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Out in Australia today!

 

Having heard the album streaming on their myspace, I think it is pretty brilliant!

A lot of people are saying it's not as good as their first, but I would say it is about equal, it just doesn't have the same 'whoa what is this new unusual sound' about it, because we already know Vampire Weekend.

 

A Very solid album, particularly the first half.

 

8/10

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Can someone give me a track-by-track review of Contra? :D

I refuse to listen to it until I get it on CD! :veryangry2:

 

OK, here goes the review!

 

 

Horcharta:

This is of course the track released late last year, full of bells and thumb piano with a very funky electronic rhythm going on underneath.

6/10

 

White Sky:

Begins with a really smooth electronic beat that continues throughout the song. Has a kind of ethiopan feel about it, albeit with an electronic edge. One of the highlights of the album with an unforgettable, catchy vocal hook.

 

10/10

 

Holiday:

This album's A-Punk. fast, upbeat, and with a reggae-ish keyboard going on. Another great vocal performance.

 

8/10

 

California English:

Begins with a very unusual beat, with everything almost completely out of sync, but it works. A very cool little guitar riff in this one, although at times the vocals in the verses can be slightly annoying. The second half of the song goes a little classical and it's great.

 

7/10

 

Taxi Cab:

The album slows down a bit here, and is almost what one could call a ballad, with beautiful piano throughout and a tasteful dose of strings. Doesn't quite fit the flow of the album so far, but is a great song in it's own right.

 

8/10

 

Run:

An upbeat song with a big chorus, another highlight of the album.

9/10

 

Cousins:

The lead single from the album, a very fast-paced number, but also the least enjoyable track on the album. Lacks the same depth and texture as the rest of the album.

6/10

 

Giving Up the Gun

If Vampire weekend ever did an anthem, this would be it. You could almost call it African stadium rock. Don't fear though, it works incredibly well, and is great to listen to on the go. The ending is something special.

9/10

 

Diplomat's Son

Far and away the longest track on the album, and perhaps the most unusual. A great breakdown through the middle makes this one very enjoyable!

7/10

 

I Think Ur a Contra

Another slow ballad style song with incredible depth and texture in the music. Very Radiohead-like on a number of levels, with a wonderful Chopin-esque piano piece drifting in and out of the song. Quite an unexpected ending to a solid sophomore album.

9/10

 

Overall: 8/10

A very solid album, with a couple of absolute standout tracks such as White Sky, which will undoubtedly go down as one of the songs of the year. A nice little dose of progression but still very much a Vampire Weekend album.

 

 

I hope you enjoy!

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the album has received rave reviews here's a summary. note some i've given an estimate where there was no score.

 

# Absolute Punk 8.9/10

# BBC 8/10

# Boston Phoenix 7/10

# Clash (8/10)

# Drowned In Sound (6/10)

# Entertainment Weekly 7/10

# The Guardian 8/10

# IGN Music (9.6/10)

# LA Times 7/10

# musicOMH 8/10

# NME (8/10) link

# Pitchfork Media (8.6/10)

# Rolling Stone 8/10

# Spin 8/10

# Toro 8/10

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I still don't think it tops LP1. It doesn't have the apparent surprise factor that they had because of such an original sound. I think people are impressed with LP2 because they have been able to successfully maintain that originality whilst providing some evolution of their music and creativity. So in that sense, It deserves to get the same reviews as LP1 got, but I still don't think its better.

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