Father of the Bride
| Vampire Weekend
Father of the Bride
Father of the Bride is the fourth studio album by American indie rock band Vampire Weekend. It was released on May 3, 2019 by Columbia Records, as their first album on a major label. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Pitchfork
Vampire Weekend return with a shaggy, sprawling double album all about rebirth, contentment, and the reclamation of light.
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Rolling Stone
The first album in six years from Ezra Koenig and Co. is rich ear candy loaded with helplessness and crisis.
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SPIN
Father of the Bride Is Relaxed and Free, If Not Quite Great.
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Slate
Vampire Weekend’s New Album Is Their Least Cool and Maybe Their Best.
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Vulture
Vampire Weekend Are at Their Best on Father of the Bride.
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NME
The first album in nearly six-years is a key reinvention for the indie stalwarts, with a looseness and funkiness that proves, thankfully, they've not overthought the comeback. It's just load of fun, you know?
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The Guardian
The band’s first album in six years is both a callback to their preppy roots and a mature evolution of melting pot pop.
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Get Alternative
The time that Vampire Weekend spent in between albums has allowed for them to grow and mature as musicians, which pays off on the excellent Father of the Bride.
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Consequence of Sound
Ezra Koenig and guests return with a mature record about love, lust, and loss.
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A.V. Club Music
Vampire Weekend brilliantly stretches its own definition on Father Of The Bride.
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The Ringer
Always more interested in life’s bigger questions than they’ve been given credit for, the band’s fourth studio album, ‘Father of the Bride,’ explores faith, age, and responsibility—before finding a shred of hope.
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Esquire
We Were Ready to Forget About Vampire Weekend. Until Father of the Bride.
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The New York Times
Vampire Weekend Wraps Breakdowns in Musical Smiles.
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The Atlantic
[Their] most sprawling album.
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NPR
'Father Of The Bride' Puts A Light Touch On Heavy Topics.
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Variety
On the band's first album in six years, Ezra Koenig delivers 18 tracks of often brilliant ideas with little concern for how palatable listeners might find them.
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Hotpress
Toothsome indie darlings shine on eclectic new LP.
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Stereogum
Father Of The Bride skillfully distills this chilled-out personal existence and humanity’s looming crises into a unified whole.
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Paste Magazine
A major disappointment for perhaps the most anticipated indie rock album in recent memory.
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The Review
“Father of the Bride” is a new Vampire Weekend, but one that has come into their own with age, changing for the better.
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WERS
VAMPIRE WEEKEND'S FOURTH ALBUM, FATHER OF THE BRIDE, PROVES ITSELF TO BE ONE OF THEIR MOST UNIQUE AND LYRICALLY COMPELLING ALBUMS.
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Irish Times
Too long for its own good.
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DIY Mag
Easy to laugh at, and all the more brave for it, ‘Father Of The Bride’ is a joyous, fearless listen.
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Forge Today
It’s a fine addition to the Vampire Weekend’s catalogue and feels like a promising beginning to an exciting new chapter for the band.
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Plugged In
A dense, complex album.
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The Dartmouth
“Things have never been stranger ... things are gonna stay strange,” Koenig sings on the track “Stranger.” I, for one, am here for this newfound strangeness.
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Duke Chronicle
Vampire Weekend makes a satisfying return with the sprawling ‘Father of the Bride’.
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Loud and Quiet
While the wider range of influences and increased biographical honesty may counter previous accusations of aloofness, that loss of ambiguity will also alienate others.
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The Young Folks
So with Father of the Bride, Vampire Weekend continue to make great art about happiness, depression, and everything in between.
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Independent
Father of the Bride pairs airy jaunts with obsessions over romantic doom and complacency, but arcs towards redemption and renewal.
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The Line of Best Fit
Ezra Koenig matures gracefully on new Vampire Weekend LP Father Of The Bride.
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The 405
On Father of the Bride, Vampire Weekend make a thought-provoking, bold, and mostly successful attempt at expanding their creative universe.
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Pop Matters
For a record of this ambition, Koenig and his bandmates succeed far more than they fail, and even their slip-ups somehow end up deepening Father of the Bride's diverse sonic character.
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The National Student
Vampire Weekend uphold their witty charm with Father of The Bride by not overthinking or overcomplicating their return.
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Spill Magazine
It is a fantastic release from one of the most interesting and talented bands currently making music.
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New York Post
While it’s not quite at the super-size level of Drake‘s 25-track “Scorpion” blockbuster last summer, VW’s fourth LP — whose title indeed nods to the 1991 Steve Martin comedy — is an ambitious effort that may take a while before it fully sinks its teeth into you.
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The Royal Page
On their first album in six years, the prepsters hang up their polo shirts and croquet sticks in favor of refinement and maturity.
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The Wall Street Journal
The indie group returns after a six-year hiatus with a lengthy album worth the wait.
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The Current
While the album attempts to push the boundaries of Koenig's writing, there are many moments that are quintessentially Vampire Weekend and will transport you back to their debut album.
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All Music
Father of the Bride finds Vampire Weekend embracing change and delivering some of their most mature and satisfying music in the process.
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The Depauw
‘Father of the Bride’ is like a Hawaiian pizza: ham, pineapple, cheese and tomato seem like an overwhelming combination – and they are – but that doesn’t mean I don’t love it.
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Uproxx
Vampire Weekend Ages Gracefully Into Grown-Up Greatness On ‘Father Of The Bride’.
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Albumism
Vampire Weekend’s Overstuffed ‘Father of the Bride’ Falls Short of Its Hype-Fueled Expectations.
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The Daily Bruin
Father of the Bride’ is mostly lovely, but feels far too lengthy.
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Reading Eagle
Vampire Weekend is back after six years with “Father of the Bride,” a multi-layered album both musically and lyrically that washes over the listener like a ray of spring sunshine at the end of a long winter of no new music.
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The Skinny
A giddy, sprawling fourth record, Father of the Bride heralds the dawn of a new era for Vampire Weekend.
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Exepose
An immensely compelling listen.
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Brooklyn Vegan
Vampire Weekend’s ‘Father of the Bride’ is a graceful comeback.
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Clash Music
For some Vampire Weekend will remain infuriatingly anti-rock 'n' roll, but if 'Father of the Bride' is anything to go on, they don't give a good goddamn. Welcome back, boys.
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The Washington Post
To listen to Vampire Weekend in 2019 is to behold the softest ripple of the great American rock-and-roll splash as it moves outward toward nothing — the Target logo vanishing into liquid stillness.
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Music OMH
If you’re willing to invest the time, there’s plenty to enjoy in Father Of The Bride.
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Vice
Vampire Weekend's New Album Is All Over the Place, In the Best Way.
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Soundblab
As a whole Father of the Bride had big shoes to fill after their career-defining third album, and it misses its mark more than it should. Still, it’s a competent album.
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GQ
Vampire Weekend Successfully Reinvented Who They Are.
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The Cavalier Daily
Vampire Weekend’s latest album is experimental and messy, with fits of excellence.
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The Edge
Vampire Weekend return with a colourful collection of songs that stretch their sound even further than before.
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The Nation
Over a decade since its debut, the band that soundtracked the Great Recession returns with one of its most ambitious albums.
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Spectrum Culture
A welcome return from one of the most compelling acts of the 21st century.
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Exclaim!
Father of the Bride finds them at their most relaxed, jovial and inviting.
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The Sunday Times
The band’s first album in six years is a meandering disappointment.
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Uncut
Back after six years with a transformative, possibly divisive double.
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Gigwise
Yet another dizzyingly inventive LP from the torchbearers of thinky upbeat indie.
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Stars and Scars
Vampire Weekend and the double album are a more than fitting marriage indeed.
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radio13
Vampire Weekend have made a big artistic statement and in doing so ensured people they are not done yet as a musical force. Far from it in fact.
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Punknews
Sappy as fuck, but hey, you're reading a Vampire Weekend review. The fuck you expect?
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Datebook
A worthy sequel.
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Northern Transmissions
Its best songs reach, perhaps exceed, Vampire Weekend’s previous heights. And, more importantly, it seems like Ezra the existentialist is having fun within the chaos.
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Highsnobiety
Vampire Weekend Are Trying Way Too Hard on ‘Father of the Bride’.
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vibeRANT
Father of the Bride is something different entirely. It is a firm handshake to bid farewell to youth, and a warm embrace for change and evolution over time.
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NZ Herald
While you are going to need an entire weekend to get through it all, Father of the Bride ultimately proves to be both a good time and a long time.
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Under the Radar Mag
Father of the Bride is messy and overlong—it lacks the sharp brevity of Vampire Weekend's first trilogy of albums. But it is also a smart, witty, comforting listen.
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The Arts Desk
Art school indies . . . find new depths.
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The Fire Note
Father Of The Bride does grow with you upon each listen and songs have a real capability to sink into your head.
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live4ever
Father of The Bride’s college of players has brought peace, adventure and clarity to Vampire Weekend’s present and future. And because of that, they’ve never been more potent.
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The Musical Hype
Grammy-winning alternative collective Vampire Weekend returns with an alluring, consistent, and well-rounded fourth studio album, ‘Father of the Bride.’
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Hyperallergic
Vampire Weekend Self-Consciously Grows Up
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The Spec
It revels in pleasantness, peppered with quirky but cheerful touches that veil the mild unease expressed in the lyrics.
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Earbuddy
Go ahead and get ready to hit repeat. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since this is released through Sony Music after all.
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Beat Route
Father of the Bride is here and you’ll want to be the one catching the bouquet.
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LONDON IN STEREO
A fantastically all over the place 18 song record that could have been a brilliant 12 track one. Watch out, we’ll all be wearing sandals soon.
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J.S. Online
Vampire Weekend reaches a new peak.
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Slant Magazine
There’s still darkness flitting around Ezra Koenig’s consciousness, but it’s more of the “middle-aged malaise” variety.
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USA Today
Vampire Weekend returns as the best indie band of their generation.
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Audioxide
Father of the Bride is an enjoyable experience that experiments with interesting concepts and stylish musical ideas. It will likely serve fans very well indeed.
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Audioxide
Par for the course on an album like this, which ultimately seems quite content pootling about in its own weird world. Father of the Bride does a pretty good job of it, so fair dos.
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Audioxide
Father of the Bride makes for an optimistic step forward in the band’s career, and I can see myself returning to the album.
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Sputnik Music
Good.
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Financial Times
In their first album since the departure of a key member, the New Yorkers have broken the mould — and not in a good way.
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Speaker TV
It is exactly the kind of record the band needed at this point in their life. It is in this sense of restlessness and curiosity that the album succeeds the most.
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Palatinate
Spellbinding.
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WIUX
The hilly geography of Tennessee never looked so beautiful, until I had the windows down in my 2014 Ford Escape listening to Rich Man.
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Daily Emerald
Vampire Weekend jams a multitude of clever lyrics, obscure references and attentive production details into this hour-long album, making it the type of purposeful pop record that demands multiple listens.
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No Ripcord
Despite its almost hour-long length, Father of the Bride feels just as compact and succinct as every other Vampire Weekend record.
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Dork
‘Father of the Bride’ is both exactly as expected, and also completely different to anything predicted.
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Honey Punch Mag
Vampire Weekend is back; the Van Goghs of indie-rock have once again proved to us that their music is seemingly ageless, and their style will remain appealing for years to come.
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Highlight Magazine
'Father of the Bride' is a genuinely gorgeous, well-rounded album, with hints toward societal and emotional criticism throughout.
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Pretty Much Amazing
A return to their debut and sophomore, but with modern production and more-thoughtful textures.
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RPM Media
Despite being filled with contentment and happiness, it’s curious and kooky and full of the band’s weirdness.
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Qrewcial
After a six-year absence, the chamber-pop godheads deliver a sprawling, funky, messy, idiosyncratic, and satisfying double album.
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The Subtle Sounds
You should get to know Vampire Weekend’s Father of the Bride.
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Medium
It’s rough around the edges in a way that wouldn’t have been befitting of their previously preppy image. But, in 2019, it is a very promising place to be.
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Erie Reader
At 17 tracks, this album is packed with complex musical passages and production techniques.
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Flood Magazine
Father of the Bride finds Vampire Weekend pulsing through another fine, finessed phase. This time, however, they’re not so neat about it. They’re cheerful enough to make—and leave—a mess.
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The Thin Air
Koenig has successfully steered the band to shore and delivered another quality record.
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The Aggie
Vampire Weekend’s strongest album.
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Soundigest
Father of the Bride is the Culmination of Vampire Weekend.
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Surviving the Golden Age
It mixes their expected sound with technical musical trickery to create an album that will not be off my turntable any time soon.
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Adolescent
They seem to recognize their near-unspecialness, and that’s what makes this album riveting, what makes it ecstatic and unexpected and at times masterful.
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Totally Dublin
This is a wonderful album, built around the craftsmanship of a songwriter who plays with signifiers like a virtuoso but never loses the heart.
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The Sound Review
Vampire Weekend return after six years with a powerful, multi-genre spanning double album Father of the Bride.
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WRBB Radio
Father of the Bride is not a great Vampire Weekend album, but Koenig et. al have plenty of great music left in them.
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The Telegraph
Joyous indie rock with a touch of intellectual grit.
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Deadspin
Annnnnddddd my day is ruined. Sucked bone dry.
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The Radio Cure Pod
You may not be A-Punk anymore but pour yourself a glass of horchata, dress yourself in bleeding madras, and settle in for 18 tracks of pure millennial dad rock bliss. Ya Hey! Vampire Weekend is back, next on The Radio Cure!
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The Sound Board
Vampire Weekend are kicking back for an hour and hoping their mild-mannered visions can end up as something good enough, and if they don’t even care about even verging on that extra mile, why should anyone else?
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Cool Dad Music
There are definite rewards to be gained by taking in Father of the Bride in its entirety at least once in a while.
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B Sides
Uplifts, Heightens Positivity.
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Popdust
Listening to Vampire Weekend's new album feels like taking a long, deep breath in the middle of Times Square.
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The Brazen Bull
Father of the Bride, is sonically impressive, and rich in deep, thought-provoking lyrics that make it incredibly re-playable.
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God Is in the T.V.
‘Father of the Bride’ is Vampire Weekend’s most eclectic record to date because both their lyrics and music vary dramatically in tone.
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Cryptic Rock
Father of the Bride is simply a further progression of this musical journey. Cryptic Rock gives Father of the Bride 5 out of
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Entertainment Voice
An Earnest Exploration of Relationships, Politics, and Religion.
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Irish Examiner
Few standouts on 18-track Vampire Weekend album.
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Creightonian
They are a band that will continue to revolutionize the music community.
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The Politic
I love Vampire Weekend in large part because of the visual quality of their lyrics; it is as if they are meant to send you into fits of daydreams.
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Apps Co
Father of the Bride is a really great album
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The Crimson
Although Vampire Weekend’s past albums were praised for pushing boundaries, there is immense value in their current feel-good strategy.
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Pop Rock Music
We all did--6 years, and it was totally worth it!
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The Rice Thresher
Vampire Weekend expertly packages insight and maturity on new album ‘Father of the Bride’.
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