Indie hipsters rejoice! New York indie rock outfit Vampire Weekend’s latest album “Contra” has all the eclecticism to bring in the masses of Bon Iver, Animal Collective and Phoenix aficionados. Vampire Weekend is at the top of its game on this one, bringing their nondescript lyrics, atypical rhythms and clean-cut, shrill vocals to the proverbial table.
The record opens with the chill, summer-day-in-winter tune, “Horchata.” It is a lightly arranged song with sparse melodies that, as the song progresses, we find are strengths. However, the lyrics hardly make any sense: “In December drinking horchata/I’d look psychotic in a balaclava/Winter’s cold is too much to handle/Pincher crabs that pinch at your sandals.” Why would someone drink horchata in December? And what does that have to do with pincher crabs? One gets the feeling that nobody really knows. But because it’s Vampire Weekend, and because indie music usually doesn’t make sense, the lyrical ambiguity is forgivable here.
The rest of the album is filled with melodies that are stretched beyond their logical conclusions, yet somehow manage to remain accessible and catchy. Take “White Sky,” for instance. Vocalist Ezra Koenig’s singing echoes that of a bird at times on this track, arpeggiating to match the bouncy, syncopated beats of the song.
“Holiday” sounds like a summer anthem that Weezer could conjure up, but lacks the belted vocals that Rivers Cuomo can deliver in his sleep. This track is one of the more straightforward songs on “Contra,” which says a lot, considering it clocks in at a mere 2:18. The short length of this and several other songs give the album a fleeting quality, with some of these songs feeling more like filler than they probably should.
“California English” is another confusing song lyrically, with Koenig singing about how you (whoever “you” is) eat “fake Philly cheese steak/but you use real toothpaste.” At this point, the astute listener who was trying to follow along and possibly understand what this band is trying to say will finally give up.
The start-and-stop first single, “Cousins,” is as brief as it is unbelievably catchy. Koenig’s vocals shine here amidst the chaotic musical madness (or genius), all of it coming together to produce something altogether enjoyable. It isn’t difficult to envision the hilarity of a large crowd singing “me and my cousins/like you and your cousins/I can feel it coming!” along with the band in a live setting. While the results may not be the cleanest crowd performance we’ve ever seen, it will still probably make for a fun time for all involved. And that’s all that matters, right?
“Cousins” is followed up by the surprisingly meaningful “Giving Up the Gun.” Sounding like an even chiller Sugar Ray (if that’s possible), Vampire Weekend lends some commentary on ending violence, singing about how “your sword’s grown old and rusty/but beneath the rising sun/it’s locked up like a trophy/forgetting all the things it’s done/and though its been a long time/you’re right back where you started from/I see it in your eyes/and now you’re giving up the gun.” These guys are capable of intelligible lyrics after all!
All kidding aside, Vampire Weekend has managed to once again pull together a decent record. If you are okay with, or even relish in lyrical ambiguity, there will be much to enjoy on this album.
