Some Thoughts On Rostam Batmanglij Leaving Vampire Weekend
· I guess I should listen to Rostam’s new single, huh.
· It’s a shame he couldn’t do his solo thing while staying in the band, a la Baio or Ezra’s Makonnen feature. But, I’m glad he’s letting his identity stand on its own, as he puts it, and he’s having fun doing it. Isn’t it refreshing to hear him talk about getting joy from making music? Making music is an art and sometimes art is difficult, but it seems like people forget that “professional musician” is a cool, fun way to make a living.
· I’ve been a fan of Vampire Weekend since their first album came out, and you have to believe me when I say I’m not trying to sound pretentious. It was 2008, I was barely a teenager, and I was just starting to pay attention to music. Vampire Weekend were a popular enough band to be in magazines, but for some reason, they weren’t on the radio. A quick visit to the library, and I had their self-titled ripped to my iPod video. Vampire Weekend was the first band I liked that was new and cool and relevant and alternative. It took less than two years for their second album to come out, and the waiting felt like forever.
· Oh shit, does this mean a new Discovery album might be on the way? Not long after the first Vampire Weekend album, Rostam made this electropop album called “LP” with the singer from Ra Ra Riot, another band I liked. The album has aged like fine milk. I used to love it. I wrote a few hundred words to the Chicago Tribune about why the lead single should be Song of the Summer, so no, I haven’t changed much since 2009. It debuted digitally on Amazon for something like two dollars, and I was bold enough to ask my dad to buy it. The CD took a few weeks to arrive at the library. I remember hovering over my dad’s shoulder as he typed in his Amazon password, watching the download icon spin. I haven’t paid much attention to Ra Ra Riot lately. Maybe Rostam will have time for a reunion.
· I finally saw Vampire Weekend live in June 2014 at the UIC Pavilion, after missing them at Pitchfork in 2012 and Lolla in 2013. They were great. They played every song I could have wanted to hear, which I’m beginning to think is the most you can ask of any musicians. Each song sounded a little more urgent live. I was surprised how much of the audience was teenage girls. Probably eighty percent. I once heard lead singer Ezra Koenig referred to as “an indie heartthrob,” but that doesn’t explain it. I had never been interested in something where the other fans were eighty percent teenage girls. It felt new and relevant and cool.
· Ezra responded on Instagram, and he was charming and gracious, of course. Is he ever not? Accompanying his statement is some good news. Hey, new Vampire Weekend is on the way! The eternally overlooked rhythm section of Chris Baio and Chris Tomson still stands. Huzzah. I’m relieved, but I’m nervous. Every interview they did made it clear Rostam was a huge part of their sound. Something will be different.
· I was at their show with my mom, which was unusual. We don’t typically have similar tastes. She is content with WTMX, while I have a Soundcloud account and a Genius account and even a college radio show. She is my biggest fan and I love her, but we wouldn’t go to a concert together. Except Vampire Weekend. Of all the stuff I slipped on her iPod, she liked the first album. She was waiting to see them as long as I was.
· Now that I’m Googling, Rostam has been putting in work outside Vampire Weekend, way more than I realized. He worked on Carly Rae Jepsen’s last album, he produced for Charli XCX on a “Hunger Games” soundtrack, he remixed Ty Dolla $ign with Diplo. Each one of those makes perfect sense. I forgot about that “All Summer” song he made with Kid Cudi and the lady from Best Coast! That was the jam for several summers. And he produced a Das Racist track! Man. R.I.P. to them.
· The new Rostam single is okay. It’s disorienting to hear his voice front and center. I’m used to it floating, suspended above someone else’s. “EOS” just is not fun. Happy, pretty, but not fun. Maybe it’s unfair to compare this to his old band, but I’m doing it. Vampire Weekend could be serious and important and heavy. Like, philosophically heavy, dude, not heavy metal heavy. But, they were always fun. You could put them on in the car, no matter who you were riding with. “EOS” isn’t like that. Happy, pretty, but not fun. Maybe it will grow on me. Did he name this song after lip balm?
· Rostam worked on the newest Ra Ra Riot album too! There is hope!
