Comprehending Contra

Finding good music takes work. Finding the good in music is even harder. I’ve listened to many albums that aren’t immediately attention-grabbing and memorable, yet I’ve come to realize that, if I give the record a couple of listens and a bit of time, it can actually be pretty darn good.

Contra, the second effort by Vampire Weekend (Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Tomson and Chris Baio), is one of those records. It’s as bouncy and interesting as the band’s self-titled 2008 debut, but remains quite different from its predecessor.

I’ve struggled to find a way to describe how I initially felt about this album. The first time I put the disc on, I was more than slightly unimpressed with what I heard. After hearing Horchata, I seriously doubted the scope of my vocabulary, and California English seemed like a different language. Vampire Weekend boasted the irresistibly hooky A-Punk as well as a number of easily sing-able tracks like Campus and The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance.

Contra just didn’t grab me as much as Vampire Weekend did. Instead, I felt as though it was gently tugging on my sleeve while Koenig’s playful vocals pleaded with me to give the album one more listen. So, I listened to it again and again and again, and that tug turned into an irresistible pull.

Although this record is decidedly less exuberant than Vampire Weekend, it’s evident that the band has grown artistically. After hearing the album a couple of times, I was able to appreciate the intricacies on each track and the astonishing amount of creativity that this group has. Vampire Weekend has developed a sound that is undoubtedly their own: bouncy and artistic pop containing erratic rhythms and imaginative lyrics.

Lyrically, the 10 songs on Contra are on par with those of Vampire Weekend.They aren’t immediate and don’t quite make sense, but that just adds to the intrigue of the music. On Horchata, Koenig sings:

“In December, drinking horchata
I'd look psychotic in a balaclava
Winter's cold it’s too much to handle
Pincher crabs that pinch at your sandals…”

How’s that for creativity?

On White Sky, Koenig’s voice practically acts as another instrument and blends itself seamlessly into the rest of the song, and Run cleverly articulates a desire to escape the daily grind.

“Every dollar counts and every morning hurts
We mostly work to live until we live to work.”

Following 10 listens to this album, I finally came to a grand and satisfying conclusion.

Contra must be some sort of sonic fruitcake; it gets better with time.