A Distorted Reality.

Los Campesinos! MySpace

Caustic, hyperliterate, aggressive twee pop. Seriously, even the concept is wonderful: I doubt that there could be ill-executed record of this central ideal, but Los Campesinos! really have made extended metaphor in song their hallmark. Their second album of 2008 (God bless their punk-esque recording ethic) sees a happy return for their 7-piece treble-heavy formula. Ways to Make it Through the Wall starts We are Beautiful, We are Doomed with no build-up: it’s straight into the addictive twee demonstrated on Hold On Now, Youngster…: synthesisers and guitars play over one another with a care-free air, in contrast to the serious nature of the lyrics: the song is a tale of fleeting youth executed in great style; the lyrics ‘We learn together over time that tolerance is more appealing in theory than in practice. I identify my star sign by asking which is least compatible with yours‘ showing that their edge for Eddie Argos-esque wry witticisms has not been lost in the seven months since their last effort. The male-female vocal alternation is once again out in full force, with all of the effect that it ever had. Miserabilia is a step-down in tempo from Ways to Make it Through the Wall, and shows off the more considered, more serious side of the Campesinos!’ (seriously, try to punctuate that) music. The high wails of the guitar throughout the song give rise to a chant of ‘Shout at the world because the world doesn’t love you!‘ near the end, chanted in a manner bordering on the anthemic.

The title track is, simply, a joy. The mids of synthesisers, bass of guitars and highs of violins combine to form a texture best described as ‘luscious’ - thick, but not overly dense. A new vocal idea is explored here for the Campesinos!: Gareth screams the line ‘I hope my heart goes first‘ in such a vehement manner opposed to his usual pseudo-sprechgesang (especially in light of his prior monologue of ‘I taught myself the only way to get along in love is to like the other slightly less than you get in return. I keep feeling like I’m being under cut‘ in a voice of great delicacy) is undeniably stirring. Between An Erupting Earth and an Exploding Sky is an instrumental track; and one demonstrative of the creative and instrumental prowess which the band possesses: it would not be out of place on a Jesu album, or a newer Envy release, for that matter. It’s completely possible that title is somewhat of an homage to Explosions in the Sky, and the music therein would make it one which that band would be more than happy with, I should think.

You’ll Need Those Fingers For Crossing is a return to the playful nature of the Campesinos!’ music. Their envisioning on a ’soft-porn end of the universe’ is delightful merely in terms of the imagery. The glockenspiel makes a more than welcome comeback to their music and is in good company amidst overdriven guitars. The chorus is nothing short of rousing and the last instrumental minute and a half is a wonderful foray into the realms of guitar noise. It’s Never That Easy Though, Is It? is a tale of some sort of twisted love told amongst a duck-like synthesiser, soaring violins and that unique Campesinos! guitar tone. Love as a medium of class war; the mutual visual experience of viewing pictures of dead pets and relatives; and the unavoidable debate over love for music or a woman experienced by every snob is the Campesinos!’ concept of love, it would seem.

The End of the Asterisk is the height of their ascerbicism, and that is no bad thing: assailing someone as a ‘waste of time’, a ‘tragedy’ and describing their self-deprecation as ’spot-on’ is so miraculously direct. The muted strumming connecting each phrase of each verse is basic but oh-so effective. Documented Minor Emotional Breakdown #1 is an elaboration upon their previously stated twee artistry: unrelenting treble with esoteric lyrical focuses. Heart Swells/Pacific Daylight Time is a sweeping, solemn song dedicated to a lost love; complete with the hyperbole inherent therein: ‘the way you look could seriously make nature dysmorphic‘ being a personal favourite. All Your Keyfabe Friends shows everything that makes Los Campesinos! great: the multi-instrumentalism, the wit and the poetry, and it really is a great way to finish an album.

We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed should be an example to bands within the niche of Los Campesinos!: it’s an album which shows progression whilst sticking with everything appealing about yourselves. The slower songs’ inconsistencies of old have been ironed out here to great effect; the result of which is a far better rounded album.