Music Review: Vampire Weekend - Contra

"Here comes the feeling you thought you'd forgotten." - "Horchata"

Vampire Weekend's sophomore album, Contra, establishes as a fantastic winter album by not being one. Some albums are great for the dark of winter because they make you want to stay home by the fire with hot cocoa and a good book. What makes Contra so great for winter is that it reminds you that fun can be had during winter too. Maybe this will change as time goes on and I hear it in different seasons, but right now this album reminds me of driving on a early winter's morning, as the dim sun rises over a snow covered golf course. Beautiful and a little bit preppy. 

Contra doesn't possess the same punchy character as their debut, but it is certainly good in its own right, and I've only come to like it more the more I've listened to it. Perhaps more importantly, it accomplishes the goal of a sophomore album: it sounds enough like the first one to be well received by fans, but also not just a direct repeat of previous material. In fact, the album starts in a place musically close to the first album, but pushes further and further away as the album progresses. 

The synths are more prominent here, and definitely listening to Discovery's LP from band member Rostam Batmanglij was good preparation for listening to this album. This is especially true of "California English" and "Diplomat's Son," two electronic heavy romps, the later of which includes a sample from MIA. 

Everyone has commented on how Vampire Weekend songs are littered with highbrow references, but I don't think that's what matters. It's really the fact that these cultural ornaments are weaved seamlessly into lush melodies with a texture not unlike chunky peanut butter. Its an album that feels like a Wes Anderson movie: deliberately scripted, well executed, and done up in Futura. 

Also check out Pitchfork's review here. 

Comments

[Marc Azada]

Vampire Weekend is the best indie band I've heard so far. I'm glad that they released a new album. I'll definitely buy their album one of these days.