“It does not matter what Koenig writes about Drake because Drake is already famous — his albums will sell regardless of a positive review from Koenig himself. On the flip side, if Koenig negatively reviewed the album, he would be viewed as a pretentious snob, perpetuated by his status as an indie rocker and Ivy League graduate.” —Alana Pedalino
On TheTalkhouse.com, a recently established music website where musicians review each other’s music, Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig gave the new Drake album, Nothing Was the Same, a “10 outta 10.” And the fact that the former English teacher uses the word “outta” is not the most surprising part of his review.
Shortly after giving the album a high rating, Koenig follows with a blunt confession that he “didn’t listen to the whole thing” and rambles on, writing “Obviously, it’s good. You think a Canadian child actor would be this successful as a rapper if he wasn’t good?” Koenig continues by discussing “Worst Behavior,” one of the new album’s songs he actually listened to, which inspires him to go on a tangent about his personal music industry betrayals: “Drake only got into music like five years ago, so if you see how angry he is — IMAGINE HOW I FEEL. Now, usually I can forgive, but I won’t forget. However, there are some cases where I can forgive but I won’t forget OR forgive.” Koenig then launches into an outlandish tale about Vampire Weekend’s misadventures with a Danish band in 2007, detailing his fictional ex-wife and child, struggle with colorblindness and friendship with Panda Bear, a member of the experimental rock band Animal Collective.
Though his “review” has garnered the second highest readership on the website behind Lou Reed’s more serious review of Kanye West’s Yeezus, Koenig’s review has sparked controversy. Some call him rude for discussing another artist so flippantly. Others claim that Koenig wrote the review while intoxicated. However, I believe Koenig’s review is brilliant.
As others have pointed out, Koenig’s piece is no more bizarre than any of Vampire Weekend’s songs. In fact, Koenig uses the storytelling talents that he usually reserves for songs to satirize the music industry itself. It does not matter what Koenig writes about Drake because Drake is already famous — his albums will sell regardless of a positive review from Koenig himself. On the flip side, if Koenig negatively reviewed the album, he would be viewed as a pretentious snob, perpetuated by his status as an indie rocker and Ivy League graduate. Koenig’s review is more than meets the eye; although it can be misconstrued as drunken ramblings, it seems he put a lot of thought into crafting it.
Furthermore, those giving Koenig backlash need to check out his Twitter account, @arzE, which can be viewed as a precursor to the review. It sets up a tone for his audience — albeit a humorous, sometimes sarcastic one. Koenig’s tongue-in-cheek personality and penchant for clever jokes is apparent there, and his nonsensical, witty tweets are highly entertaining, exactly like his review.
Even if Koenig’s motive for writing the fake review is solely for entertainment purposes, I would give it a “10 outta 10.” The review reflects his cunning and conveys his charisma. His voice is well-defined and projected because to his unconventional yet captivating approach, which demonstrates his talent. When read as the satire it is instead of the review as it is called, the column is actually pure genius. Plus, he is indirectly doing a favor for the indie music blog — the popularity of the previously under-the-radar website is sure to increase due to the review’s controversial nature. The piece should also attract numerous Vampire Weekend fans and boost its follower account as well.
Decide for yourself: Is Koenig insane or clever? You can read his review here
