Totally true! I'm sure I've been on both sides, and still am for some records. Both attitudes are frustrating, but I guess people can't go into listening to a record without expectations unless they're given a record by a band they don't know anything about.
― kshighway (ksh), Tuesday, 12 January 2010 15:28 (fourteen years ago) link
i kind of hated their first record, but the production on this makes me waaay more interested. it's heartening when bands get better instead of getting worse.
― an american hippie in israel (Jordan), Tuesday, 12 January 2010 16:53 (fourteen years ago) link
The vocal melody in the verse of "Giving Up The Gun" sounds exactly like that Wyclef song..."Just cuz she dances go-go, it don't make her a ho, no."
― jennaversicolor, Tuesday, 12 January 2010 16:59 (fourteen years ago) link
jordan otm, this is nicely engineered, haha, reminds me more of hearts and bones than graceland
― plaxico (I know, right?), Tuesday, 12 January 2010 17:52 (fourteen years ago) link
"Universal acclaim" http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/vampireweekend/contra
― kshighway (ksh), Tuesday, 12 January 2010 23:00 (fourteen years ago) link
Okay I like this quite a bit! It certainly feels like Rostam had a big hand in this after his Dicsovery album.
― you gone float up with it (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Tuesday, 12 January 2010 23:02 (fourteen years ago) link
dicksovery
― an american hippie in israel (Jordan), Tuesday, 12 January 2010 23:06 (fourteen years ago) link
some of the songs really annoy me and yet i'm still enjoying listening to them for the production
(and a couple i really like)
― an american hippie in israel (Jordan), Tuesday, 12 January 2010 23:07 (fourteen years ago) link
studio tricks nabbed from mirage era mac a bit but that might b jus cos they covered everywhere
― plaxico (I know, right?), Tuesday, 12 January 2010 23:10 (fourteen years ago) link
― an american hippie in israel (Jordan), Tuesday, January 12, 2010 6:06 PM (8 minutes ago)
go big or go home man, dicksuckery
― k3vin k., Tuesday, 12 January 2010 23:15 (fourteen years ago) link
the alternative press excerpt on metacritic is sadly pretty otm
Misguided in points, Contra shows a more accomplished and daring Vampire Weekend--albeit a less endearing one. [Feb 2010, p.97]
― samosa gibreel, Tuesday, 12 January 2010 23:25 (fourteen years ago) link
Late to the party, as always, finally got around to picking up the S/T debut last week and I've been listening to it constantly; I think it's fucking great.
A couple of days ago "Horchata" showed up on my iPod and I expected to dig it but I HATE the lyrics - it's like watching a guy ride a unicycle: "I could do that - but why would I want to?"
But it could well grow on me - some of the songs I didn't like on the first one at first did.
― Did you say you were going to mangle the light? (staggerlee), Wednesday, 13 January 2010 00:23 (fourteen years ago) link
surprisngly good record.basically, it's Vampire Weekend Meets Dirty Projectors - more sophisticated. and they do sound more "professional" as a band.i think the production ideas and playing is better than the song writing, which now sounds a little too repetetive/familiar (though less catchy than the debut).
― Zeno, Wednesday, 13 January 2010 15:17 (fourteen years ago) link
quite a bit of this record is just them trying diff/new stuff out/trying to show theyre not a 1 trick pony (save for cousins, which is very much like the debut, but no worse for it) - not all of it sounds totally comfortable/perfect, but you have to give them credit for that, and also for the fact it is all pretty intriguing/enjoyable, even if you do miss them just being 'them'. not many bands can switch up their sound without losing a lot of what makes them good.
― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Wednesday, 13 January 2010 15:33 (fourteen years ago) link
otm
― Zeno, Wednesday, 13 January 2010 15:34 (fourteen years ago) link
I miss some of the clean guitar solos a bit but this is enjoyable. I especially like Taxi Cab so far
― spiny doughboy (baaderonixx), Wednesday, 13 January 2010 16:15 (fourteen years ago) link
Think there's a lot to be said for the lightness-of-touch they display on this album... anyone else trying to make this record would end up sounding like complete cunts, and that they haven't is an achievement in its own right.
That said, I'm sure they've deliberately made the whole record as annoying as possible to anyone who didn't like them the first time round.
― Space Battle Rothko (Matt DC), Wednesday, 13 January 2010 19:18 (fourteen years ago) link
toooooooooooo many slow songs
― congratulations (n/a), Wednesday, 13 January 2010 19:22 (fourteen years ago) link
"That said, I'm sure they've deliberately made the whole record as annoying as possible to anyone who didn't like them the first time round."
and also to people who did.
― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Thursday, 14 January 2010 10:18 (fourteen years ago) link
uggghhhh@tht tumblr post
― cozwn, Thursday, 14 January 2010 10:39 (fourteen years ago) link
January 7th accusation (sorta)that appeared (before the Haitian earthquake) on a blog. The full blog post uses an, uh, unusual term to describe certain music listeners(but that's a different issue)
The song “California English” sounds a lot like Haitian kompa music. Kompa is a kind of folksy, but soulful, sound out of Haiti and some African countries have similar sounding music. VW are speaking in a very indecipherable way that might as well be Haitian Creole. They might want to try their luck in Haiti with this record. Above, are the songs “California English” by Vampire Weekend and “Ke’m Pa Soté by Boukman Eksperyans, a Haitian band. I’m not saying they’re the same song but the similarities are undeniable.
http://www.on221.com/?p=9700
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 14 January 2010 13:28 (fourteen years ago) link
A pleasant album, but way too slow, and not many standout tracks unfortunately. Typically mediocre follow-up album with three or four decent songs, rest we forget. The remaining songs are not bad either, just can't imagine that I will listen them again intentionally.
― zeus, Thursday, 14 January 2010 15:24 (fourteen years ago) link
a contrast!
Quietus
''Cousins' is a curious choice of lead single, representing something of a red herring with its blistering staccato rhythm and agitated vocal urgency. It's defiantly uncommercial by Vampire Weekend's standards, and ushers in the album's weakest section: the stodgy AM rock of 'Giving Up The Gun' and ropey cod-reggae of 'Diplomat's Son' (the latter only partly redeemed by Koenig's rather incongruous Morrissey impression)'
Our Mr Reynolds
'"Cousins" very very good"Giving Up the Gun" sensational"Diplomat’s Son" supersensational'
― Freddy 'The Wonder Chicken' (Gukbe), Thursday, 14 January 2010 15:38 (fourteen years ago) link
Nope both "Giving up The Gun" and "Diplomat's Son" are ace.
― Tim F, Thursday, 14 January 2010 15:39 (fourteen years ago) link
My two favorite tracks!
― Hell is other people. In an ILE film forum. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 14 January 2010 15:43 (fourteen years ago) link
diplomat's son and white sky are the highlights so far
― plaxico (I know, right?), Thursday, 14 January 2010 15:43 (fourteen years ago) link
Yeah I love "White Sky" though I feel it's also the kind of track that I would love, which makes me want to find another track to call my favourite. Silly I know.
― Tim F, Thursday, 14 January 2010 15:45 (fourteen years ago) link
White Sky is my favourite thing here by some distance. There's something quite effortlessly charming about the chorus.
― Space Battle Rothko (Matt DC), Thursday, 14 January 2010 15:45 (fourteen years ago) link
yeah I'm kinda loving "Diplomat's Son" and its viva hate stylings
― spiny doughboy (baaderonixx), Thursday, 14 January 2010 15:46 (fourteen years ago) link
Wow. Never thought of that!
― Hell is other people. In an ILE film forum. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 14 January 2010 15:48 (fourteen years ago) link
horchata 4eva
― cozwn, Thursday, 14 January 2010 15:53 (fourteen years ago) link
"White Sky" is the most Paul Simonesque track on it. I guess that's not an issue in a bad way for some of ya.
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 14 January 2010 15:57 (fourteen years ago) link
Seconding "Horchata," esp. for the way Ezra delivers the line "Oh you had it, but oh no you lost it."
― kshighway (ksh), Thursday, 14 January 2010 15:59 (fourteen years ago) link
I like how the first half of the album is all More Songs About Buildings and Food and the second turns into Fear of Music.
― Hell is other people. In an ILE film forum. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 14 January 2010 15:59 (fourteen years ago) link
'giving up the gun' is the only one i really like so far, instead of just admire
― an american hippie in israel (Jordan), Thursday, 14 January 2010 16:00 (fourteen years ago) link
I'm with the Quietus there, those two songs are the worst bits on "Contra".
― zeus, Thursday, 14 January 2010 16:24 (fourteen years ago) link
I think I could grow to dig their David Byrne if I enjoyed their Frantz-Weymouth.
― da croupier, Thursday, 14 January 2010 16:50 (fourteen years ago) link
i love this album-- at first i thought the one knock on it is that as individual songs, the album tracks don't really stand alone in singularity like "m79" or "campus" or what have you but i think it's actually kind of a strength. the album is so easy to listen to straight through. the final three songs are prob my favorite part of the album ("horchata"/"white sky" aside). ezra really sounds great over those brittle, percolating keyboards
― J0rdan S., Thursday, 14 January 2010 22:07 (fourteen years ago) link
''Cousins' is a curious choice of lead single, representing something of a red herring with its blistering staccato rhythm and agitated vocal urgency.
Doesn't this pretty much parallel "A-Punk"?
― Lt. Colonel JOHN NAGL (The Reverend), Thursday, 14 January 2010 22:38 (fourteen years ago) link
"White Sky" is the most Paul Simonesque track on it.
Yeah, the guitar line is VERY similar to the guitar on Simon's "Crazy Love pt. 2", though the pace of the VW song is faster. Still, it's among my favorites on the new record.
― scott pgwp (pgwp), Friday, 15 January 2010 00:50 (fourteen years ago) link
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/16/arts/music/16vampire.html
Mr. Koenig has a beautiful, lithe voice
??
― velko, Sunday, 17 January 2010 04:59 (fourteen years ago) link
lol of course whiney hates this
i dig any of the tracks that sound like paul simon or are just chill cool traxx to vibe out to. i dont really like cousins at all, as a result.
― not a playa but i ilx a lot (deej), Sunday, 17 January 2010 10:45 (fourteen years ago) link
outside of (but also including) rap, really feelin 'lifestyle music' lately. if someone says it will soundtrack my shopping trip @ starbucks/ikea/etc ill probably be more likely to dig it. i guess this is sub-max but what can u do
― not a playa but i ilx a lot (deej), Sunday, 17 January 2010 10:47 (fourteen years ago) link
Basically agree with that take. I quite like "Holiday" and "Cousins" but they're not what I go to this album for.
― Tim F, Sunday, 17 January 2010 11:47 (fourteen years ago) link
― velko, Sunday, January 17, 2010 4:59 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
"beautiful""lithe"
― لوووووووووووووووووووول (lex pretend), Sunday, 17 January 2010 11:54 (fourteen years ago) link
great album. "giving up the gun" and "diplomat's son" both kinda suck but i think the former could actually work really well on radio, they'd be smart to make that a single
― guardian nagle (k3vin k.), Sunday, 17 January 2010 14:10 (fourteen years ago) link
i feel like this one is more pro but songs are maybe not as good
the other thing abt this band is how their two most quoted couplets have to do w/obscure drinks and garments and its supposed to represent their whole much discussed class signifiers thing - but isnt that just knowing what things are called
― ice cr?m, Sunday, 17 January 2010 15:27 (fourteen years ago) link
o and this holiday song is hella annoying - totally skipped past it
seems like theyre maybe going for something more universal and authentic and thats the problem
― ice cr?m, Sunday, 17 January 2010 15:38 (fourteen years ago) link
that sentiment is just not as believable from this from this guy
― ice cr?m, Sunday, 17 January 2010 15:41 (fourteen years ago) link