There's something undeniably likeable about Los Campesinos!. Whether it's their gather-round-the-bar friendliness or their exuberant playfullness on all manner of subjects, mainly the ups and mostly downs of relationships, these are people with whom you'd like to grab a beer and discuss the more obscure Second City sketches. But by some, they have been labelled frivolous and prone to emotional platitudes, which can be seen as a concession to the music. Look closer though and this misguided criticism is quickly proved false as they invest their bouyant tales of heartbreak with some of the most joyous feeling that you will hear this year, goofy maybe but no less concerned with the capacity to emotionally connect with the listener.
On Hello Sadness, the band's sound hasn't changed much, though it has been shined and spit-polished to a perfect gleam. The sing-along-choruses, crunchy guitars and warbling synths all wrap around lead singer Gareth's ever more espressive vocals and draw out the last bit of emotional resonance, which these songs display in spades. Songs like the opening sugar rush of "By Your Hand", with its' tale of fate gone wrong amid one of the catchiest choruses in years, and "To Tundra", a ringing, thunderous indictment of all that which we so casually throw away, even the capacity to connect to each other, show that Los Campesinos! have come a long from their early releases. And though their methods may have remained somewhat similar, their execution has been refined to such a point where it seems as though these songs have always existed and were only waiting to be picked up off the street and played. Regardless of your inherent capacity to see beyond the twee-leanings and see the heart of these songs, the sheer creative rush played out across these 10 tracks will leave you breathless with the anticipation of where Gareth and Co. will wind up next. I'm still trying to catch up.
Tracklisting:
01. By Your Hand (listen to the mp3 below)
02. Songs About Your Girlfriend
03. Hello Sadness
04. Life Is a Long Time
05. Every Defeat a Divorce (Three Lions)
06. Hate for the Island
07. The Black Bird, the Dark Slope
08. To Tundra
09. Baby I Got The Death Rattle
10. Light Leaves, Dark Sees Pt. II
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