Oxford Comma by Vampire Weekend

In eighth grade we had a debate about cochlear implants, the device that allows some deaf people to hear. Should parents, deaf or not, give this to their deaf children? I was assigned the point of view that you should encourage people to do this. Kara, a girl on the other side of the debate, began a small rant about deaf culture and the obstruction of this. I said something like “What’s so important about culture?” I didn’t think that one through. Having a similar conversation in a college class about authenticity, a white girl who’d spent a good deal of time in Africa asked the hypothetical question “When is it okay to be interested in other people’s culture and when is it not? I like Africa but I’m far from African. What do I do with that?” I wonder if Vampire Weekend had this kind of discussion up in Morningside Heights. They play African guitar. Bob Bannister said he hopes their van crashes. Brian, the Fulbright scholar who studied Ghanaian music wouldn’t go to their show with me. Maybe because I’ve spent every summer vacationing in Cape Cod I feel a kinship with them. And, hey, I know about Africa! I took a class on Ngugi Wa Thiong-o! I’m up on the uprising in Guinea! I cry when I listen to Boubacar Traore! Do I get a pass to listen to this? Do they get a pass to make it? Why does it pain me to think about this? (Why do I miss college so much?) Really, though, I have nothing vested in authenticity so I’m just happy to listen to the little part of this song where he says ‘Why would you lie about something dumb like that?/Why would you lie about anything at all?” because it’s pretty and plain and whatever it is, that’s not a bad thing to aspire to.

Portugal Rua Rua by Glissandro 70

The cover of this record is a colored paper remake of a West End sleeve. The album is called End West. No one cared about this record. This song co-opts the chant from No UFOs. Do you think that’s okay? Because they’re Canadian.