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★★★★★ 5 points (8 reviews)


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  • Issued : 12 Jan 2010

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Item Details

Genre : Rock & Pop Catalogue Number : XLCD429
Format : CD Label : XL
Issued : 12 Jan 2010 Item sourced from : UK
Number of Discs : 1

Contra

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HMV Review

The scholarly Upper West Side Soweto of Vampire Weekend痴 debut sounded self-assured, but on Contra, they step out of their ivory tower with just as much confidence. In all senses of the term, this is a sophomore album. The band still flaunts the collegiate sense of discovery that made Vampire Weekend charming -- and sometimes too precious -- but with more maturity and creativity. Another Discovery is just as much of a force on Contra as any of the band痴 much-noted influences (Afro-pop, Paul Simon痴 Graceland): Rostam Batmanglij痴 electro-hip-hop-pop project with Ra Ra Riot痴 Wes Miles, which released its album LP after the pair found acclaim with their day jobs. While Vampire Weekend aren稚 as shiny and sugary as Discovery, some of that adventurousness rubbed off on Batmanglij痴 Contra production, which plays to the band痴 biggest strength: inspired juxtaposition. The album痴 artwork, which pairs a blonde WASP princess in a popped-collar polo shirt with the term given to Nicaraguan rebels, hints at the flair with which Vampire Weekend play mix-and-match on Contra. They throw listeners into the deep end with 滴orchata, which features a four-on-the-floor beat, thumb piano, rubbery synth bass, and massed harmonies -- almost everything except the spry guitars that helped define their first album. 鼎alifornia English goes farther, tweaking Ezra Koenig痴 yelp with Auto-Tune, the bete noire of those who value 途ealness・in their music; for Vampire Weekend, it痴 just another instrument for them to play with. On paper, Contra痴 hybrids seem more contrived than they actually sound: 敵iving Up the Gun fuses baile funk, house and stadium rock into a sweet melody propelled by choppy rhythms. 泥iplomat痴 Son is even more far-fetched and fantastic, adding samples of M.I.A. and Toots & the Maytals -- exactly the kind of things you壇 expect to hear on a young globetrotter痴 iPod -- to nostalgic chamber pop. The album bustles with so many sounds and ideas that it challenges listeners to decide where to put their ears first, particularly on the single 鼎ousins, a blur of guitars and jump-cut drums that sounds like abstract punk. Despite this busyness, Vampire Weekend are looser and less cryptic than on their debut, allowing them to tell stories like 滴oliday, an Iraqi war protest set to skanking guitars (ever the font snob, Koenig can稚 resist mentioning a headline in ・6-point Futura・. Even the few quiet moments are complex: 的 Think UR a Contra closes the album by wanting, and hating, the kind of privilege that brings 堵ood schools and friends with pools.・And though the band is committed to change, the same joy that soared through Vampire Weekend pops up on 展hite Sky, which boasts a melody so irrepressible that Paul Simon just might want to borrow it. With Contra, Vampire Weekend make Auto-Tune and real live guitars, Mexican drinks, Jamaican riffs and Upper West Side strings belong together, and this exciting lack of boundaries offers more possibilities than anyone could have expected. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide

Credits

Chris Baio(Bass),  Christopher Tomson(Drums),  Ezra Koenig(Vocals),  Rostam Batmanglij(Drums),  Rostam Batmanglij(Keyboards),  Rostam Batmanglij(Piano),  Rostam Batmanglij(Synthesizer),  Rostam Batmanglij(Vocals (Background)),  Rostam Batmanglij(Harpsichord),  Rostam Batmanglij(Vocal Harmony),  Justin Gerrish(Engineer),  Rostam Batmanglij(Engineer),  Rostam Batmanglij(Producer),  Shane Stoneback(Engineer),  Asher Sarlin(Design),  Chris Baio(Group Member),  Christopher Tomson(Group Member),  Emily Lazar(Mastering),  Ezra Koenig(Group Member),  Fernando Lodeiro(Assistant Engineer),  Justin Gerrish(Mixing),  Rostam Batmanglij(Design),  Rostam Batmanglij(Group Member),  Rostam Batmanglij(Mixing),  Rostam Batmanglij(String Arrangements),  Shane Stoneback(Mixing),  Tod Brody(Cover Photo),  Joe LaPorta(Mastering Assistant),  Shane Stoneback(Assistant),  Chris Tomson(Band Photo),  Imran Ahmed(A&R),  Kris Chen(A&R),  Rostam Batmanglij(Sample Programming)

Songs

  •   
    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

Customer Reviews

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  • ★★★★★ 

    太陽の塔  |  大阪府  |  30year  |  23/January/2012

    USのバンドだがUKのエッセンスも入っていて、シンプルながら芯もしっかりあり、ユルさも兼ね備える。音符の中を飛び跳ねて行くような抜群のポップセンス。CousinsのPVを見てトキメかない人はいないでしょう。ウワサでは今年か来年辺りに新作リリースという話も....

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  • ★★★★★ 

    whoyou  |  福岡県  |  40year  |  22/November/2010

    A面・・・じゃなくて前半5曲は1stをベースキャンプに更なる深化を謀った曲、後半5曲は1stをジャンプボードに次なる進化を企てた曲、と見たが、皆さんいかがでしょう?  なんて知ったかしてると、「後半の5曲はアマチュア時代のレパートリーなんだよね」とか漏れ伝わってきたりしがちなんで、迂闊なことは言えない。  何はともあれ、前半5曲はとにかく絶品。 甲乙付け難く筆舌に尽くし難い。 2曲目あたりからもう多幸感でクラクラ。 5曲目にいたる頃には、このままでは幸せ過ぎて死んでしまう、もう勘弁してください状態。 6曲目から若干未消化の曲が続いたところで、ようやく一息ついたような有様です。 後半も勿論悪いわけじゃない。 この5曲で Debut EP で〜すって新人が登場したら当然のように度肝を抜かれることでしょう。 でもたられば。 「深化」路線だけで1枚創っちゃったら物凄いことになったかもね。 「進化」は3rdに取っといて。

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  • ★★★★★ 

    がすたふ孫  |  神奈川県  |  不明  |  13/July/2010

    こんなにも多国籍な音楽性を詰め込み、そして多様な音響を鳴らしているのに、こんなにもシンプルで軽やかに居心地よく聴かせるなんて奇跡的、素晴らしいとしか言いようがない。2010年という年を象徴する名盤だろうと。

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