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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Contra

Vampire Weekend

2010

Contra
Album Summary

This album has been submitted by a user and is not included in any edition of the book.

Contra is the second studio album by the American rock band Vampire Weekend, produced by band member Rostam Batmanglij and released in January 2010 on XL Recordings. It was preceded by the 2009 singles "Horchata" and "Cousins." The album received critical praise and debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200. It was recognized as one of The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far by Pitchfork in August 2014. In addition to their established blend of African music influences with indie rock, the album draws from genres such as ska, dancehall, and dance music. It also incorporates the electro-pop and AutoTune found on Batmanglij's Discovery side-project. The cover of Contra features a candid Polaroid of a woman from 1983. The photo was found by Batmanglij while searching "New York City 1983" on Flickr. Lead singer Koenig states that when he first saw the image, he felt he read "some sort of hesitation" in her face, and that the band discussed at length what her possible age or emotional state could be in the photograph, without ever becoming certain of either. Koenig believed that "wrapped up in her expression is this question: 'How is she feeling?'" and that "maybe she wasn't even really sure at the time." In an interview, Koenig revealed that the woman pictured on the front cover is "now living in Malibu". Koenig has confirmed that the picture was taken in 1983 by photographer Tod Brody and was chosen as a juxtaposition to the debut album's cover which, while taken in 2006, looks as if it "inhabits the same world". Koenig also referred to the woman as "Kirsten" in a post on Twitter. Koenig likens the image to the Rorschach test as multiple meanings can be extrapolated from just a few signifiers, saying, "Some people get very mad when they see a white blonde girl in a Polo shirt." On July 15, 2010, Vampire Weekend, along with XL Recordings and Brody, were sued by Ann Kirsten Kennis, the woman who identified herself as the woman on the cover, for $2 million for using the photo without her permission. Kennis has said that the photo was taken while she was "a high-fashion model under contract with prestigious agencies in New York City.

Wikipedia

Rating

3.42

Votes

77

Genres

  • Rock

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Reviews

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Aug 21 2024
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3

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.

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Aug 21 2024
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5

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

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Aug 22 2024
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5

Love this record. Quirky and fun.

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Aug 23 2024
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5

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

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Aug 23 2024
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5

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

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Aug 24 2024
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5

Me and my cousins and you and your cousins

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Aug 25 2024
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5

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.

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Oct 13 2024
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5

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.

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Oct 13 2024
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5

A very nice surprise! I loved it!

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Oct 23 2024
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5

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!

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Aug 21 2024
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4

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

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Aug 23 2024
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4

Not quite as good as their debut.

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Sep 20 2024
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4

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

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Aug 22 2024
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3

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).

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Aug 22 2024
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3

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.

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Aug 24 2024
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3

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

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Oct 02 2024
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3

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

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Oct 24 2024
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3

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

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Aug 22 2024
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2

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

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Aug 26 2024
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2

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.

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Oct 17 2024
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2

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

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Aug 23 2024
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1

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

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