Vampire Weekend Contra Album Review
After running through Contra – Vampire Weekend’s latest – I was left feeling disappointed. What was meant to be one of the most anticipated albums of 2010 – a near complete fail. Now maybe I’m just bitter after listening to Odd Blood – but let me explain…
Back in 2008 – I fell in love with the sickly sweet ballads; hook lyrics; & simple instrumentation that made up VW’s self-titled debut. It was simple, upbeat, & provided much needed relief from the vast array of dream-pop on my playlist.
In comparison – Contra sounds exaggerated & over-produced. Perhaps the notion is that synths + auto-tune = artistic development. In my opinion – the album feels forced.
So what happened?
You might recall a few years ago – the critics really came down on VW: profiled as privileged (white) American kids getting rich off the back of Afro-pop music – my guess is VW took those reviews to heart. Either they care what we have to say or they don’t – but the fact remains that their latest album reeks of the aftermath of broken hearts & bruised egos – and it shows.
Rather than fight the fact that you’re just a bunch of wealthy American kids with trivial concerns – embrace it. Instead of trying to wow us with deep lyrics & auto-tune tricks – stick to what made you great to begin with. If we wanted auto-tune – we’d all be listening to Cher. And Ezra – you’re not enlightening anyone by saying – ‘Half of me is the gasoline’ – most of us are aware of the your country’s dealings by now. Get real.
What VW failed to realize – is that simplicity can be beautiful. Some of the best bands in history had nothing to say – instead they got by on feeling alone. Regardless of the stylistic influences, witty references, or embedded irony – music is about the feeling. Contra has no feeling.
Things today mostly suck & I hear there’s a chance the world is coming to an end – but I don’t want to rock out to all that bad news. Enough about bombs – sometimes a girl just wants an oxford comma.
Best track – “Cousins”
Worst track – “Giving up the gun”
Overall rating – “A” for average
Giving up the Gun – Vampire Weekend
but yea, i get what you mean. if you hear their first CD you can actually hear the instruments and since i wanna start to play the guitar, i listen to the ways they play it. but now in the contra CD you cant really hear the ‘actual’ instruments they used in CD 1. idk. its just how i see it. it’s more pop-y i guess? but i still like it, i just like their old style more.
I don’t necessarily agree with all of the specific criticisms, but I do agree that this is one hell of a disappointing album.