Peter Gabriel and Hot Chip make a Vampire Weekend

I was surprised when bringing up the news this weekend that many of my friends did not know about Peter Gabriel and Hot Chip covering The Group to Know of 2008, Vampire Weekend. Though it almost sounds odd for such a pairing to come together to cover this song, let's not forget the diversity of Vampire Weekend's music. Full of worldly influences circa Paul Simon's Graceland backed with strong indie JCrew beats sounding as if they were conjured up in a backyard sailboat garage, it's almost comforting to know that such an experimental musical icon like Gabriel teamed up with indie staples like Hot Chip.

Hot Chip & Peter Gabriel - Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa

"Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" was the 4th single released from Columbia University's Vampire Weekend back in 2008. According to their Wiki, lead singer Ezra Koenig drew inspiration for the song when traveling to India and was "thinking a lot about colonialism and the aesthetic connections between preppy culture and the native cultures of places like Africa and India." He named the song ("Kwassa Kwassa")after a dance rhythm in Congo. XL Recordings introduced the song to Gabriel who accepted the offer from both the label and the band to cover the song with Hot Chip. He ended up changing the original lines in the song that referenced his name from
"This feels so unnatural, Peter Gabriel, too"
to:
"And it feels so unnatural to sing your own name"

Enjoy your Monday back at work!