Watch Vampire Weekend Debut “Obvious Bicycle” & “Everlasting Arms” In NYC

Getty

Watch Vampire Weekend Debut “Obvious Bicycle” & “Everlasting Arms” In NYC

Getty

Vampire Weekend’s entire Steve Buscemi-directed Roseland show is still streaming, but here’s the straight dope: Two previously unperformed Modern Vampires Of The City songs, culled from Buscemi’s larger work. First there’s “Obvious Bicycle,” pretty, plaintive, and piano-based (operative word: “Listeeeen”). This is where you go to get Ezra in earnest mode while singing to a harmonious choral backing track, and to find Rostam deep in acrobatically arpeggiated backing vocal. Then there’s “Everlasting Arms,” more classically VW in its understated jaunt, built on a woozy organ and so many arrangement shifts to disorienting and ingratiating effect. (Operative phrase: “Leave me to myself”). This is where you’ll find a Baio breakdown, a string arrangement, and more structural turns than most any three-minute pop song going. For what it’s worth, at the end of “Obvious Bicycle” Rostam tells Roseland “That’s one of my favorite Vampire Weekend songs.” See if you agree:

Modern Vampires Of The City is out 5/14 via XL. Watch the band’s full Buscemi-directed Roseland show here. Vampire Weekend just announced a headlining date at Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center on 9/20, tix on sale Saturday 5/4 at 10AM via ticketmaster.com and barclayscenter.com. Also on 5/4, the band will do SNL, playing music guest to Kristin Wiig’s host. Busy dudes.

Getty
Vampire Weekend
Getty
Vampire Weekend
Getty
Vampire Weekend
Getty
Vampire Weekend
Getty
Vampire Weekend
Getty
Vampire Weekend
Getty
Getty
Vampire Weekend
Getty
Vampire Weekend
Getty
Vampire Weekend
Getty
Fred Armisen
Getty
Fred Armisen

more from Photo