Album Review: Vampire Weekend, Contra

Vampire Weekend have created quite a niche for themselves. In 2008, their debut album- styled by the band themselves as ‘Upper West Side Soweto’- showcased a unique combination of Afro Pop, classical music and Indie pop that had critics swooning. With the release of this, their intriguingly titled follow-up, they have added electro accents and M.I.A samples to that already considerable mix, whilst somehow managing not to spoil the broth. Opener ‘Horchata’- name-checking as it does a Mexican rice drink best enjoyed in the summer- may be ridiculous, but second track 'White Sky' might just be their best to date- Along with lead-single 'Cousins' it is ridiculously catchy, and although 'Cousins' features that chimpish ‘eh-ehing’ already heard on 'A-Punk', the song races along with such pace and seethes with such energy that this listener has no time to care. 'Run' is brilliant too- each verse building up into an infectious multi-layered musical chorus, whilst the bizarrely-in-vogue Auto-Tune makes, for once, a useful contribution to a song on the outrageously fast-paced 'California English'. 'Giving Up The Gun' is a welcome break from Ezra Konenig's occasionly irritating high-pitched boyish vocals, whilst 'I Think Ur A Contra' is almost a ballad- slow and oddly phrased it brings an interesting, varied and accomplished album to a close. And whilst Vampire Weekend may not be every one’s cup of Horchata, there's no disputing their unique sound will take some stopping. 7/10