Los Campesinos!
We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed

Campus Correspondent Review By Alyssa Vincent,
North Central College

It’s rare for a band to come along that can successfully combine melancholy lyrics with frantic pop beats. More often than not, the resulting sound is one that reeks of desperation. However, Los Campesinos! manage to do just that on their second release, which comes just a few months after their debut album. Even though the time between the two releases is comically short, this collective from Wales shows signs of maturity on some of their slower, more melodic tracks like “Heart Swells—Pacific Daylight Time.” It’s a thoughtful song that takes them out of their quirky indie-pop comfort zone and presents a welcome change in pace.

That’s not to say that their poppy tracks should go unappreciated—in fact, indie pop is what these kids do best. With tracks like “You’ll Need Those Fingers For Crossing,” listeners are treated to a variety of instruments over the course of the five-minute song, along with charming male/female harmonies that are becoming a trademark for this band. Their bravery with eclectic instrumentation is quite similar to their Arts & Crafts label mates Broken Social Scene—if anything, Los Campesinos! looks to be the younger sibling of that Canadian super group. As long as the group continues to polish their sound, and perhaps practice a bit of restraint on their rhythms, listeners can look forward to many more promising albums.