Cousins - Vampire Weekend
(XL 2009, Rostam Batmanglij)
I have to say I'd rather slept on the Vampire Weekend since their refreshingly brilliant self titled debut in early 2008. Then a month ago when I first got my hands on the Warm Heart Of Africa by The Very Best Of, my love for all things Vampire Weekend was reignited. Erza Koenig featured on the beautiful title track Warm Heart Of Africa, and the sheer vibrancy and uplifting spirit of the gorgeously crafted arrangement combined with Erza's delightful vocal performance created one of the years most playful and inspiring tracks. Suddenly I went back to Vampire Weekend's debut LP and I was utterly taken with it's beautiful melodies and daring arrangements all over again. I simply couldn't wait to get a taste of the forthcoming Contra, everyone had seen the live clips on youtube of the albums first single Cousins but we had been dying for our first real taste and now it's here after a seemingly endless weight.
Immediately Cousins strikes you with it's frentic and bombastic arrangement, the bass pounces like a demented rabbit hopping with relentless fury up and down a flight of stairs. The guitars spikes with angularly, while Chris Tomson pounds the holy hell out of his drum kit. Cousins builds up an incredible sense of momentum, as the rushings drums, the pogoing bass and spiralling guitar come together in a beautiful cacophony of noise at the tracks conclusion. Cousins feels vibrant from the word go, with crunching cranks and Erza howling intermittently before launching into a lightening verse, where he remarkably manages to keep pace with the thrashing instrumentation while delivering a surprisingly laid back and harmonious vocal. Of course this is Vampire Weekend and we all know what they do best, and that's supply the gorgeous sun infused hooks and I'm glad to report that Cousins is no exception. Behind the many bells and whistles (literally in this case) lies an irresistible chorus that explodes from Erza's lips like a strangly beautiful machine gun blast "Me And My Cousins, And You And Your Cousins, It's A Line That's Always Running, Me And My Cousins, And You And Your Cousins, I Can Feel It Coming". It's inescapable, addictive and utterly brilliant. Cousins possess an urgency perhaps lacking in other Vampire Weekend works, the track is over in a flash, it doesn't give you a second to breathe, it's a two and a half minute thrill ride, destined to turn the summer festivals into one giant all singing all pogo-ing wasteland, and I for one can't wait. Bring on Contra!
Hear It Here. (Credit to Pretty Much Amazing blog, a truly excellent website, that I heartily recommend)
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