Peter Gabriel and Hot Chip cover Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa

Gabriel and Hot Chip - better than Genesis?
Gabriel and Hot Chip - better than Genesis?

Rappers do it all the time - name-check themselves, that is - so why not Peter Gabriel? That's part of the fun of hearing Gabriel team up with the electropop band Hot Chip on a cover of Vampire Weekend's hit, Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.

Over the summer, Gabriel admitted that he was a fan of the song - he even met with the New York-based Vampire Weekend and remarked that he wouldn't mind doing his own version. He did say, however, that the key line "But this feels unnatural/Peter Gabriel too" might pose some problems.

"But this feels unnatural/ Peter Gabriel too/ It feels unnatural to sing your own name"

"I haven't quite worked that out whether I should be doing that or substituting it with a name that might be appropriate to me," he joked. "I think playing with yourself makes you go blind after a while."

Gabriel's eyesight is fine

We're happy to report that both Gabriel's vision and his collaboration with Hot Chip are just fine. Of the track, it's vastly different from Vampire Weekend's Stray Cats-meets-Afro-indie vibe, but it's one of the best things the ex-Genesis singer has done in years.

Check out the cut below, and wait for the line "But this feels unnatural/Peter Gabriel too," followed by "It feels unnatural to sing your own name." Great stuff.

Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar WorldGuitar PlayerMusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.