Released - 1/12/09
Label - XL Recordings
BLURB - Contra is dangerous footing for a music review. It's entirely too cliche to denounce the preppy New Yorkers and write off this album as a failed attempt to elaborate on their charming self-titled 2008 release. Likewise, it's entirely too predictable to say the album is amazing and once again somersault on to the Vampire Weekend bandwagon. What's even more unoriginal is to remain neutral, and tepidly suggest that while Contra is a great record in it's own right, there are certainly some detracting factors to it's inherited greatness. At gun point I'm not a huge fan of Contra. That is not to say that I don't think it's a solid sophomore effort, it is. But there are a ton of risks and experiments on this album, both musically and lyrically, that clearly push the quartet through some growing pains in a manner that is fairly easy to see and hear. That being said, Vampire Weekend's talent is too visible to not recognize and appreciate.
Rating - 7 out of 10
FULL STORY - What ultimately hurts Ezra Koenig and company is the combination of creativity and free time. There was exactly two full years between Vampire Weekend's releases...this was probably about six to eight months too long of a period. That's too much time to tinker in the studio. Too much time to try and refine their sound. Too much time to experiment. What really made Vampire Weekend's self-titled 2008 release amazing was the fact that it was four privileged, yet intelligent musicians and a room full of instruments. Nothing more, nothing less. It really sounded raw and creative, while being to the point. There weren't any expectations, guidelines or provisions and that's what allowed Vampire Weekend to be great...nobody was looking. Now that everyone is watching, I feel that Vampire Weekend really felt the pressure to put out out the best record of the new decade. Although it's impossible to succeed with that kind of pressure and so many eyes watching, in the end Vampire Weekend does an admirable job and still puts out one of the better albums of the year...but let's be honest...it's not what it could be.
So let's start with the single, no? "Horchata" grabs the listener with it's island influences and bright melodies. Throw in a xylophone and that trademarked Vampire Weekend wit and you have a very respectable introduction to Contra. The whole feel of this track is very bubbly and has an array of laid back reggae undertones...it really makes me want to drink a mojito while reading the Wall Street Journal. It's a bit too poppy for my taste, but the tempo is switched up enough with some nice percussive wrinkles and stringed arrangements to distract me.
The best song on the album is the second single, "Cousins." Here we have a feverish pace combined with a wackiness that I can't help but compare to Vampire Weekend's breakthrough "A-Punk." The drums are filled with momentum, constantly speeding up and slowing down with the tempo of the song. A mixture of wood blocks and snare rolls flavor up the percussion and help to accent Koenig's lyrical musings. The main riff is short, chunky and to the point and is juxtaposed to a series of intricate, descending motifs that are strummed like a gambling addict impatiently scratching off a lottery ticket. Combine all of this with an ending that is filled with Christmas bells and crash cymbals and you have the best of what Contra offers.
"White Sky" is one of the newer-sounding tracks which, for me, the jury is still out on. Here Rostam Batmanglij's creativity shines through. He is the brains for the majority of the string arrangements and production for the band, but for this track he conjures up a very explorative synthy-keyboard motif that echos throughout the song with a faint clap track in the background. Is this is the new Vampire Weekend? All I heard last year was synthesizers and clap tracks, and I'm not sure if this is a suit best fit by Vampire Weekend. Perhaps it will grow on me?
The third track on Contra is "Holiday" and almost has an early 2000's ska feel to it. Almost. The creative energy is very evident, and while sounding like a throwback of sorts, "Holiday" somehow sounds new. The bridge to this track brings the vocals down to that of a whisper while chopped up guitar and piano notes cleverly repeat, leading back in to another lapping of up-stroked barre chords. It's simplicity and accessibility make the song very easy to like.
"California English" is a grease fire. Vampire Weekend should never use auto-tune, ever. Even though the vocal manipulation was used mildly and is not overpowering...it's still there and is incredibly annoying. I can't take the song seriously and it's a 'must-skip' song if you're trying to listen to the album in it's entirety. For the most part the music is all over the place with very little continuity. It's very herky-jerky. The only bearable portion of the song is the string filled bridge in which Koenig (via auto-tone) delivers up some playful imageries of posers:
"Sweet carob rice cake, she don't care how the sweets taste. Fake philly cheesesteak, but she use real toothpaste."
I know I don't like the auto-tune, but there is another new musical facet on Contra that I'm not sure if I'm in love with. For whatever reason, Vampire Weekend decide to sample M.I.A on "Diplomat's Son," a very slow and monotonous beach number. It's completely uninspired and lulls the listener to sleep with electronic loops and island keys. The song really stumbles in the middle when we're forced to listen to yet another clap track, this time battling an acoustic piano (that is clearly trying to play a different song). This bridge provides us with about thirty seconds of solid head scratching.
The head scratching continues on "I Think UR a Contra." Sounding like something that couldn't make the cut for a Papercuts record, the final track is far too vast and spacious. Droning synth and ambient guitar trickles provide an airy backdrop for nothing to happen. And it doesn't. With the exception of the final chorus being accompanied with congas and acoustic guitars...nothing happens. I'm aware that there was meant to be more of a shift in focus towards the lyrics on this track, but with miniscule instrumentation and no kind of discernible melody, it's really hard to pay attention.
Like all albums, Contra has it's peaks and valleys, and for what it's worth I think it's a great sophomore effort from the band. However, it's really not what it could be. They've vacated their unique musicality and have chosen to drag their feet through the current fads of indie music. Clap tracks, auto tune and hip hop samples just don't fit the Vampire Weekend that we've all come to love. At least not for me. Even with all of this criticism the album perseveres and provides a fair amount of enviable brilliance. "Cousins," "Holiday," "Giving Up the Gun," and "Run" are all amazing in their own right and affirm that, while Vampire Weekend may have experimented a bit too much with their sound, we still love them.
Tracks
1.) Horchata
2.) White Sky
3.) Holiday
4.) California English
5.) Taxi Cab
6.) Run
7.) Cousins
8.) Giving Up the Gun
9.) Diplomat's Son
10.) I Think Ur a Contra
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