One Response to “Get Your Writing in RWD – Part 13”

1. William Kingdom says:

   9 Mar 2010 at 3:54 am

   A jittery baseline, accompanied by an abrasive rhythm section is contrasted by xylophone keys struck in an almost nursery rhyme vein. Signalling a more subdued and somewhat ethereal second single for Vampire Weekend in “Giving up the Gun”
   The song takes its name from a book detailing Japans decision to revert to the use of swords, and the book also serves as a metaphor for the fear of growing up.
   This sees the narrative manifest in the form of a tennis tournament, where the heroine must fend of competition from a plethora of competitors, until she faces herself or her fear personified.
   She, in bold red tennis attire, and the referee in all black cassock (who just so happens to the RZA) are the bold colours in contrast to the videos stark white art deco aesthetic.
   RZA is just one of the many cameos, intentionally without fanfare so as not to take you out of the narrative.
   A tactic the director also employs concerning the band, who mostly appear in sweeping shots, preferring to let the story take centre stage, with the viewer focused on a collection of shots as opposed to a single shot of a band in a room, this allows for greater focus on the vocals/lyrics.
   In giving up the gun, the director has managed to pack fun visuals in with a surprisingly strong narrative all whilst seeding the message of the song with subliminal lyric references, culminating in another surreal but poignant Vampire Weekend promo.

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