Contra
| Vampire Weekend
Contra
Contra is the second studio album by the American indie rock band Vampire Weekend, produced by band member Rostam Batmanglij and released in January 2010 on XL Recordings. The album title is intended as a thematic allegory and reference to the Nicaraguan counter-revolutionaries and the 1987 video game Contra. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Pitchfork
The divisive Vampire Weekend return with LP number two, and Contra finds them embracing their eccentricities without shame or apology.
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Consequence of Sound
Oddly enough, Contra isn’t the sophomore album we expected. It’s not a rehash, but it’s not an outright departure, either. Instead, it’s an amicable blend of the two.
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NME
Moving on, with old charms still remaining.
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A.V. Club Music
Vampire Weekend offers a bevy of sounds and emotions that easily meet listeners halfway every time they enter the band’s magical little contra-world.
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SPIN
Suddenly, the emotional space occupied by the status-wielding assholes in these songs starts to feel like home. It’s icky, but admit it: Once again, you’re their sucker.
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The Guardian
Contra, then, confounds and delights once again, with new heart offsetting Vampire Weekend's not inconsiderable brains.
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The Guardian
The 10 tracks appeal more with every play: initially sounding a bit like Paul Simon's Graceland being covered by 90s geeks They Might Be Giants, they will probably be among this year's most played and most joyful tunes.
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BBC
Complex yet rewarding follow-up from the New York foursome.
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Slant Magazine
Contra succeeds apart from its cultural asides and college textbook hat-tips.
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Express
Put[s] rhythm to the fore.
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The Quietus
When the music is as guilelessly joyous as it is on this album's finest moments, it seems churlish to complain.
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The Mix Online
Combine[s] African and other influences with spare electronica and intelligent lyrics in surprisingly appealing ways.
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Music OMH
This is a fine follow-up to their successful debut.
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Hear Ya
There is nothing overly dense or off-putting here, only some welcomed subtle layering that produces surprising results.
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The Skinny
Contra doesn’t contain as much pop smarts as their eponymous debut, but then that record was such an explosion of ideas and styles that this seems more considered by comparison.
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Clash Music
Remain the most unlikely crowd pleasers.
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Tiny Mix Tapes
If we are at the tail-end of the era of the Album, maybe Contra should be the nail in the coffin; never, at one moment does it take on the appearance of a true front-to-back effort, reveling instead in an outright jumble of tunes that have little to do with each other.
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Drowned in Sound
Contra is a solidly entertaining, well-constructed album, and if people take to it, the tendency to mock the band will, I think, fade, simply because it doesn’t have obviously unfashionable moments to feel uneasy about.
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All Music
With Contra, Vampire Weekend make Auto-Tune and real live guitars, Mexican drinks, Jamaican riffs and Upper West Side strings belong together, and this exciting lack of boundaries offers more possibilities than anyone could have expected.
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The Scotsman
They wore their learning proudly, but everyone knows it's all about the music, dummy, and this clever-clogs quartet, with their lyrical references to punctuation on their single Oxford Comma, are capable of creating hooklines so catchy they could double up as advertising jingles.
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Prefix Magazine
Contra will probably draw dissenters and devotees in even measure, but one thing cannot be debated: Vampire Weekend is the preeminent pop band working in indie-rock today.
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Uncut
Bold, beautiful and carefully contrary, it’s an album by a band in complete control.
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Sputnik Music
Hopefully Contra is merely a minor mishap in a band that’s proven they have better material up their sleeves.
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Spinning Platters
I love that Vampire Weekend is smart enough to know there is no use in fighting who they were. Just embrace it and move on ahead.
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Pretty Much Amazing
Contra represents a band in complete control, a band that can avoid the sophomore slump by balancing the fine line between taking big risks and playing it safe, a band that, two full albums into its existence, has yet to release a song I do not like.
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The Independent
The thing which most strongly aligns them with Simon is their similar playful linking of joyous music with cerebral ruminations.
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Spectrum Culture
Contra shows Vampire Weekend have more depth and talent than detractors give them credit for and this will be the album-warm, poignant, absurdly catchy-to get you through the dreary winter months.
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Rhombus Magazine
Vampire Weekend successfully harmonize the numerous contrasting genres into something rich, catchy and extremely enjoyable.
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No Ripcord
Vampire Weekend’s willingness to write an album of exciting new material, rearranging the very core of the sound they’ve come to be known for, will be maddening on first listen for those who loved their debut—but those who stick it out will discover that there’s a more mature, innovative band in its place.
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NYU Local
Vampire Weekend’s “Contra” Fails At Rebranding And Not Sucking.
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Treble Zine
There is much more going on in Contra, their highly anticipated sophomore album, than what appears on the surface.
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Under the Radar
Vampire Weekend have mettle.
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The McGill Tribune
Overall, despite a few disappointments, the album is successful in cheering you up, whether first thing in the morning or after a long stressful day.
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Robert Christgau
Vampire Weekend give him respect, but "Contra" establishes that his band has chosen another path, celebrating the world's contradictions, contraindications, and contradistinctions with a new pop sound made up of old pop sounds that aren't the same old pop sounds.
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The Ruckus
The quirky clever lyrics, instantly recognisable voice of lead singer Ezra Koenig, and novel and interesting use of unusual instruments that we expect from Vampire Weekend are still very much in attendance here.
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Redbrick
Essentially, Contra is more of the same: but is that really such a bad thing?
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WXPN
Contra, the sophomore effort from Vampire Weekend does not miss.
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Cleve Scene
With an album this lively, Vampire Weekend aren't ready to die.
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Sound Opinions
Vampire Weekend has a terrific drummer and undeniable hooks, but [I] can't get past the preppy yacht schtick. [I] wish they were more critical and thoughtful in their lyrics.
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The Austin Chronicle
Vampire Weekend is impossible to deny.
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Pinpoint Music
Contra is only Vampire Weekend’s second album, and it is pretty damn good trendy pop music.
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CL Tampa
Much, much better.
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Reviler
Plenty of others are chiming in to proclaim the love as well so I am willing to admit that I may be wrong about this one. That still, however, certainly doesn’t make me want to listen to Contra any more than I have to.
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Paste Magazine
On their second LP, the youngsters don’t disappoint.
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Punknews.org
I urge anyone interested in Vampire Weekend to overcome the urge to backlash and give Contra a fair shake. The rewards outweigh the cool feeling one gets from being a dick.
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Boston
Happy or sad, and hype be damned, if this is any sign of Vampire Weekend’s evolution, we’ll gladly take this puppy home.
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The Point of Everything
As long as they keep pushing boundaries, slowly but surely, they could have a longer shelf-life than most would have predicted.
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Tuppence Magazine
It may not be as sharp as Vampire Weekend, but it is a solid follow-up record for the New Yorkers.
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