Review of Vampire Weekend’s “Contra” by Andrea Crews
You can’t help but think of Paul Simon’s “Graceland” when you hear Vampire Weekend’s music. When I first heard their smash eponymous debut, I immediately thought of Frisbee throwing on the campus quad. I don’t get that same feeling with “Contra”. There is a much stronger and pervasive Afro-beat, and I found “Contra” was not as easy or as fun to listen to. This more serious side of Vampire Weekend has layered more instruments and arrangements forcing the listener to take notice.
“Hochata” opens Vampire Weekend’s, “Contra”, and they seem to like drinking it. What is a hochata? Wikipedia defines it as “the name for several kinds of traditional beverages, made of ground almonds, sesame seeds, rice, barley, or tigernuts.” There’s always something new to learn, isn’t there? “White Sky” is reminiscent of the theme to “Darma & Greg”, but that doesn’t take away from the pleasant listening experience. Other highlights on the CD include “Holiday” and “Run”. “Contra”’s first single, “Cousins”, sounds like it’s the odd man out among the 10 tracks. The surf guitar sound is a bit out of place compared to the rest of the tracks.
No beer and Frisbee with your first listen of this CD. However, if you like Vampire Weekend, “Contra” won’t disappoint. If you aren’t familiar with the band, buy their last CD and give it a listen first. Check them out on the March 6th installment of “Saturday Night Live”.
