Vampire Weekend Ezra Koenig has frequently vocalized his deep appreciation for and enjoyment of the “jam band” genre of music. Frequently discussing the stylistic traits of the Grateful Dead and Phish on his Apple Music Radio show “Time Crisis”, it is apparent that Koenig is a true fan of the music and culture of jam bands. “Time Crisis” has even featured Grateful Dead member Bob Weir in a past episode.
Now taking the leap from jam band appreciator to creator, Koenig and Vampire Weekend have released two remixes of their track “2021” from the 2019 album Father of the Bride, each with a 20-minute-and-21-second runtime.
Fittingly, the project is entitled 40:42. The track was first released as a single alongside “Harmony Hall” in 2019 and the original version, as well as the remixes, is built around a sample of Haruomi Hosono’s “Talking”.
The first of the two remixes features jazz artist Sam Gendel and takes more of an electronic soul reimagining of the track. The second track enlists Connecticut jam band Goose and is a true Grateful Dead-inspired interpretation of the original version.
Koenig’s fandom of this genre makes the tracks uniquely fitting and entertaining through their extensive runtimes. With the increased amount of free time we have all found in front of ourselves over the last year, these tracks are a highly recommended listen, either actively with a set of headphones or just playing in the background as you go about your day.
Listen to the Sam Gendel and Goose remixes of Vampire Weekend’s “2021” below.
