In their short two-year existence Vampire Weekend have impressively managed to gather as many fans as they have detractors who’d love the preppy popsters' second album to fall flat on its face. Their debut amazingly managed to strike a chord with such a wide audience by being both fun and original. Their music appears simple but very few have been able to copy their formula during their time off. I had my personal doubts about their follow up album in the lead up to its release but have been pleasantly surprised by the development of these hip New Yorkers.
Contra sees Vampire Weekend continue their musical journey in Saharan Africa as the band's influences in African pop and classical music remain. But what’s immediately apparent is that there is more range to this album than their self-titled debut. Even though it’s a ten-track listen the variety of songs is impressive, as they range from ska touches on ‘Diplomat’s Son’ to soaring electro numbers such as ‘White Sky’. Whilst Contra is less immediately catchy compared to its predecessor it’s because the band have matured and more is happening to their music. They have managed to find the right balance between euphoric anthems and more delicate and controlled ballads.
Ezra Koenig, their lead singer, has grown in confidence and still manages to come up with super lyrics and an abundance of peculiar references. The band have been inspired by keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij’s electronic side project with Discovery by adding synths to their keyboard arrangements and the odd dosage of autotune to Ezra’s vocals. It’s great to see they have grown since their debut and have added touches of new influences but at the same time remained true to their original cause.
Vampire Weekend had managed to positively avoid Second Album Syndrome whilst developing and expanding their musical horizons. Contra isn’t as contagiously catchy as their eponymous debut but is full of beautiful baroque pop arrangements and jaunty indie-rock resonating over tribal beats. Their brand of upper west side Soweto remains unchallenged and just as fun as it’s ever been.
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