thanks, jim
pursuant to this post, here's someone saying a lot of things that are true (bolding is mine):"By no means are those disparate cultures [moneyed white preppydom; afropop] natural bedmates. The best African and Caribbean pop is a joyful celebration of life issued in defiance of oppressive political forces, poverty and disease, or pretty much the exact opposite of the inspiration for the soul-searching of most preppy artistes. This is not to say that preppies can’t make great art. But Koenig is hardly following in the footsteps of J.D. Salinger, John Updike or John Irving by illuminating the profound emptiness hiding behind the cheerfully privileged facade; he is celebrating the superficialities.
“As a young girl/Louis Vuitton/With your mother/On a sandy lawn,” Koenig sings of an object of his affections in “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.” “As a sophomore/With reggaeton/And the linens/You’re sitting on… Can you stay up/To see the dawn/In the colors/Of Bennetton?”
And let’s not even talk about the obsessions with Cape Cod and geeky academic trivia (“Oxford Comma” is a song inspired by the correct use of punctuation, while “Mansard Roof” pays homage to an architectural style famously seen on the Louvre), or the attempts to “keep it real” by contrasting such nerdy references with calculated name drops ranging from worldbeat pioneer Peter Gabriel to foul-mouthed rapper Lil’ Jon.
“Calculated” -- ultimate, that word is at the heart of what bugs me most about Vampire Weekend, and my gripes crystallized at SXSW, where the band members were ubiquitous, walking the streets wearing their Dockers and polo shirts, with white cardigans casually but carefully tied around their necks — in Texas, in the day time, with a temperature of 92 degrees."
posted by jomilkman @ 9:17 AM
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