Vampire Weekend’s highly anticipated second album Contra isn’t due until next Tuesday, January 12th, but rather than testing the patience of their rabid fanbase any further, the New York band premiered their entire new LP on their MySpace Music page yesterday. The group had previously unveiled singles “Horchata” and “Cousins”.
Rolling Stone recently spoke to Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij and Chris Baio about recording their second album, how they captured the California sound without ever laying down tracks in Cali, Baio’s favorite song on Contra and testing out the new material live in Mexico for the first time. Watch our exclusive interview with VW above.
In his four-star review of Contra, Rolling Stone managing editor Will Dana compares the band’s catalog to Wes Anderson films: “If Vampire Weekend was Rushmore, Contra is their Royal Tenenbaums: brainy, confident and generally awesome. Where much of the first album’s charm was conceptual — Ivy League guys mashing up J.D. Salinger and King Sunny Adé — here the band has put on some muscle. The drums are bigger, the guitars are faster, and the songs are outfitted with synth beats and hip-hop, reggae and electro accents.” Read the rest of Dana’s review here, plus grab it in the next issue of Rolling Stone, hitting stands this week.
Related Stories:
• Vampire Weekend on the Birth of New “Contra” Single “Cousins”
• Vampire Weekend Unload New Song “Horchata,” Tour Dates
• Vampire Weekend’s New Album “Contra” Out January 12th
Article Source: Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily