Vampire Weekend

Contra

(XL)

Record Review by Kevan Peterson

Vampire Weekend, the indie darlings who have taken instrumental experimentation and stylistic fusion to a level a few notches above most of their peers, return for their second album, Contra.  Having possibly heard too much praise over the last two years since their first release, the band seems to have bought into their own myth slightly past the point of healthy expansion. 

Turning in a strong album for the most part, there are still distinct moments where the experimentation may go too far and the idea of doing something different just for the sake of doing something different and not necessarily for the betterment of the song, seem to creep through. 

“Horchata,” the opening track, infuses an island vibe with somewhat silly lyrics to create a slightly disjointed tune.  The electric drumbeats kick follow-up track “White Sky” into gear, which uses a chorus of monosyllabic sounds to generate an emotional response with sound rather than words.  “Holiday” plays more contemporary then some of its counterparts, with an unusually straightforward composition.

Vocal manipulation on “California English” makes the lyrics almost unintelligible, while the same short “Morse Code type” dots and dashes instrumentation found on many of Vampire Weekend's songs, comprises much of the undercurrent.  “Taxi Cab” slows things down adding a piano into the mix to good effect.  “Cousins,” not the strongest track on the album, happens to be the band's first single from Contra, a frantic tune that borrows a few tricks from Franz Ferdinand.  “Diplomat’s Son” stands out as one of the more interesting mixes on the album while closing tune “I Think UR A Contra” makes use of lead singer Ezra Koenig’s emotional and vocal range.

Overall, Vampire Weekend shows a promise and fearlessness that is to be commended.  Yet something still seems to be slightly off for this quartet from New York, who have yet to turn in the album they seem to be striving to make.  Perhaps the third time is a charm, but fortunately the second time is still charming enough.