Though it has some interesting moments, Vampire Weekend’s album Only God Was Above Us is not the most entertaining listen. 

Though they are an indie rock band, this album is very poppy and uses a lot of different electronic sounds. It feels very overproduced and soulless, to the point that none of the songs even seem to have a solid message.

The album is pretty slow and most of the songs are very repetitive. Each song has an interesting and unique opening, but they then go into the same rhythm played over and over as the vocalist sings in the same exact vocal inflection.

“Mary Boone” is really the only unique song on the album. It does not use a lot of the same instruments that the other tracks do, which works well to make it memorable. Named after a famous art dealer who got arrested for tax fraud, the song is supposed to be about how being rich should not be the goal in life. The song is very vocal-heavy, but the instrumentals are very good.

Another song that stands out – but in a bad way – is “Hope.” At just under eight minutes, the track is both the longest on the album and it is its closing song. It is one of the most boring tracks on the album. It does not deserve to be placed as the final song of the album.