expect? 

Then, after listening to a couple of songs, these visions shift. What they hear instead is an indie rock mix that makes you want to both roll the windows down in your car and get up to dance. Yes, they are still a boy band, but preconceived notions of what their music will talk about and how it will sound should be abandoned. Instead, Ezra Koenig (singer-songwriter for the band) writes music that feels like an invitation to the questions he is asking himself about life. Koenig’s stories that he tells through his albums feel almost like the pilgrimage of a man trying to understand himself, the world around him, and how those two things relate. The music becomes so relatable because everyone wants to know the answer. Who isn’t struggling with how to make sense of a chaotic world? Koenig then comes to the somber conclusion that you deal with what has been given to you. So try your best. Keep your head up. Take your time. 

Vampire Weekend just released their fifth studio album, titled Only God Was Above Us. With stories of a harsh world, you can hear in the album Koenig’s struggle with not knowing what to do with the cards that he has been dealt. Part of the human existence is wrestling with the world that we have received from previous generations. Only God Was Above Us is less of a solution than it is giving a voice to the helplessness that he often feels. Songs that have been on repeat for me this last month have been Capricorn, Ice Cream Piano, Gen X Cops, and Classical. If you want to experience some of their older music, check out This Life, Diane Young, and Unbelievers. These songs will deal with everything from unbelief to heartbreak to living life out of control. So, hear me out. Vampire Weekend. 

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Brandon Alley is from the great state of Oklahoma. He’s currently a grad school student living in Kansas City. The first album he remembers listening to was Divide by Ed Sheeran. He is going to a concert (Hot Mulligan!) the day his last assignments for the semester are due, so that lets you know where his priorities lie. Other Albums on repeat for Brandon include: Absolutely by Dijon, Sour by Olivia Rodrigo, and Indiana by Briston Maroney. 

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Have a Vamp Weekend, swappers!

—TheMusicSwap