i cosign this so hard. a few missteps i think ("california english" soudns like a bad max tundra song, the m.i.a. sample is so unnecessary and detracts a lot from the otherwise great "diplomat's son") but overall i mean damn.
― balearific, Monday, 11 January 2010 05:25 (fourteen years ago) link
Man, I'm listening to "Diplomat's Son," and the first thing I thought was, "This sounds like MIA." No shit.
― kshighway (ksh), Monday, 11 January 2010 05:43 (fourteen years ago) link
Record's solid. I loved "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance" off of the s/t, and "I Think Ur A Contra," on first listen, is also beautiful, albeit more subdued.
Also just listened to the cover of Radiohead's "Exit Music" that they did for Stereogum. Let's pretend that doesn't exist.
― kshighway (ksh), Monday, 11 January 2010 05:53 (fourteen years ago) link
Man, between the P4K review of Contra and his Stylus piece, Mike Powell is KILLING IT. Approaching nabisco in terms of constant OTMness.
― Alex in Montreal, Monday, 11 January 2010 06:53 (fourteen years ago) link
Haven't read it yet, but here's the review: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13807-contra/
Does Powell writes for any publications besides P4k?
― kshighway (ksh), Monday, 11 January 2010 06:58 (fourteen years ago) link
*write
Excellent review.
― Tim F, Monday, 11 January 2010 07:08 (fourteen years ago) link
this is an interesting album. cousins is the only thing that sounds like old VW really. giving up the gun is pretty 80s but still VW. i could see this track becoming pretty big. its quite anthemic. the synths and some of the production could maybe be seen as a concession to what everyone else is doing at the mo, but they really personalise it. prob gonna be one of the best albums this year.
― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Monday, 11 January 2010 11:50 (fourteen years ago) link
more exciting than the relentlessly sophisticated Grizzly Bearmore exciting than the relentlessly sophisticated Grizzly Bearmore exciting than the relentlessly sophisticated Grizzly Bearmore exciting than the relentlessly sophisticated Grizzly Bearmore exciting than the relentlessly sophisticated Grizzly Bearmore exciting than the relentlessly sophisticated Grizzly Bearmore exciting than the relentlessly sophisticated Grizzly Bearmore exciting than the relentlessly sophisticated Grizzly Bearmore exciting than the relentlessly sophisticated Grizzly Bearmore exciting than the relentlessly sophisticated Grizzly Bearmore exciting than the relentlessly sophisticated Grizzly Bearmore exciting than the relentlessly sophisticated Grizzly Bearmore exciting than the relentlessly sophisticated Grizzly Bearmore exciting than the relentlessly sophisticated Grizzly Bearmore exciting than the relentlessly sophisticated Grizzly Bearmore exciting than the relentlessly sophisticated Grizzly Bearmore exciting than the relentlessly sophisticated Grizzly Bear
― Space Battle Rothko (Matt DC), Monday, 11 January 2010 11:58 (fourteen years ago) link
sophisticated meaning dreary.
― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Monday, 11 January 2010 11:59 (fourteen years ago) link
"I Think Ur A Contra,"
If this is the actual song title I will hunt these people down.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 11 January 2010 15:05 (fourteen years ago) link
Strap on your weaponry Ned, its for real.
― you gone float up with it (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Monday, 11 January 2010 15:08 (fourteen years ago) link
It's a beautiful song, too.
― kshighway (ksh), Monday, 11 January 2010 15:14 (fourteen years ago) link
They will learn the truth of the dictum "To create beauty is to suffer pain" (which, if not a real dictum, has now been conveniently invented by me).
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 11 January 2010 15:17 (fourteen years ago) link
more trainspotting. 'Taxi Cab' =~
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NBqzWEOXkA
which isn't a bad thing at all
― Fahrvergnügent (herb albert), Monday, 11 January 2010 15:30 (fourteen years ago) link
yeah came here to say that review is excellent
― plaxico (I know, right?), Monday, 11 January 2010 21:08 (fourteen years ago) link
the p4k 1
― plaxico (I know, right?), Monday, 11 January 2010 21:09 (fourteen years ago) link
Is that Radiohead sample at the start of Giving Up The Gun? The twinkly analogue computer sounds from the end of Let Down...
― Space Battle Rothko (Matt DC), Monday, 11 January 2010 23:11 (fourteen years ago) link
analog computer is an oxymoron FYI
― larry craig memorial gloryhole (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 11 January 2010 23:13 (fourteen years ago) link
Not if it's not a real computer.
(Okay, leave me alone, it's late...)
― Space Battle Rothko (Matt DC), Monday, 11 January 2010 23:15 (fourteen years ago) link
http://www.villagevoice.com/authors/mike-powell
― Hoisin Murphy (jaymc), Monday, 11 January 2010 23:19 (fourteen years ago) link
Thanks jaymc!
― kshighway (ksh), Tuesday, 12 January 2010 14:58 (fourteen years ago) link
http://yvynyl.tumblr.com/post/319971293/when-hating-an-album-is-vogue-whats-a-critic-to-do
People like that don't exist outside of Tumblr, right?
― kshighway (ksh), Tuesday, 12 January 2010 14:59 (fourteen years ago) link
"well, selling out to starbucks is just the old selling out to itunes"
wish i think youre a contra didnt sound so chris martiny but i still like it.
― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Tuesday, 12 January 2010 15:04 (fourteen years ago) link
the reasons people don't like bands such as vampire weekend are as varied and as complex as reasons why people like them in the first place.
― that sex version of "blue thunder." (Mr. Que), Tuesday, 12 January 2010 15:05 (fourteen years ago) link
that was for my ol buddy kshwy
if no ones posted this already - http://soundcloud.com/greenshoelace/10-i-think-ur-a-contra
― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Tuesday, 12 January 2010 15:05 (fourteen years ago) link
:-) You're right, Mr. Que. Still, I got the sense from reading that post that he actively didn't want to like the record. Almost as if he had his mind made up before listening to it.
― kshighway (ksh), Tuesday, 12 January 2010 15:20 (fourteen years ago) link
again, ksh, there are probably plenty of people on the other side, who make up their mind to like something before they hear it. . . it's not that mysterious
― that sex version of "blue thunder." (Mr. Que), Tuesday, 12 January 2010 15:22 (fourteen years ago) link
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