Band Reunions, Opinions on Vampire Weekend
Summer is coming…and that means a slew of music festivals and arena concerts around the country. Many bands hit the road for reunion tours, often times without all their original members. Jim and Greg explore whether or not it's sacrilegious to see a band missing its key original members. They'll also share some of their favorite band reunions, ones that lived up to or even surpassed the originals. Plus, a review of the latest from Vampire Weekend.
Father of the Bride Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend is back with its fourth album, Father of the Bride, after a six year hiatus. The group of then-Columbia University students put out their debut, eponymous album in 2008 to a lot of critical and commercial attention. That debut leaned on South African rhythms drawing comparisons to Paul Simon's Graceland. This new album doesn't stray too far from that original sound. Jim has never been a fan, even though he admits that listening to the band's rhythm section at music festivals is fun. He says he doesn't care for the band's pretentious lyrics and vocal inflections, feeling like they lean too much into cultural appropriation. Greg argues the album is catchy and pleasant and features lots of guests, including HAIM and Jenny Lewis. Ultimately, Greg isn't bothered by the record, but it doesn't inspire him either.
Reunions
Summer is coming, and along with the sunshine and warm temperatures comes a miriad of music festivals and big arena tours. This summer we've got Mott the Hoople, Heart, Wu-Tang Clan and Hootie and the Blowfish reuniting. And then there are the 'reunited' bands who are always playing like Styx and Foreigner. However, many original members of bands like these have either died, become estranged or are afflicted with health issues that prevent them from performing. Sometimes there might only be one original member in the group, and it's not even the lead singer or guitarist. Jim and Greg wonder: is it sacrilegious to attend a "reunion concert" if it's not really one?
They talk with music journalist Rob Tannenbaum about his article in the New York Times on band reunions. (Artwork by Mark Pernice for the New York Times)
Jim and Greg also each pick two of their favorite reunions and one that they hope for.
Jim:
- Patti Smith Group
- Neil Young and Crazy Horse
- Wishlist: ABBA
Greg:
- A Tribe Called Quest
- Mission of Burma
- Wishlist: Talking Heads
Featured Songs
- Vampire Weekend, "Harmony Hall," Father of the Bride, Columbia, 2019
- Vampire Weekend, "Married in a Gold Rush," Father of the Bride, Columbia, 2019
- Vampire Weekend, "We Belong Together," Father of the Bride, Columbia, 2019
- Vampire Weekend, "How Long," Father of the Bride, Columbia, 2019
- Vampire Weekend, "Hold You Now," Father of the Bride, Columbia, 2019
- Vampire Weekend, "Unbearably White," Father of the Bride, Columbia, 2019
- Mott the Hoople, "All the Young Dudes," All the Young Dudes, CBS, 1972
- Dennis DeYoung, "Come Sail Away (Live)," The Grand Illusion, A&M, 1977
- Styx, "Come Sail Away (Live)," The Grand Illusion, A&M, 1977
- The Who, "You Better You Bet," Face Dances, Warner Bros., 1981
- Journey, "Faithfully (Live)," Journey Live in Las Vegas, un-released, 2008
- Television, "Marquee Moon," Marquee Moon, Elektra, 1977
- Kraftwerk, "The Model," The Man-Machine, Capitol, 1978
- Blood, Sweat & Tears, "Spinning Wheel," Spinning Wheel, Columbia, 1968
- Roxy Music, "More Than This," Avalon, Polydor, 1982
- Rolling Stones, "Gimme Shelter," Let It Bleed, Decca, 1969
- Fleetwood Mac, "The Chain," Rumours, Warner Bros., 1977
- Mott the Hoople, "Roll Away the Stone," The Hoople, Columbia, 1974
- The Buzzcocks, "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've) ," Love Bites, United Artists, 1978
- The Buzzcocks, "Flat-Pack Philosophy," Flat-Pack Philosophy, Cooking Vinyl, 2006
- A Tribe Called Quest, "Scenario," Low End Theory, Jive, 1991
- A Tribe Called Quest, "Solid Wall of Sound," We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service, Epic, 2016
- A Tribe Called Quest, "We The People," We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service, Epic, 2016
- Neil Young & Crazy Horse, "Down By The River," Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Reprise, 1969
- Neil Young, "Farmer John," Ragged Glory, Reprise, 1990
- Mission of Burma, "Secrets," Vs., Ace of Hearts, 1982
- Mission of Burma, "Let Yourself Go," The Obliterati, Matador, 2006
- Mission of Burma, "2Wice," The Obliterati, Matador, 2006
- ABBA, "Take A Chance on Me," The Album, Polar, 1977
- ABBA, "Dancing Queen," Dancing Queen (single), Polar, 1976
- Talking Heads, "Burning Down the House," Stop Making Sense, Sire, 1984
- Talking Heads, "Once In A Lifetime," Stop Making Sense, Sire, 1984
- Sharon Van Etten, "Malibu," Remind Me Tomorrow, Jagjaguwar, 2019
- Moses Sumney, "Don't Bother Calling," Aromanticism, Jagjaguwar, 2017
- Radiohead, "Subterranean Homesick Alien," OK Computer, Parlophone, 1997
- Air, "Surfing On a Rocket," Talkie Walkie, Virgin, 2004
- The Carpenters, "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft (The Recognized Anthem of World Contact Day)," Passage, A&M, 1977
- They Might Be Giants, "Why Does The Sun Shine? (The Sun Is a Mass Of Incandescent Gas) [Live]," Why Does The Sun Shine (EP), Elektra, 1993
- Tom Glazer & Dottie Evans, "Why Does The Sun Shine? (The Sun Is a Mass Of Incandescent Gas)," Space Songs (From Ballads For The Age Of Science), Motivation, 1959
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