weekend getaway

Occasionally I will listen to a record, observe it, absorb it, form an opinion about it and then go looking for reviews to see if others agree with me. I swear to you that I did not read Pitchfork's review of the new Vampire Weekend and regurgitate this post. But it may seem that way.

I almost didn't bother listening to this album. I made the mistake of labeling the band and was skeptical that they could release a second record that was anywhere near as interesting as their self-titled debut in 2008. One listen to "Horchata" and I knew I was going to be wrong. I'm not sure where this skepticism comes from. Perhaps it's a trained response from being let down too many times in the past. I've tempered my expectations, maybe too much, to the point where I rarely allow myself to get excited or anticipate things for fear of being disappointed. There was a time when I was fiercely loyal to a band. I would just go out and buy whatever they released, blindly. That's how I ended up with three Hootie & The Blowfish albums and five Brian McKnight albums (yikes! I'm quickly discrediting my taste). I was young and hungry for music then. Now, I'm older, wiser and much more selective (and have bills to pay).

So, maybe the strength of Contra is that I held little to no expectations for it. That would allow me to continue tempering my expectations, however, which I'm not convinced is a healthy thing. No, Contra is just a really good record. If you didn't like their first release, then chances are you may not like this one either. It's Vampire Weekend on steroids. It makes their debut sound boring. When I listen on my computer the last song on Contra ends and the first song on Vampire Weekend begins and the difference is obvious. The old stuff sounds a bit elementary. Where was all this energy and sound on the first album? Pitchfork's theory is the band decided to respond to their critics and naysayers with a "bionic" version of themselves. Not just "brighter and tighter, but weirder." It's this refusal to compromise that makes Contra bigger, faster and stronger. Even in the quiet spaces, which didn't really exist on their first effort, the band exercises more depth ("Taxi Cab," "Diplomat's Son," and "I Think Ur A Contra"). I'm loving it.

So, what's the lesson here? Good question. I'd say that the lesson is that it's okay to get excited about something every once in a while. It's okay to look forward to something, even though it may very well let you down. It seems like figuring out how to live with that unknown, how to feel some joy in it, is liberating. I'm speaking of more than music here, of course. Vampire Weekend just happened to be a vehicle for this little road trip of truth.