Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Contra Review


(image via Laughing Squid)

One week after its release, I have for you my review of Contra, the new Vampire Weekend album. On first listen, I was not at all impressed. The sound was definitely a departure from their first album (except for "Holiday", which sounds almost exactly like "A-Punk"). None of the songs stuck out as being that great, and it was just generally not very exciting or engaging. However, with a few subsequent listens I started to form a different opinion.

I maintain my original impression that with the exception of "Cousins" and perhaps "White Sky", none of the songs particularly stick out. This is a major difference from their self-titled debut, on which basically all of the tracks were individually fantastic. Despite this, after a second listen, Contra begins to show some worth as an album, and over time some interesting tracks do begin to emerge. With a few more, you begin to realize that Contra is in fact an extremely enjoyable album with some very solid songs. I personally am particularly fond of "Giving Up the Gun" and "Diplomat's Son".

Overall verdit: Its definitely a grower, and if you're gonna get any of it, just buy the album, its not nearly as enjoyable in pieces. Give it a try whether you liked the debut or not.

If you want to give the album a listen (or two) before throwing down the cash, you can stream the album here.

Giving Up the Gun - Vampire Weekend

Buy:
Itunes
Amazon Mp3
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