I must amend what I wrote of Vampire Weekend'ds new album (Modern vampires of the city). It's not just the best I've heard of this year's crop, it could be one of the best of the 21st century so far. Can't remember when I last came across something I've immersed myself in like this. And it's not 3-4 songs like their first album or 1-2 like their second, it's very nearly end-to-end. the music is catchy and inventive, built around timeless tunes that makes you feel as if you're having a deja-vu to some long-forgotten radio hit of the 70s, and lifted by gorgeous and unexpected twists of instrumentation. The lyrics are not just witty (as they always have been), they are stunning - forceful, complex ideas and lines that hook you intellectually, emotionally, instinctually. And there is a new sense of seriousness that augments rather than replaces the playfulness of previous offerings. This is a classic.