Are you a Contra?

Previously published in January 28th, 2010 edition of the Purple and White, Millsaps College's campus newspaper

For those of you who listen to Girl Talk or SuperMash Bros or some other awesomely hip electronic artist, I hope you receive the same uplifting emotion from their music as I do. It seems the combination of horribly bad pop music (we all secretly like), with insanely creative beats creates an instant party jam that surrounds you with more joy than a Snuggie can provide. So if it’s not obvious, I have been on the electronic (don’t call them a DJ) art music kick, and I find this genre relatable to Vampire Weekend’s Contra.

To my friends I am notoriously known for listening to the same song or album for days on end, creating an extremely small knowledge of music. Those hindrances aside, I feel qualified to recommend Vampire Weekend’s sophomore album, Contra, to all.

While it seems a band categorized as indie rock would have little in common with artists like Girl Talk, their new album creates the same excitement many receive from this other genre. With the pre-release of “Horchata” last fall as well as “Cousins”, I could tell this album of Vampire Weekend would have the same flavor but a deeper and more soulful feeling to it.

The song “Horchata” explains characteristics of their international influences. Horchata is a traditional Spanish holiday drink made from rice, cinnamon and sometimes milk. The song laments lost days of summer during the cold zap of winter. Not coincidently, their previous album simply named “Vampire Weekend” was released in the spring and appeals through out the year but especially in the summer. “Horchata” does an incredible job of summarizing the album’s aura, creating this simplistic world where we have time to wallow in the moment of changing seasons. I think this highlights part of the appeal of Vampire Weekend. While other music in their Indie Rock genre may appear to have deeper or more complex lyrics, Vampire Weekend creates spirit raising, fun-loving tunes that evoke simplistic emotions we tend to ignore.

This album shows the oil and water themes the band likes to explore. Self described as Upper West Side Soweto, meshing the upper middle class classical music of New York’s less famous Upper West side neighborhood with the joyful and soulful South African Congolese Soweto music. This influence not only creates their sounds but also their song themes. It seems one or more of the band members have dated social ladder climbers, most likely during their time at Columbia University. In “I Think Ur a Contra,” they sing of a woman who wanted “good schools, and friends with pools, but also “rock and roll and complete control.” These opposites seem characteristic of their influence, a clash of upper class hierarchical values with the spirit raising, and passionate sounds of Soweto music.

The woman they sing about seems to be caught in between these ideas of maintaining her class image while giving into her personal impulses of a fun, lively life of rock and roll. It seems many college students, especially at a liberal arts college would fine this “caught in between” idea to be appealing. We are at a transition of growing up, being influenced by different religions, ideas of economics and other social issues. We give into impulses and we regret some actions. Vampire Weekend’s lyrics and unexpected yet joyous melodies can serve as a soundtrack for this limbo time of life. In the same way Girl Talk’s songs provide uplifting comfort, Contra can hold you like a Snuggie.

While I may never pop my collar like some of V. Weekend’s band members, I will constantly be tapping the soles of my topsiders to the beat. And of course, you may not join me in the foot tapping but, find the part of the complexity that speaks to you. You should at least try it, because as you are well aware, we go to a liberal arts college, we are meant to like music like this.