Vampire Weekend: world's 1st double gimmick band

It's not like me to fall for the "IT" band. It was never my style to have a crush on the popular girl. If I watch sports, I like to root for the underdog or the team that's losing (especially if they have better uniforms or prettier colors). So when Vampire Weekend became Pitchfork's little wunderkinder, I was kind of grossed out. I don't like "IT" bands and I don't like gimmick bands. But, truth be told, I loved a track called "A Punk" that a friend put on a mix CD for me, however swore I would not give in.

And alas, I caved (and for good reason) when I read and podcasted some critique of the album that I felt was off-base. Music journalists were criticizing either VW's borrowing of South African lead guitar style (popularized by Paul Simon's "Graceland") or criticizing them for focusing, lyrically, on sort of a preppy North-Eastern ivy league theme. I think what these journalists do not get is that this is a double gimmick band! And besides that, the two gimmicks are very juxtaposed. Think about it- South African guitars (that means usually means a sound made by using a neck position humbucking pickup with a little chorus and a little slap-back playing fast and melodic single-note runs that are often poly-rhythmic) and rhythms juxtaposed with songs about preppy life in the Hamptons. Hell, there's a song called "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa". Genius!

There are songs about people named Walcott and Bryn, places like Cape Cod and Hyannisport, and name-drop things like Colors of Bennetton, Ivy League schools, Louis Vuitton, authors and painters I've never heard of, etc. The liner notes even contain a picture of a pair of white leather deck shoes! And all this against this shanty-town style South African guitar. It's brilliant.

Jill and I listen to it over and over again. Lilly dances to it more than any other record. And we have anew favorite song with every listen. But I think my standing favorite is "Campus" which has a chorus I can picture Morrissey singing and a bridge with the simple words, "In the afternoon, you're out on the stone and grass. And I'm sleeping on the balcony after class." that I just love and somehow remind me of Chabot junior college. The song also contains a tinge of 90's indie rock that I can't really place.