A bunch of freewheeling boys with Upper West Side upbringing,the Vampire Weekend quartet deservedly made some noise with their self-titled debut album that gave us the enticing Oxford comma. The afro-pop-influenced band has widened its horizons with its second effort,Contra. Rock fans might find them a bit on the wrong side,but the Brooklyn-based,Ivy League guys have managed to muster a sizable fan base. Of indie rock/afro-pop genus,the band prefers to label its music Upper West Side Soweta. The fresh-voiced Ezra Koenig with his undistorted guitars and Rostam Batmanglij,the mastermind with his capricious keyboard,have put together some cheerful tracks. Chris Tomson with his radiating wallops and Chris Baio hopping on the bass pack a striking punch along with a multitude of musicians playing the strings and a battery of African instruments,which give the bands music a crosscultural flavour all the while retaining western progressions. Tomsons blistering drums and Baios heaving bass attacks seam into colourful chord changes and rapid fret licks on tracks such as Cousins,Holiday and California English. The Caribbean-ish Diplomats son,the soulful Taxi cab and the arena-rocking Giving up the gun give you a cleverly construed record. mohan.kumar@expressindia.com
