Emily's Albums A to Z

Listened: Thursday December 1

When I first heard Vampire Weekend, I assumed Paul Simon was one of their musical influences, due to the African-sounding rhythms flowing through this debut. Then I read in Spin that they claimed to have never heard a Paul Simon record. Bullshit!

At least they couldn’t deny the Peter Gabriel angle, since he’s name-checked in the lyrics (see this link for one of the most perfectly appropriate covers songs ever). Also incredibly ballsy of them to bring back the harpsichord to pop music. It’s been gone quite a while.

I didn’t want to like Vampire Weekend when I heard their unabashedly hipster elitist lyrics about New York, Cape Cod, the Ivy League, Oxford Commas, Mansard Roofs, Dharamsala, passports, and  Buddhas. But then came the occasional nod to things like the inherent truthfulness of Lil Jon. They forced me to like them against my will.

I’ve always wondered about Blake’s Got a New Face. I’ve assumed this was referring to a new girlfriend (the slangy “Face” in question), but I can’t quite tell from the lyrics. I’m curious to hear if you have another interpretation.