Vampire Weekend ‘Contra’ // First Listen

Vampire Weekend
‘Contra’
(XL)
// First Listen

With a debut album that became almost omnipresent in 2008, Vampire Weekend had a difficult choice to make for album two. They could have either made a follow-up with as many frenetic riff-laden songs as the first, or mixed it up and experimented with new sounds and influences. With ‘Contra’, they’ve gone and done both. There’s barely a sniff of guitar on some tracks, replaced instead with 8-bit synthesizers and AutoTune. Have Vampire Weekend turned into T-Pain? Answer: no, but let’s find out what they have done.

‘Horchata’
Immediately, you can hear the difference in direction; there’s thumb pianos that mimic the vocal melody, huge vocal-as-instrument layers and no palpable chorus; it’s a far cry away from ‘Vampire Weekend’ opener ‘Mansard Roof’, but no less memorable. If you don’t know, horchata is a Mexican rice-based beverage and although this isn’t a Good Food magazine article, it does sounds pretty tasty.

‘White Sky’
Ezra Koenig’s voice really comes into its own on ‘White Sky’. Again, there’s no real chorus to this one, just a heavy dose of weird, bird-like yelping that’s both catchy and addictive. Despite their yearning to experiment in the opening two tracks of ‘Contra’, there’s been no loss of pop awareness. There’s some guitar, but the song is dominated by a repeated 8-bit melody. ‘White Sky’ has been a live favourite for some time now; around since the debut came out over two years ago.

‘Holiday’
Here’s something that resembles the Vampire Weekend we all know and love. That signature calypso guitar is back, albeit in a reggae/ska-like riff that sounds like it’s about to burst into ‘(Dawning of A) New Era’ by The Specials. But that’s not a bad thing.

‘California English’
There’s a lot going on here; the lyrics are delivered at an almost incoherent pace, there’s lots more vocal wailing, two solos and the heavy use of AutoTune. That’s a lot to cram into two-and-a-half minutes. It’s cynical to say that American pop stars use AutoTune to lend their songs a sense of interest that would otherwise be absent, but it also happens to be true. Vampire Weekend, however, already have an inventive style and, in this case, AutoTune does nothing but compliment that.

‘Taxi Cab’
A typical place in an album to put a slow ballad song is often around the middle; it can help split the album into distinct moods. Or it’s filler. ‘Taxi Cab’ has been billed by Koenig as a love song, but it’s something more than that. He recalls small snapshots of time spent with a loved one, and minute details of their personality that raise it beyond a mere ballad.

‘Run’
More 8-bit Game-boyery on ‘Run’, about as far removed from the debut as they get. There’s fragmented drums, Latin trumpets, some more stylistic experimentation and rhythms that are atypical of Vampire Weekend.

‘Cousins’
This is the first time on the album that Vampire Weekend sound like, well, Vampire Weekend. It almost feels out of place on an album so rich in experimentation. However, ‘Cousins’’ pace, chaotic riff and overall sense of fun are just too damn irresistible.

‘Giving Up The Gun’
This is a big one. It’s not far removed from 90’s house music with its thumping 4/4 chorus and bendy synths. Its bass line bares a close resemblance to Bloc Party’s ‘Flux’, so you should expect an Erol Alkan remix of this soon. Probably.

‘Diplomat’s Son’
Speaking of remixes, ‘Diplomat’s Son’ uses a sample of M.I.A.’s ‘Hussel’ as a broken-beat intro, which only adds to the complexity of this song which darts through about several different genres at once, like a schizophrenic uncle. There’s string quartets, more 8-bit and reggae and a bit of Americana thrown in. it’s the crowning jewel in Vampire Weekend’s inventive musical ability.

‘I Think Ur A Contra’
As far as album closers go, ‘I Think Ur A Contra’ is a very discreet one. A string-led beauty that perfectly closes the second chapter of Vampire Weekend.

Pick up a copy of this month’s magazine for a proper review of ‘Contra’. Or hear it for yourself over at Vampire Weekend’s Myspace and agree/disagree with everything I’ve just written…

Mike Doherty