Think
As news has slowly leaked over the past few months about Vampire Weekend’s followup to their already classic self-titled debut, speculation ran amok as to the direction the band would take the album. Would it still be the sparky, sharp, afro-punk sound we’d come to enjoy in earnest? Would the prose still be the prerogative, would the musical principals still be in place? To all of these, yes and more as Contra has exceeded expectations and stands as a formidable followup. Awash with sparkling synths and swirling keyboards on one tracks while crackling angular rhythms and terse drum and bass strikes slice through another, the band’s sophomore effort seems in every way an extension of the simple ideas presented on their first album. While perhaps a harder pill to swallow, Contra is in every way a deeper and more satisfying trip, incorporating layers upon layers of wild chorus lines and bringing the commanding voice of Ezra Koenig high up into the mix at every opportunity. Overall a real winner of an album early in the year that’s sure to get many spins at late night, post-collegiate dance parties.
Vampire Weekend – “I Think UR A Contra”