This review is a guest post. Written by Alex Quintana. Edited by Thomas Irby.
Romance is (not) Boring
Los Campesinos! has always been a band that I wish that I could listen to and not understand what they’re saying, in a good way, just to get the music in its essence…then suddenly be able to understand them, mid-song, just to destroy my own little happy world. Their up-beat, happy, busy sound and full-band 8 part vocals in contrast with their depressing and often gruesome lyrics makes their music a nice garnish to any indie cocktail playlist. Unlike their previous albums the Welsh octet put the microKorg away for a good bit of “Romance Is Boring” and opted to arrange more acoustic instruments (beyond the violin) and emphasize un-augmented guitar sounds (the track “Who Fell Asleep In” has a beautiful string intro). Several of the songs are surprisingly bleak musically, especially “The Sea Is A Good Place To Think of the Future”, which speaks rather bluntly about depression and self-mutilation. Other songs like “There Are Listed Buildings” and “We’ve Got Your Back” sport that usual Campesiniosity that you may come to love, or hate.
Some interesting tracks on the album called “200-102” and “Heart Swells/100-1” are very much worth giving a listen to. Both are less than a minute and both satisfy a need for noisy, confusing music that just kind of works, a void often filled by bands like The Flaming Lips and Why?.
I’m not a huge fan of the cover art, the album seems too long, and I don’t seem to instantly love it like I did “We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed.” However, Los Campesinos! has produced another interesting album that shows the band growing and progressing while maintaining their sound and individuality. I received my copy in a download format; however, I would recommend ordering a physical copy due to the band’s history with interesting packaging components, such as in their early singles that included paper dolls of the band members. The album is available in CD, digital download, and a limited printing in 7” vinyl.
(7/10)
