Too cool for school.

It seems like this week’s theme at the Show has been updates on our favorite artists from 2008, which I can promise you isn’t going to stop soon. At all. But today’s bulletin features an artist I had (admittedly) forgotten about quite completely after I stopped listening to his debut mixtape: Esau Mwamwaya. He’s back, with another collaboration with Vampire Weekend, albeit this time just with VW frontman Ezra Koenig (mugshot above). This retains everything that made Mwamwaya’s reworking of Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa a gem: namely, his ability to give Vampire Weekend the icing on their Graceland-flavored cake. And this time, it’s better than ever.

The track below, “Warm Heart of Africa,” begins with Ezra falsettoing in the style we’ve come to love him for, over a funky guitar line that would have fit in on VW’s debut. Then Esau jumps in to make what was already good even better. This is the title track from Esau’s band The Very Best’s debut LP. Is it too early to call this the song of the summer? Maybe, especially because I’m going to use that term several other times, but consider it officially on the shortlist.

Play it loud:

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(Download) this music.

Warm Heart of Africa (ft. Ezra Koenig) – The Very Best (YSI) (mediafire)

Related posts:

1. Rock and Roll; Complete Control — Vampire Weekend’s Contra in review
2. My Top 10 Albums of 2008
3. Overhyping? What's that?