Contra

At the risk of bringing out the pitchforks, I’ve never understood the lasting appeal of this band in the indie scene. Sure, you have some interesting melodic hooks and the clever, witty lyricism, but then again so did fun. and a few dozen other indie bands of the era. Do these guys get the credit simply because they were there first? Did the silly little comma song guarantee lasting fortune and fame forever? This LP is a solid and enjoyable listen, but the whole project has definitely soured a bit as the cleverness has turned in on itself and resulted in more bloated, forgettable albums like this year’s ‘Only God Was Above Us.’ Maybe I’m being a boomer on this one, but I just don’t get the hype y’all.

Rating: 10/10

I was the perfect age when this came out to devour it voraciously. Still love VW and their sort of preppy 80s beach vibe.

Love this record. Quirky and fun.

This is a classic indie-pop album. Instant 5/5. Should be in the book.

Love this band. Instant 5 stars. It's such happy, summermusic

Feels just like 2010

Me and my cousins and you and your cousins

Vampire Weekend is one of the most important indie bands from the last 15 years and certainly deserves a place on the list. Their sophomore album continues their indie Afrobeat sound and leans into the melodic sounding like Paul Simon at times.

Great album!

Excellent! I like Vampire Weekend but never did take the time to listen to an album from them. Glad to have finally done that! The mix of styles and clever songs are terrific! A joyful way to spend an evening.

A very nice surprise! I loved it!

Lotta fun to listen to.

Love this!

Of the 'imperial' phase of Vampire Weekend's first three albums, this is the least brilliant. That's about the worst you can say about it. You don't have the shock of the new (with apologies to Paul Simon) of the debut, or the Rostam led electronic swirl of Modern Vampires, this is a transition between the two. That said, it's still getting all the stars. A fantastic album by a fantastic band - I still love them now they're in their goofy dad era!

Interesting choice for Vampire Weekend, but not an unwelcome one. Thoroughly Enjoyable.

Not quite as good as their debut.

Decent, but not in their top 2

I prefer their debut self-titled album instead. But, I like these guys. They have a uniqueness that sets them apart from their contemporaries.

I love Vampire Weekend, can’t believe they were missed off the original list. I would argue they are one of the best indie bands of the 2010’s. Though I would rank their debut over this album, and I consider Vampires in the city to be their masterpiece. But I’m sure everyone has their own option of what is VW’s best album which I think is a sign of a great band.

Clever and well-executed, but I always find this band a little too precious too me (particularly with its deep inflection of that New-Yorkiest of white hipsterism).

The soarer sings with clear singing are most appealing and that makes up at least half the album. Good word smithery and enjoyable synths accompanying the Vampire Weekend guitars and slightly Afro polyrhythms. A high three.

I like Vampire Weekend well enough, but they tend to get a little cutesy-fartsy for me. 3 stars.

Pop, worldbeat, synth-pop, indie. Ni fu ni fa.

Zesty!!!

This album certainly has some nice, melodic moments, but I found it to be overly cutesy for my taste. The modification/tuning of the vocal was straight up irritating. It's very much a defining album of its time though, and it absolutely belongs on the list. Fave Songs: White Sky, Giving Up the Gun, Run, Taxi Cab

The island sound reminds me of Poi Dog Pondering. California English kind of hurt my ears. Fairly melodic throughout, though.

A solid album by one of the better indie rock bands of the 2010s. Vampire Weekend is like when that good looking person you hate is really smart and really good at everything they do and when they talk to you they’re nice and you realize you don’t actually hate them. Contra has all of that and more. It’s fun, beachy vibes with some good modern lyricism. However this is probably my least favorite of their albums. VW is a good fun band. 7.5/10

3 2

I've heard of these guys and I expected it to rock more than this. This is goofy and pretentious. 2.5/5.

I never really listened to these guys outside of whatever singles I was subjected to, which I couldn't discern from other commercial indie rock because it all just blends into a twee wash being vomited into my ears, so this just came off as a bitter pill in anticipation. The first two tracks had some interesting instrumentation, despite an obnoxious and unlikable vocalist who sounded like a digitally treated Paul Simon with all the charisma sucked out of him. The third track seemed to emphasize the vocalist's lack of charisma, and while the arrangement of the fourth track stepped it back up, the vocalist was now shoved to the forefront of my listening experience. There is a tepid ugliness to this, like some aggressively beige throw pillows drawing attention from an otherwise pleasant feng shui. It's like walking into a bathroom that seems pristine and noticing a fleck of shit crusted onto a toilet seat and then all of a sudden every single imperfection pops out to you, except instead of an errant pube or toothpaste spittle spatter, it's plasticky drum reverb and overly produced guitars. Just listen to Graceland and avoid all the aesthetic and production mistakes of the 2010s.

It's a bit too hipster-y for me

Idiosyncratic, eclectic indie pop. I thought I'd like this more than I did. Mildly disappointed. Rating: 2 Playlist track: Cousins Date listened: 16/10/24

I was VERY surprised to find this album as annoying as it is. Alt rock is my jam, understated vibey, a little eclectic... check! But the vocal delivery here plus a nothing that struck me as that melodic or catchy... feeling a bit more pretentious & smugly clever. Even though this is barely over 30 minutes, i was happy for it to be over.

From its name I thought it would be something a little rougher, it is called rock but it is something softer and closer to pop with influences like reggae or Caribbean. The truth is that it didn't excite me much, it didn't turn me on and it seemed to me like just another album among the indie proposals... come on, not even their most successful track achieved it! 1 1/2 stars