After winning their first Grammy for their last album, 2013’s “Modern Vampires of the City,” Vampire Weekend apparently decided that, as a reward for that achievement, a six-year break was in order.
But now the alt-rock band born out of Columbia University is making up for lost time with “Father of the Bride,” a double album, out Friday, which features 18 tracks. 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.
Here’s a cheat sheet of five highlights to listen to right away:
“Hold You Now”
The first track — one of three cuts featuring Danielle Haim, of the sister trio Haim — gently strokes you with its acoustic guitar as lovers say goodbye before one goes off to become somebody else’s bride.
“This Life”
In one of the most upbeat songs about cheating that you’ll ever hear, Vampire Weekend channels ’70s Paul Simon with a deceptively breezy touch.
“Sunflower”
One of two songs featuring Steve Lacy, guitarist of the alternative R&B/hip-hop band the Internet, this single is a whimsical, sunflower-petaled delight.
“We Belong Together”
This Irish-flavored ditty — no relation to the Mariah Carey smash — may revel in the fact that two people belong together, but cautions, “it don’t mean we’ll stay together.”
“Jerusalem, New York, Berlin”
“Don’t let them restart that genocidal feeling,” sings VW lead singer Ezra Koenig, referencing his Jewish history on a piano-laced ballad that ends the album on a reflective note.