Galen Cromar - 1/30/2010

Vampire's Weekend follow-up to their debut, Contra is an album that continues to improve on subsequent listens.

Track highlights for me include Horchata, Holiday, White Sky, and Taxi Cab.

African-style rhythms mix freely with clever use of synthesizers, clean guitars and unexpected but uplifting falsetto.

Comparisons will no doubt be drawn to Graceland-era Paul Simon, among others.

Put quite simply, after the kind of winter we've had, one needs an album like this to put sunshine firmly back in your mind, a smile on your lips, and rhythm in your bones.