Vampire Weekend – “Contra”
XL Recordings
– out Jan 12
3.5 / 5
With a pastiche of Animal Collective electronica comes the second full-length from Vampire Weekend, the ambitious and playful “Contra.” Right now, it’s that opener “Horchata” that’s got us grooving: pure, blissful beeps and boops; light lyrics a la Fun. (the band). It’s light and poppy, and pretty easy to get into “Contra,” but it lands somewhat closer to Fun. than AC when it comes to musical complexity; that’s to say that it’s not as deep as we’d like it to be. Nonetheless, you get quality singles such as the one above and “Run,” which hails back to our Pacman days texturally speaking (in a good way). It’s not all smooth sailing here, with the somewhat insubstantial “Holiday” and the cluttered “California English” included being easy enough to skip; nonetheless, the average listener could spin this for a couple weeks easily. In short, not as deep as we’d like, but fluffy and fun enough to merit your time and your Hamilton (that’s approx. $10). Recommended.
Listen to: “Horchata”: www.myspace.com/453173424
It never occurred to me to consider AC's influence on the Weekenders, but now it seems fairly obvious. Melodically, there is some similarity to fun. as well. Pretty nice combination if you ask me!
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