CD REVIEW: Vampire Weekend "Contra"

Vampire Weekend is definitely one of the most fun bands making waves these days. Their meshing of sensible pop with world music, reggae, and electronic music makes them a unique band, unlike anything out today. This album takes over right where their critically acclaimed debut left off and doesn't skip a beat. They up the ante on this one, adding synthesizers where necessary and even spice it up with some Auto-Tune. "Horchata," which they gave away for free when they announced the album to the world, is most like anything that you'd have heard on their debut. The coolest song on the album is "White Sky" with it's 80's vibe and clever lyrics. The lead single, "Cousins," is reminiscent of A-Punk but with more of an in-your-face delivery. You can definitely sense the influence of world music throughout the album stemming from lead singer Ezra Koenig's work with The Vest Best last year. In particular "Diplomat's Son" and "California English" showcase that electronic/world sound. Vampire Weekend are a breath of fresh air in a seemingly copycat music industry and this album proves that sticking with what works only gets better with time.