Vampire Weekend - Contra (10 tracks) +Album Reviews

Excellent follow-up

Dr. Rock | Chicago | 01/12/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After releasing their debut album, Vampire Weekend seemed to face a dilemma. They could either make another album with more of the same or completely change their sound. Either way, they were bound to receive scorn from critics. But somehow, they managed to evolve while still maintaining their signature sound. Anyway, let's get down to business...

Track by track:

"Horchata" - A great opener that sets the tone for yet another summery, poppy indie release from Vampire Weekend. The use of marimba and kalimba is new yet sounds very fitting. (9/10)

"White Sky" - This song has been played by the band for at least a year before they recorded it. I'm glad to see it was finally recorded. (7/10)

"Holiday" - A straightforward pop song with obvious ska influence. Instantly catchy. (8/10)

"California English" - Interesting use of auto-tune. I never thought someone would use auto-tune in a way that wasn't blatant and annoying. (8/10)

"Taxi Cab" - This is new territory for the band. Ezra sings in a low voice, buried under strings and programmed piano pieces. Very calming track with some of their best lyrics yet. (9/10)

"Run" - Things pick back up with this track which was instantly one of my favorites. The arrangements are very engaging on this one. The choruses are instrumental but quite effective. (9/10)

"Cousins" - When I first heard this song I didn't really care for it because I had only heard it live. Once I heard the recording, I was converted. It seems to capture the spirit of A-Punk but I feel like it lacks a hook. The ending makes up for it though. (8/10)

"Giving Up The Gun" - I was so excited to hear that this song would be on Contra. Ezra's old hip-hop band, L'homme Run, recorded an old version of this song years ago called "Giving Up Da Gun," and I used to listen to it nonstop. Very glad to see that they went back to the well. (10/10)

"Diplomat's Son" - This track is the band's longest song yet and features some vocals done by Rostam during the bridge. I really dig the white-guy-reggae vibe. I found it especially funny when Ezra mentions that he "smoked a joint." (10/10)

"I Think Ur A Contra" - Hands down my favorite song on the album. The band truly ended the album with their masterpiece. Not only are the lyrics in this song their most sincere, but the arrangement they used is among their strongest. The subtle atmosphere paired with their first ever use of acoustic guitar makes the song sound genuinely heartfelt and sets it apart from their repertoire. (10/10)

Overall, I think this album is on par with their debut and I will be spinning it nonstop for months to come."

Strong second album

Randy Connelie | 01/11/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Vampire Weekend's second album, Contra, is a strong followup to the self-titled debut album. Their peppy rhythms are intact, as is the distinctive instrumentation. In short, you'll likely enjoy Contra if you enjoyed their first album.

At times, I was reminded of Paul Simon's Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints albums. Lead singer Ezra Koenig's voice and loose lyrical rhyming/pacing sound like long-lost tracks from those discs. This vibe is compounded by the percussion and some simple sprightly-sounding picked guitar.

A few of the songs on Contra are a bit slower and/or more melancholy than any found on their previous album. This is a conscious effort by the band, and will probably be the crux of any "album sucks" vs "album is awesome" disagreements And this is also part of the reason for my 4/5 star rating: whereas the first album's closing tracks were a satisfying combination of energy followed by denouement, Contra's conclusion leaves me longing, feeling unfulfilled. But that's not because the music isn't good, but because it successfully affected me. (and then I play the album again)"

New Doesn't Always Mean Bad

Jeff Loudon | Nashville, TN | 01/18/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Easily the most anticipated release of the decade (so far), Vampire Weekend's second album was doomed for criticism from the start. As the only band to ever grace the cover of SPIN magazine before releasing an album, Vampire Weekend gained a great deal of press as the best new band around. Their beach worthy tunes for the collegiate elite took the world by storm and the little party band that originated from Columbia University soon had an album on XL Records, the same as The White Stripes and Sigur Rós, and a tour with one of the biggest names in indie rock, The Shins.

If there's one word that Vampire Weekend clearly holds dear, it's "unique." Their first album introduced a sound all their own and although Contra sees the band exploring the depths of the human ear with far more elaborate frequency landscapes, the distinctive Vampire Weekend resonance remains intact. Ezra Koenig's vocals are distinctive and sound nearly identically produced to their debut while everything around him changes.

It doesn't take long for Vampire Weekend to introduce their newfound complexity. The lead single, "Horchata," begins with a simplistic and instantly catchy verse, but quickly dives into a sea of percussion, rhythmic electronics, and vocal harmonies. On "California English," the all too overused Auto-Tune program becomes just another tasteful and appropriate instrument for the band to exploit. The entire album plays as a perfectly calculated blend of their original sound and a new direction making them easily recognizable, but giving their fans something special instead of more of the same.

Contra is not the instant classic their debut was, but if Vampire Weekend had just taken the safe road and released another album exactly like their self-titled debut, which I'm sure would have been possible for them, the result would have ultimately been boring and Vampire Weekend would have been dismissed as an old dog. Instead, Vampire Weekend is here to stay and I have no doubt they will continue to develop their unique style as the years go by.

Lastly, I'm afraid I must respect other critics' floccinaucinihilipilification of Vampire Weekend album reviews without big words in them.

Similar Artists: Ra Ra Riot, Spoon

Track Suggestion: White Sky"

The lack of surprise is a little disappointing...

Andrew Ellington | I'm kind of everywhere | 02/05/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The truth is, if you were a fan of Vampire Weekend's debut album then you will be a fan of `Contra', their similarly styled sophomore effort. The album is very good, but sadly it does suffer from sounding too much like their debut. There is nothing new thrown into the mix and so it doesn't excite as much as it could have. Lyrical content, musical arrangements and overall mood at times feels like a carbon copy of their self titled debut.

I still really like this album, and their fans will too, but if you (like me) were looking for them to expand and really embellish their already vibrant sound then you'll be letdown a tad by the familiarity of `Contra'.

The blatant standouts (in a bad way) are `California English' and `I Think Ur a Contra'. The blatant standouts (in a good way) are `Run', `Cousins' and `Giving Up the Gun' (and thankfully these three run back-to-back-to-back). I really hate the idea of auto-tune, and the way that it is used on `California English' is so irritating I wanted to scream. The thing is that I like the songs construction musically, but the vocals are such a distraction that I'm forced to skip it whenever it comes on. The closing track, `I Think Ur a Contra' leaves me at quite the contradiction. I like the idea of branching out (this is the most unique song on the album) and I LOVE the earnest lyrics, but the way it all comes together is kind of bland and awkward. The playful double meaning of the word Contra is awesome but it is lost in the almost dullness of the song itself. On the other hand, `Run' and `Cousins' are so stunningly captivating, from start to finish. I love the breakdowns on `Run' ("I am with you-ou-ou-ou") and `Cousins' is just outstanding. It reminds me of Incubus infused with Sublime run through the Vampire Weekend machine, and that ending is ridiculous (as in AWESOME)! `Giving Up the Gun' is the best track on the album and battles `M79' as the best song they've ever penned (both are so different yet equally masterful). I love the unique quality found on this track. It really sets itself apart and is instantly memorable. It reminds me of a modernized version of a Police song, something definitely vintage in flavor with relevant packaging.

And I love the hip-hop influences, no matter how subtle they are (subtle is a good thing).

I love the reggae influences that the incorporated into their debut, and I really like `Diplomat's Son's use of it. In fact, this had the chance of becoming my favorite song on the album, but where some of their songs come across as `half songs' because of their length (or lack there of), this song simply wares out its own welcome. At one second over six minutes, the chill becomes almost dull by the songs ending. If they had halved this one it would have been perfect. A little after the three minute mark they shift directions briefly in an awkward transition before stepping up the pace and then falling back into that awkward musical interlude.

Missed opportunity.

`Horchata' and `Taxi Cab' are good songs yet they lack a real pop. `Taxi Cab; especially comes off slightly bland. The band has to refine their attempts at that mellow sound. They have to strike the balance so that they can deliver a mellow `balladesque' track without coming across close to dull. I think that `Horchata', like `Mansard Roof', is a great way to represent (and or open) the album, even if it doesn't prove the best on the album. `White Sky', while not as stellar as `Oxford Comma', is a step up and a great way to truly kick off the album. I love the playfulness of the song, but again, it falls into resembling too closely their debut album. `Holiday' is a good example of taking what made their debut so great and coloring it with a life it's own so that it recalls but doesn't outright copy their previous efforts. I also applaud the track for feeling complete despite the two-minute running time.

So, this is a good album, and one that will definitely please the band's fans. I hope that with their third album they can really expound on their sound and give us something that, while true to their style and sound, takes us by surprise."

Solid Follow-Up to Self-Titled Debut

Musac Critic | 05/25/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I wouldn't call Contra as much fun album as the quartet's clever Vampire Weekend, but it is a solid album and quite an enjoyable followup. Who would've of thought the "Oxford Comma" boys would manage a #1 album?

The album opens up with the fine "Horchata," filled with splashes of colorful electronics, which instantly notifies the listener that nothing too much as changed about Vampire Weekend. "White Sky," cut number two, is even more enjoyable, in the bright key of A with absolutely stunning production work. I find "White Sky" to be extremely well mixed with fantastic drum production and audible entrances of the various instruments and synths; from a producer/mixer standpoint, the band/produces did a find job of leaving enough headroom for the number of different portions of the production. "White Sky" is one of my favorite cuts from Contra.

"Holiday" definitely could have appeared on Vampire Weekend's debut. It again retains the vintage sound that the band so well concocted and presented on their debut. Frontman Ezra Koenig sounds as solid as ever and his vocals well paint the production here on Contra. "California English" is ambitious to say the least, and it bodes well as it distances itself from other cuts. The songwriting is clever obviously, as Koenig sings the verse un-decipherably with a great amount of reverb making ability to discern the lyrics even worse. "Taxi Cab" is a bit sleep compared to "Horchata," "White Sky," or "Holiday", but Koenig sounds exceptional as always and the lighter production and sound of this track is appreciated after the more uptempo numbers. The strings in "Taxi Cab" sound grand here. "Run" incites greater momentum, showcasing a return to driving electronics and mammoth-like drums. Again, I love the band's use of electronics and various multi-cultural influences. It is definitely different from a number of other artists today.

"Cousins" is extremely up-tempo, finding Koenig zipping through his words followed by some absolutely ridiculous (in a good way) guitar work. Here, the "garage band/indie" sound is incredibly effective here. "Cousins" is one of the top cuts from Contra. One reason it works better than say the longer cuts ("Taxi Cab" or "Run") is simply for its brevity. Sometimes shorter cuts stimulate listeners more and "Cousins" driving, up-tempo brevity does just that. Slightly less driving in tempo (still overt though) is "Giving Up The Gun", which sounds like with a little more shimmering production it could've been a mainstream pop/rock number as opposed to an indie track. Of course, it is best suited to be indie as there is something about indie tracks that give them more character than many mainstream records. "Giving Up the Gun" is another sound track, despite being one of the lengthier cuts from the album.

Penultimate track "Diplomat's Son" is a bit more conservative in tempo, but not without driving rhythmic drums and electronics. Closing track "I Think Ur A Contra" ends the album as epic as it began. Trickles of synths and sensitive vocals by Koenig predominate.

Contra is a fine release by the band, even if there is nothing quite as notable as "Oxford Comma" or "A-Punk" among other notable cuts. However, the maturity shows all over this second effort. Sometimes it may be the slightest bit mature, but still, the kids know how to have fun. This album is definitely Grammy worthy, thought it will have to fight off the excellent Congratulations for Alternative Music album. 4 stars."

Search - Vampire Weekend :: Contra

CD Details

Synopsis

Similar CDs

Similarly Requested CDs

CD Reviews