FOTB is easily their best but idk how it's more straightforward than MVOTC, which is their second best
There is a ton of experimentation on MVOTC. Definitely a weirder album than FOTB. They p much dropped all the chamber pop vibes and vocal effects after Rostam left
experimentation yes. songwriting structure and, like, just the stuff they’re playing on guitar and bass, not really
The highs of FOTB are undeniable and I love probably half that record to death but it feels like a different band and one that hits as such. Hard to rank above Contra which is like 30 straight minutes of non-miss electricity that aligns so much more with what I look for musically on any given day
those little crazy fast-picked moments on the second verse of “giving up the gun” immediately jump to mind as something we won’t get from them anymore but who knows guess I just miss Rostam like the rest of us
FOTB MOVTC VW Contra love them all though. really want to see them live again, the FOTB tour was wild
as I’ve grown older I’ve realized my issue with jam bands stands on no real ground so I’ve tried to lighten up and not be such a dick, but vampire weekend to me was always a pinnacle of succinctness and trimmed fat structure-wise, so I definitely have recoiled somewhat at their newfound exploratory nature. Maybe that’s on me to change lol
Contra is my favorite by a mile but I love them all. FOTB took me a little while to come around to, but excited for whatever’s next.
I think they’re all close to equally good. I love Rostam, both his solo stuff and the flourishes he brought to the first three albums, but I really don't miss him on FOTB as much as I expected. Contra FOTB VW MVOTC
definitely feels like a different band without rostam. and i like rostam’s solo stuff a lot. just like this VW without a bit more than when he was in the band