New Album from Vampire Weekend is not a “Contra”
I’m probably the last person in the musical blogosphere to mention Vampire Weekend’s second album Contra. Partially due to technical reasons with the site and partially because I wanted to listen each song carefully before putting my thoughts down.
This album reminds me a lot of Kanye’s 2nd album Graduation, in a relative, not musical sense. From song to song you can tell that Ezra Koenig has grown up since the bands first self titled album, Vampire Weekend. In contrast to their first LP (brilliantly indulgent Afro-pop) Contra has musical ambitions set in a multiple of genre’s, showing the musical precision and boldness that VW can bring to the ever changing indie sound. From it’s natural sounds to synth-pops; decorum to peccadillo; party prose to hopeless balladry; Contra blends polarizing sounds in a brave new way and the result will likely be up for album of the year. Have a listen (below) and you won’t be disappointed. My favorites thus far are White Sky, Run and Giving Up the Gun.
Enjoy!
No this isn’t a hidden track from Animal Collective’s “Merriweather Post Pavilion” but that is what Bradford Cox was aiming for when he produced the song. Apparently, he was so thrilled with AC’s latest that he wanted to make an album that sounded just like it. Bradford is doing great work but he might have trouble selling copies of his future look-a-like, I’m just saying…