Those ready to hate Vampire Weekend’s second album, Contra, will definitely find reason to, while those ready to love it will likely do the same. The band maintains the signature sound formed on its self-titled debut, yet also expands to incorporate new arrangements, instrumentation, production, and sampling to create an album that is a little more complex, just as fun, and a little more rewarding to listen to than the first.

My relationship with Vampire Weekend’s 2008 self-titled album was a convoluted one the first few weeks I owned it. At first listen, I wasn’t particularly enamored with it. As time went on, I began to enjoy the record quite a bit until finally saw it as a great album. Yet, that euphoria left me when I realized I could just as easily be listening to Paul Simon’s Graceland if I wanted to hear better attempt at the afro-pop thing. Finally, I was able to enjoy the album on its own merits for what it is: a fun album that, while not breaking any molds, isn’t taking itself seriously enough for us to be angry it’s cribbing  from one of the greats. The buzz around the album certainly wasn’t the band’s fault; nor should we fault the band for it or knock the album down a few pegs. Vampire Weekend ends up being an enjoyable album front to back that doesn’t push the listener into any uncomfortable zones.

Interestingly, the relationship I had with Vampire Weekend’s first record over the course of weeks was replicated in just one listen of their new album, Contra. The opening cut, “Horchata,” does almost nothing for me, and the next few tracks had me worried the album wouldn’t even live up to my moderate expectations. Three songs in, I was ready to write off the whole album. Yet with “California English” and the following track, “Taxi Cab,” Vampire Weekend caught my attention with two amazing songs in a row. The tracks are as different as can be: “California English” is a skittish rocker with spastic, auto-tuned vocals (not to a detrimental effect; don’t worry), while “Taxi Cab” is a beautiful song with piano and vocals taking turns meandering over a steady, unassuming beat.

However, towards the end of “Taxi Cab,” that Paul Simon vibe sneaks back in, reminding me that, really, I could be listening to Still Crazy After All These Years. Then comes “Run,” which actually tends to sound more like Peter Gabriel than Paul Simon, musically speaking, but still manages to make me realize that there are other artists that did this stuff better, first. Adding to that is the single, “Cousins,” which, if slowed down and without the spastic guitar work, could very, very easily be on Simon’s Graceland.

Yet, the album has three more tracks left, and here Contra really picks up as it slows itself down and stretches beyond the ‘normal’ Vampire Weekend sound we’ve come to know and [insert how you feel about Vampire Weekend here]. “Giving Up the Gun” is the album’s best track, with glockenspiel mirroring the vocals through the track (hey, it worked for LCD Soundsystem’s “Someone Great” didn’t it?) and over one of the most interesting beats the band has attempted to date. I want to call this track Vampire Weekend’s response to The Clash’s “Straight to Hell,” but that would overplay the minor aspects of the song. In fact, it’s merely an uptempo song that has a downtrodden feel. And mentioning “Straight to Hell” will just confuse us all, as the next track, “Diplomat’s Son,” samples M.I.A., who (in part) made her name by sampling The Clash song just mentioned.

“Diplomat’s Son” returns to more stable Vampire Weekend ground, but by sampling M.I.A., the band adds something new and exciting to a song that otherwise might sound too Paul Simon-ish, and also shows that they can expand their sound while keeping true to the core of what makes the band popular. Likewise, the final track “I Think UR a Contra” takes what could be a Paul Simon melody, but places it over far more abstract music, making what they’ve cribbed their own. And, at this point, I can once again take the album on its own merits.

So what is this album? Contra is an album from a band that, fortunately, either didn’t listen to or doesn’t believe the hype around them by returning with an album that, while expanding on the sound of their debut, thankfully doesn’t attempt anything epic or grandiose. It’s an album that fully embraces what made the band divisive on the first record, yet pushes beyond that comfort zone. And when it does, Vampire Weekend makes some of its best music yet. That isn’t to say that there aren’t retreads of the first record, or of other artists. But taken for what it is -- the sophomore record from a band that had already proved it was mature enough to record a strong record the first time out -- Contra delivers by playing to the Vampire Weekend’s strengths while shifting the band’s sound enough to let the listener know they’re not a one-trick pony and still evolving and maturing.

Even though they could have put out exactly the same album as the self-titled again to rave reviews or believed their own hype and decided they’re so amazing they could do whatever they want and attempted U2-scale epics, Vampire Weekend does neither of these things on Contra. Th result is a strong second album that shows the natural progression of a band that will likely be around for years to come.
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Catch Vampire Weekend Friday, March 26, at the Riviera Theatre. Tickets are available on Etix.com right now!
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