Following up a Great Record

Two of the best pop-indie-rock albums released in 2007 and 2008 were Spoon’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga and Vampire Weekend’s self-titled debut. For Spoon, it represented the culmination of a number of very good albums, with the result being a beautiful, polished album that was brilliant in moments and strong the whole way through. For Vampire Weekend it was an auspicious debut, one that caused strife and jealousy long before it was even released. This year, however, both groups have released records that are markedly more difficult and less poppy than their predecessors. Spoon’s Transference is a driving, almost hypnotic record which manages to sound like everything they’ve done before yet also nothing like they’ve done before. Contra, the offering from Vampire Weekend, matches for the most part the upbeat nature of their debut, but eschews the beautiful guitars that marked their first record for more keyboard and perhaps just space in general.

Vampire Weekend’s task was insane in a way. Facing more hype than any band since The Strokes, they met expectations with their debut. Yet, just like their predecessors in expectations, following with a second album was always going to be even more difficult. So how did Vampire Weekend acquit themselves? Very well, I think. I’m reading a book called When Giants Walked the Earth, which goes into a detailed history of early Led Zeppelin. In it, Page talks about trying to follow their debut (which was similarly hyped/panned/controversial): “Too many groups sit back after the first album, and the second one is a down trip. I want every album to reach out further—that’s the whole point.” Yet balancing this with not, as he said, overstepping the mark and making it too different from the first was a difficult task. Vampire Weekend may not have done as well as Led Zeppelin, but that’s a bit of an unrealistic ask.



Contra often finds VW eschewing their electrically electric(?) guitars that stamped their first album for keyboards, or as on White Sky, just Ezra Koenig’s voice. It’s an interesting touch. Without the guitars leading the way, everything else comes to the forefront, with mixed results. Sometimes, everything ends well, as on Diplomat’s Son, and sometimes, on tracks like California English and Taxi Cab, the results are not so pretty. Still, there are more standout tracks than not. The aforementioned Diplomat’s Son does well with violin, cello, and piano really leading the way, and some exceptional vocals from Koenig. There is improvement here—I think the track is superior to Campus, one of my favorite’s from the original record.

The opener, Horchata, is similarly interesting and exciting. It manages the upbeat tone of the first record without resorting to guitar to do so. Those wishing for that original sounds will be pleased by the inclusion of Cousins and Holiday, the former being the strongest and second-quickest track on the album, clocking in at 2:25. Koenig sprints through the vocals like there’s not time to waste, and the track works nicely within the album, being sandwiched between two of the slower tracks. Overall the album really does work—there are growing pains—but the bad is undoubtedly outweighed by the good, and the advancement is encouraging.



Spoon’s task is perhaps a bit easier, but no walk in the park either. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga was a triumph on all fronts (except for the naming of the record maybe), and following that with an even more perfect record would have been impossible. So this time Spoon decided to forgo using a producer, and do the whole album themselves. The result is a more raw, dirtier, methodical record. Fans expecting more of the same will undoubtedly be disappointed. Frontman Britt Daniel explained during an interview on All Songs Considered that while they loved their previous record, they were ready to do something different. That this one would probably have less chord changes, less obvious hooks, and be a little tougher to break through. And it is.

Despite the at least semi-intentional obfuscation by Spoon, Transference is still a strong record. The typically strong melodic tracks are still there, but perhaps a little less plentiful. I count Written in Reverse and Trouble as strong yet typical Spoon tracks. Others like Mystery Zone, Who Makes Your Money, and I Saw the Light drive harder, reduce chord changes, and are more reminiscent of something from A Series of Sneaks than anything since. The record still works though, Bob Boilen opined during his interview with Spoon that this would be a great driving record, and I think that’s accurate. Poppy and fun, it’s not (at least all the way through), but there’s a place for records like this.



Maybe the question behind both of these records is one that has been driving tension between fans and bands for as long as the two have existed—that is, what do bands really owe their fans? Spoon knows it can create great pop fare, as does Vampire Weekend, yet they’ve both forgone that approach on these past two records to some extent. This approach will almost certainly alienate more fans than it makes happy (though it will certainly please some). But does that matter? Do they owe their fans anything/everything? Well, probably not. There are a lot of ways to look at this, but my take is that I want to hear the music that they want to make. If that means I’m not as satisfied with some albums, I’m ok with that—I can listen to something else. But it also means that maybe Spoon, next time around, go back and make another beautiful pop record because they had the chance to do something darker and denser in between. With Vampire Weekend, it means an expansion of their pallet, giving them more options and abilities on their next record. I have the feeling that neither of these records will crack my top 3, or maybe 5 for 2010, but they’re still strong in their own right.