Music Video Review: Vampire Weekend “Giving Up the Gun”

Music Video Review

Vampire Weekend “Giving Up the Gun” off of “Contra”

By our guest blogger, Megan O'Malley

Vampire Weekend sticks to its preppy roots with their latest video “Giving Up the Gun.” Full of cutthroat tennis matches and cameos, Vampire Weekend knows how to make a video that perfectly fits the song they are singing.

The cameos range from hip hop stars Lil John and RZA to movie star hunks like Jake Gyllenhaal. Mr. Gyllenhaal is my personal favorite part of the video, especially when he pulls his tear away pants to reveal tiny tennis shorts. The only downfall to the cameo-laden video is Joe Jonas. Boo Joe Jonas--you have no place in this video. Vampire Weekend play in the background of the cutthroat tennis matches as the red headed girl knocks down all her opponents one by one from Jonas to Gyllenhaal. The video is soaked in red-and-white hues--it's very early White Stripes.

“Giving Up the Gun” is akin to early Vampire Weekend, but with the more of a pop edge. They lost a bit of their African beats with this song but they still keep their catchy hooks and simplistic sound. Vampire Weekend is one of those bands that blew up so fast, it seems as if they didn’t even have time to catch their breath. While their music may have lost a little bit of its charm, their preppy New England sound can still charm fans from across the country.

Grade: B

Below is the video for "Giving Up the Gun." What are your thoughts?