Vampire Weekend Upholding their image

After the success of their debut LP, these Columbia-grad rockers unquestionably had a staggering image to uphold. To put it lightly, they’ve succeeded with flying colors. On Contra, the indie outfit augment their genre-mashing abilities and shamelessly flaunt their vividly developed musical prowess.

The good news (and, for some, bad news) is that “Contra” isn’t 11 songs of Vampire Weekend strenuously trying to recreate their ’08 masterstroke; the album plays like a breath of fresh air. Lead singer Ezra Koenig’s angelic crooning carries the tunes across synthesizer-laden musical terrain (courtesy of keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij, showcasing his harmonic capacities with vigor and candor). The single “Cousins” is a vivacious, avante-garde two minute indie romp, reminiscent of “A-Punk” on amphetamines.

The lighthearted tune “White Sky” turns a New York stroll into a surreal venture into euphoric silvery jouissance. The mellifluous “I Think Ur a Contra” features vocal serenity enveloped in a disarming and delicate orchestral texture. Contra may be a far-cry from what most fans expected, but with this confidently intelligent and musically stellar display of a sophomore album, Vampire Weekend have proven, with brute ferocity and delectable taste, that their majestic debut was no fluke.

Major Tracks: “Cousins,” “I Think Ur a Contra,” “Run.”