Thank God Its The Weekend. The Vampire Weekend.
Vampire Weekend When Vampire Weekend released their eponymous debut album in 2008, it had arrived after the bands meteoric rise to fame via the Internet. Before the album had even been released, the band had already given rise to strong emotions from those who had cottoned on to the hype. They received a somewhat ‘marmitesque’ opinion from anyone that listened to them, either loving their unique sound and eclectic influences or simply hating them. For me it was the former, and I still don’t see what some find so displeasing about Vampire Weekend. Having said that, it may be because they are four Indie boys from the States, who are well educated, ‘well rich’ and as preppy as Jack Wills gilet. I cant say that I'm favourable to their quite obvious obsession with Ralph Lauren polo shirts, which happens to be the attire of the very nice looking girl on the front cover of 'Contra' (their new album). The band is actually yet to explain who the girl acutally is. But all the hype and hatred aside, there is no denying that their debut album was a masterful piece of Indie pop fusion like I had never before heard. So now rather than consider whether or not the new album ‘Contra’ changes the opinion of people, lets focus on the musicality of this album and instead consider if it is as infectious and charming as its predecessor.
Do you know this girl? She likes polo tops.
The album opens with ‘Horchata’ a song that immediately reminds us of why we fell in love with them at first. It replicates the quirky lyrics, high-pitched singing of singer Ezra Koenig, and the harmonised chants that were a major feature on their debut. The arrangements of xylophones and glockenspiels decorate ‘Horchata’ perfectly, offering a interesting vibe. Similarly ‘White Sky’ is again reminiscent of their sound on the first album, yet slightly matured. Ezra’s vocal line for the chorus in the track is a mesmerising hook. But although pleasing and still catchy, no real change can be pinpointed in these first couple of tracks. In fact, this argument could really be made for a number of tracks including ‘Holiday’, the harpsichord accompanied ‘Taxi Cab’ and ‘Run’.It is, as we get further into the album that the differences and signs of change and improvement show. ‘California English’ is certainly different, clearly influenced by guitarist Rostam Batmanglij’s side project Discovery. It pays good tribute to the video game the album was named after, with a tetris style jingle incorporated. Also, it is fair to say that it’s the first song using auto-tune on the vocals that has ever really agreed with me. A far cry from Kanye West’s ‘808’s and Heartbreaks’, and thank God for that. ‘I Think You’re a Contra’ is also different to the Vampire Weekend status quo, with a far more mellow feel. It is down tempo and as sullen as the band has ever probably managed so far. This is an all round impressive album, and arguably in need of more listening than the first, in order to really appreciate the best aspects of it. Still there are 2 tracks that really stand out in my opinion. The first is ‘Cousins’, a fantastic ska punk head popper, which shows off the bands more aggressive side (minimal that this may be). On this track the guitar takes prime position, with pulsating riffs that are as staccato as an angry woodpecker. The video to go with it is also definitely worth watching. The other track is ‘Diplomat’s Son’, a slightly obscure love song about the concerns of a young man. The son of a high profile diplomat with seemingly homosexual urges. It is certainly Ezra’s most accomplished vocal piece, sung with real emotion and good falsetto control. Along with a reggae styled off beat grove and bass line, it amounts to probably the best track on the album. ‘Contra’ is certainly not a revolutionary move by the band, and it is not poles apart from their first album. However, there was and is still nothing quite like it. They have successfully maintained their originality, and quite rightly too. Although one can criticise the lack of lyrical depth, and attitude of the album there’s no denying that is a musical triumph. It delivered what I had hoped and maybe even more. It has more of the same but with the new twist of added influences and newfound maturity. The only shame is that I may get bored of it quickly from playing it so much.
