Contra (album)
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''Contra'' is the second studio album by the American
indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...
band
Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 2006 and currently signed to Columbia Records. The band was formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Ezra Koenig, multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij, drummer Chris Tomson, ...
, produced by band member
Rostam Batmanglij Rostam Batmanglij ( fa, رستم باتمانقلیچ, ; born November 28, 1983), known mononymously as Rostam, is an American record producer, musician, singer, songwriter, and composer. He was a founding member of the band Vampire Weekend, whos ...
and released in January 2010 on
XL Recordings XL Recordings is a British independent record label founded in 1989 by Tim Palmer and Nick Halkes. It has been ran and co-owned by Richard Russell since 1996. It forms part of the Beggars Group. Although only releasing an average of six album ...
. 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 A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
'' in August 2014.


Release

The release of ''Contra'' was announced on September 15, 2009, and was released in the UK on January 11, 2010. It was released in the US on the next day. "Horchata" was released as a free download on October 5, 2009 on the band's website. The first single was "
Cousins Most generally, in the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a cousin is a type of familial relationship in which two relatives are two or more familial generations away from their most recent common ancestor. Commonly, " ...
", accompanied by a 7" single, and a music video. The album was available for streaming on the band's MySpace starting on January 3, 2010. It was also available for streaming from thei
official website
as of January 5, 2010.


Music

In addition to their established blend of
African music Given the vastness of the African continent, its music is diverse, with regions and nations having many distinct musical traditions. African music includes the genres amapiano, Jùjú, Fuji, Afrobeat, Highlife, Makossa, Kizomba, and others. The ...
influences with
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
, the album draws from genres such as
ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...
,
dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...
, and
dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded danc ...
. It also incorporates the
electro-pop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...
and
AutoTune Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances. Auto-Tu ...
found on Batmanglij's
Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discovery ...
side-project. The album has been characterized as pop, "eclectic, intellectual indie rock," and "diffident haute bourgeoisie
synth pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...
." The band made an effort to make their second album a natural expansion on the universe created in their debut album; as a result, ''Contra'' covers a far greater gamut of musical influences than their debut album, drawing inspiration from genres such as
ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...
on "Holiday", synth-pop on "Giving Up the Gun", speed rap on "California English" and even
rave music A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...
on "Run". The production of the album, directed by Rostam Batmanglij, was also different from their former work in that it did not use chamber echo and natural reverb but instead used digital effects to give the album an eighties aesthetic. Other distinguishing features of ''Contra'' are the use of backing vocals as textural elements, the debut of Rostam as a lead guitarist and more layered drumwork in which fundamental Latin beats are blended with drum machines to create a busier rhythm section.


Title and lyrics

The album title is intended as a thematic allegory and reference, not to the Nicaraguan counter-revolutionaries, but to the 1987 video game ''
Contra Contra may refer to: Places * Contra, Virginia * Contra Costa Canal, an aqueduct in the U.S. state of California * Contra Costa County, California * Tenero-Contra, a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland ...
''. The title ''Contra'' is a
Romance language The Romance languages, sometimes referred to as Latin languages or Neo-Latin languages, are the various modern languages that evolved from Vulgar Latin. They are the only extant subgroup of the Italic languages in the Indo-European languages, I ...
(Latin-based) word meaning "against" or "opposite", and is sometimes given as a one-word interjection, used to indicate objection or opposition to an idea or explanation.
Ezra Koenig Ezra Michael Koenig ( ; born April 8, 1984) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, producer, and internet radio personality. He is best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of indie rock band Vampire Weekend. Additio ...
has stated in multiple interviews that the album contains lyrical themes of opposition consistent with its title, and feels it is important to understand that the word "Contra" is a fundamental concept of conflict, without any implication that one side is right or wrong. The lyrics of ''Contra'' are also meant to express a desire to be compassionate even towards people and things one disagrees with. He also states the lyrics of ''Contra'' deal with reconciling feeling of privilege and guilt, for which he uses the term "first-world guilt". ''Contra'' is considered by critics to be instrumental in cementing the cultural significance of Vampire Weekend first formed with their debut record, as ''Contra'' deepens and commits to a general attitude of rejecting traditional notions that rock musicians are poor, underprivileged rebels. Whereas their first album brought to light the prejudices against affluence and wealth in rock music, ''Contra'', even in its title, openly argues this stigma. The lyrics of "I Think Ur a Contra" include the phrase "
Complete Control "Complete Control" is a song by The Clash, released as a 7" single and featured on the U.S. release of their debut album. Background The song is often cited as one of punk's greatest singles and is a fiery polemic on record companies, manager ...
", the title of a Clash single (notably, an influential
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...
triple album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...
by The Clash was entitled ''
Sandinista! ''Sandinista!'' is the fourth studio album by the English punk rock band the Clash. It was released on 12 December 1980 as a triple album containing 36 tracks, with 6 songs on each side. It crosses various genres including funk, reggae, jazz, g ...
'' after the
socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
militancy opposed by the Contras during the
Nicaraguan Contra war The Nicaraguan Revolution ( es, Revolución Nicaragüense or Revolución Popular Sandinista, link=no) encompassed the rising opposition to the Somoza dictatorship in the 1960s and 1970s, the campaign led by the Sandinista National Liberation Fr ...
). This refers partially to the controversy surrounding their punk roots. The title "Diplomat's Son" is a reference to a story singer Koenig wrote while in college about boarding school, though the content lyrically talks about a relationship told by Rostam Batmanglij. The song also features a vocal sample from M.I.A.'s "
Hussel Hussel GmbH is a German confectionery retailer founded in 1949. Hussel operates around 137 retail shops in Germany and Austria. In addition, Hussel sells its products online. Approximately 1,300 employees work for Hussel. Hussel's headquarters is ...
". "Holiday" begins with the opening lyrics of
Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are an English folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Martin Lamble after their first gig.) They started o ...
's 1969 rendition of "
Matty Groves "Matty Groves", also known as "Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard" or "Little Musgrave", is a ballad probably originating in Northern England that describes an adulterous tryst between a young man and a noblewoman that is ended when the woman's ...
".


Artwork and lawsuit

The cover of ''Contra'' features a candid
Polaroid Polaroid may refer to: * Polaroid Corporation, an American company known for its instant film and cameras * Polaroid camera, a brand of instant camera formerly produced by Polaroid Corporation * Polaroid film, instant film, and photographs * Polar ...
of a girl from 1983. The photo was found by Rostam 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 girl 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 girl as "Kirsten" in a post on
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
. Koenig likens the image to the
Rorschach test The Rorschach test is a projective psychological test in which subjects' perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation, complex algorithms, or both. Some psychologists use this test to examine a pe ...
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 XL Recordings is a British independent record label founded in 1989 by Tim Palmer and Nick Halkes. It has been ran and co-owned by Richard Russell since 1996. It forms part of the Beggars Group. Although only releasing an average of six album ...
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." In addition, Kennis said that the release forms for the photo that was allegedly signed by Kennis herself, were forged. In a statement released by Kennis' lawyer Alan Neigher, Neigher said that Kennis discovered herself on the cover when her daughter brought home a copy of ''Contra'' and showed it to Kennis. Neigher also mentioned that Brody did not take the photo and said that it was taken by Kennis' mother. Despite this claim, Brody claims that he took the photo and says that he had the photo for 26 years until Vampire Weekend discovered it on his
Flickr Flickr ( ; ) is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was a popular way for amateur and professional ...
page and bought it for five thousand dollars. Kennis' own former agent, Sue Charney, told '' Vanity Fair'', "To me it is very clearly a Polaroid taken at a casting session." Koenig later responded on the matter and said that "this is the first time any of us have ever been sued, so we're still learning how it works." He added, "There's nothing we can say about it. We're not trying to be mysterious. I imagine in the next few months there'll be plenty to talk about. Given it's our first time, we just want to do it properly." In December 2010, Vampire Weekend filed their own lawsuit against Brody, which argued that he would be liable for any damages Kennis would receive, due to misrepresentation. On August 15, 2011, it was announced that Kennis had dropped her lawsuit against XL Recordings and Vampire Weekend after they paid Kennis an undisclosed sum. However, the separate lawsuits against Brody from Kennis and Vampire Weekend were not dropped.


In popular culture

The song "Cousins" was used in various media, such as
Peter Rabbit Peter Rabbit is a fictional animal character in various children's stories by English author Beatrix Potter. A mischievous, adventurous young rabbit who wears a blue jacket, he first appeared in ''The Tale of Peter Rabbit'' in 1902, and subs ...
, Tony Hawk: Shred,
Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 ''Pro Evolution Soccer 2011'' (''PES 2011'', known as ''World Soccer: Winning Eleven 2011'' in Asia) is an association football video game in the ''Pro Evolution Soccer'' series developed and published by Konami with production assistance from the ...
, and The Kids are All Right.


Critical reception

''Contra'' received acclaim from music critics.
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, reported an
average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...
score of 81 based on 39 reviews, described as "universal acclaim". Dave Simpson of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' stated that ''Contra'' "will probably be among this year's most played and most joyful tunes." ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
''s Jon Dolan wrote that "the balance of classical, rock, and world instrumentation, cagey rhythms, and stunning prettiness isn't just architecturally resplendent, it's reassuringly sweet and strangely moving." Paul Stokes of ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' described Vampire Weekend as "one of the most unique bands on the planet." ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' called it "a career statement, one that’s letting the world know that these
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
preps have more than just a fleeting interest in world music," and added that the band "continues to be
Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talkin ...
’ heir apparent, with a good amount of Smiths-like literate pop thrown in." On December 1, 2010, it was announced that ''Contra'' was nominated for a Grammy for "Best Alternative Music Album".Nominees and Winners
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
. Note: reader must define "Year" parameter as 2010.
''Contra'' was ranked number 6 on ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' list of the 30 Best Albums of 2010.The 30 Best Albums of 2010
. ''Rolling Stone'' (December 25, 2010). Retrieved 2011-01-18.
''
Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
'' placed it at number 6 on its list "The Top 50 Albums of 2010". ''
Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
'' named it the best album of 2010.


Commercial performance

It is the band's first album to reach number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, and the 12th independently-distributed album in history to reach the number one spot on the ''Billboard'' 200 since
Nielsen Soundscan Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...
began recording data in 1991, while also being the first independent artist to have done so without ever having signed with a major label, after already established rock bands
Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...
and
Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...
and before
Arcade Fire Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara. The band's current touring line-up also includes former core member S ...
's ''
The Suburbs ''The Suburbs'' is the third studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire, released on August 2, 2010. Coinciding with its announcement, the band released a limited edition 12-inch single containing the title track and "Month of May".
''. The album sold 124,000 copies in its first week and was awarded Gold by the
RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
on November 21, 2011 which means it has sold over 500,000 units in the US alone. In 2010. It was awarded a diamond certification from the
Independent Music Companies Association The Independent Music Companies Association (IMPALA), originally the Independent Music Publishers and Labels Association, is a non-profit trade association established in 2000 to help European independent record labels represent their agenda a ...
which indicated sales of at least 250,000 copies throughout Europe.


Track listing


Personnel

Vampire Weekend *
Ezra Koenig Ezra Michael Koenig ( ; born April 8, 1984) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, producer, and internet radio personality. He is best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of indie rock band Vampire Weekend. Additio ...
– lead vocals; guitar (tracks 3, 4, 6, 7); keyboard (track 1); piano (track 10); programming (track 8) *
Rostam Batmanglij Rostam Batmanglij ( fa, رستم باتمانقلیچ, ; born November 28, 1983), known mononymously as Rostam, is an American record producer, musician, singer, songwriter, and composer. He was a founding member of the band Vampire Weekend, whos ...
– piano; background vocals; vocal harmonies; keyboards; harpsichord; VSS-30; drum;
synth A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...
; sampler programming; lead vocals (bridge of track 9); guitar (tracks 2–5, 7–10); shakers,
hand drum A hand drum is any type of drum that is typically played with the bare hand rather than a stick, mallet, hammer, or other type of beater. Types The following descriptions allude to traditional versions of the drums. Modern synthetic versions are a ...
, snares (track 9) * Christopher Tomson – drums *
Chris Baio Christopher Baio (born October 29, 1984) is an American musician, best known for being the bassist for the New York City-based indie rock band Vampire Weekend. He also releases as a record producer under the mononym Baio, and his debut solo albu ...
– bass; background vocals (tracks 2, 4); additional synth (track 4) Additional musicians *
Mauro Refosco Mauro Refosco is a Brazilian percussionist. He is best known for working with singer David Byrne and as the former touring and session percussionist for the American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. He is a member of the experimental supergroup A ...
– marimbas, rebolo,
zabumba A zabumba () is a type of bass drum used in Brazilian music. The player wears the drum while standing up and uses both hands while playing. The zabumba generally ranges in diameter from 16 to 22 inches, and is 5 to 8 inches tall. The shell is mad ...
,
shekere The shekere (from Yoruba Ṣẹ̀kẹ̀rẹ̀) is a West African percussion instrument consisting of a dried gourd with beads or cowries woven into a net covering the gourd. The Shekere originated in a tribe in Nigeria called the Yoruba. The ins ...
, shakers, auxiliary percussion (track 1) *Marcus Farrar – shekere, auxiliary percussion (track 1) *Libby Gery – vocals (track 8) *Anne Donlon – vocals (tracks 1, 8) *
Nat Baldwin Nat Baldwin (born February 21, 1980 in Rochester, New Hampshire) is an American bassist, improvisor, and songwriter. He's released several solo albums since 2003 and is also known for being a former member of Dirty Projectors. In 2020 he released ...
– double bass (tracks 1, 5, 8) *Jonathan Chu – violin, viola (tracks 1, 4, 5, 9) *Hamilton Berry – cello (tracks 1, 4, 5, 8–10) *Seth Rosenfeld – cello (track 8) *Jesse Novak – additional instrumentation (track 8) *Jeff Curtin – hand drums (tracks 8, 10); shakers (track 10) *Shane Stoneback – shaker (track 10) Production *Rostam Batmanglij – production; string arrangements; mixing; engineering *Justin Gerrish – mixing (tracks 1, 3–10); engineering (tracks 1–6, 8–10) *Shane Stoneback – mixing assistance ; engineering (tracks 1–6, 8–10) *Fernando Lodeiro – engineering assistance (tracks 1–6, 8–10) *Tito Fuentes – engineering (track 7) *Melchor M – engineering assistance (track 7) *
Emily Lazar Emily B. Lazar is an American mastering engineer. She is the founder, president, and chief mastering engineer of The Lodge, an audio mastering facility that has operated in New York City's Greenwich Village since 1997. She won a Grammy Award for ...
– mastering *
Joe LaPorta Joseph J. LaPorta (born ) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound in New Jersey.http://www.allmusic.com/artist/joe-laporta-mn000199340/credits/date-asc/ Career Born and raised in New York, LaPorta graduated from New York Univer ...
– assistant mastering engineering Release * Tod Brody – cover photograph *Chris Tomson – band photograph *Rostam Batmanglij – design *Asher Sarlin – design


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


See also

* List of number-one independent albums (U.S)


References


External links


VW's Track-by-Track

Stream of the album at NPR
{{DEFAULTSORT:Contra (Album) 2010 albums Vampire Weekend albums XL Recordings albums Albums produced by Rostam Batmanglij Synth-pop albums by American artists