Vampire Weekend: Contra - CD Review

Unlike the title of their second album, “Contra,” might suggest, Vampire Weekend faces little opposition with the success of their latest project. Two years after their debut into the indie-rock scene with their self-titled album, Vampire Weekend presents 11 tracks of fun, eclectic beats, funky bass lines, and catchy guitar riffs in “Contra.”

The Brooklyn-based band steps it up a notch with their fastest, catchiest, and quirkiest batch of singles yet.

“Contra” has a fuller sound than Vampire Weekend’s debut album, as Chris Tomson rocks the percussion with heavier beats and cymbal smashes, and keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij stirs up some catchy dance-like rhythms with just a few notes on his synthesizer. The band is both mellow and energetic in their latest album, and the combination certainly works.

“Horchata” combines the best of explosive drums and sweeping vocals all in a whirlwind of island-esque beats and bouncy string melodies. “In December drinking Horchata,” is on constant repeat as singer Ezra Koenig experiments with a few surprising rhymes. Yes, “horchata” does rhyme with “balaclava.”

“White Sky” is a hidden gem on the album, as it crescendos into an explosion of smashing drums, synthesizer beats, and Koenig’s uplifting “ohhs” and “ahhs.”

“Cousins” appears halfway through the album and rocks out with heart-pounding drums, shredding guitar, and a set of jaunty vocals that transform the song with a modern-day punk vibe.

Not a dull song follows the two hit singles. Fun dance beats with a heavy bass and percussion groove will leave listeners tapping to the rhythms in “Giving Up the Gun,” and the light, playful vocals in “Holiday.”

Koenig’s soft whispers close out the album with “I Think Ur a Contra,” a sweet orchestral ballad that combines symphonic strings and African style world beats. After a full set of fiery rhythms and quirky lyrics, this last track is ironically “anti-contra,” and its haunting piano-lines and poetic melodies give the album the perfect blend of edge and soul.

“Contra” is the kind of album that listeners can calmly appreciate in its entirety, while jamming out to its appropriate levels of soaring vocals and edgy beats at the same time.