Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Preview :: Vampire Weekend - Contra


You may have seen this photo floating around the internet and thought, polo advertisement, and not clicked on it. (This was of course before there were any words on the photo.) Others of you may have thought, preppy porn...sweet, and clicked on it only to find a website with just this picture posted. Still others of you may have done some research and found out that this photo is a teaser promotion and the cover of Vampire Weekend's second album, Contra, to be released on January 12th.

The girl is in New York City in 1983, and she's still alive today. The cover and title have something to do with Vampire Weekend being ousted for going to Harvard. The mentality is, "If these guys are so smart, they shouldn't be making music, they should be saving lives or changing the world!" But, no one criticizes Harvard business majors that use their intelligence to make money. The band addresses this stuff in their interview with pitchfork: here.

The first song they've released is a breezy vacation to the beaches of Jamaica. Horchata is made from almonds and it's the national drink of Spain and is very popular all throughout Latin America. There don't seem to be any traces of anger or resentment toward haters, but quite the opposite. The sound is a relaxed Vampire Weekend, compared to the afro punk pop jamborees on the last album. There's a unique mixture of digital and tribal drums, synthesized and plinking xylophone, that never becomes odd or trite.

Tracklisting for Contra:
1. Horchata
2. White Sky
3. Holiday
4. California English
5. Taxi Cab
6. Run
7. Cousins
8. Giving Up the Sun
9. Diplomat's Son
10. I Think UR A Contra (...alas, the internet age...)


www.vampireweekend.com

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