Releasing two albums in one year is pretty ambitious (unless you are Robert Pollard, Ryan Adams, or Joseph Arthur), but that's exactly what Welsh indie pop band Los Campesinos! are doing.Their second album of the year, We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed is set to be released on physical CD November 25th.
Unfortunately, unlike those other acts mentioned, Los Campesinos! don't quite pull it off. The material on We Are Beautiful sounds like leftovers. Much of it is samey and just plain not noteworthy. There are no signs of anything as catchy as "You! Me! Dancing!".
In fact at times the keyboard, violin, and quirky percussion that has been endearing in the past is just overblown and overwhelming here. Even the vocals are mostly of the generic UK indie rock variety (think Futureheads meet Art Brut), which makes them pretty grating.
There are some high points. "You'll Need Those Fingers For Crossing" is has a charming little male/female harmony to it, while "The End Of The Asterisk" is a peppy lo-fi number.
Unfortunately those aren't enough to save We Are Beautiful from being little more than a throwaway record.
Best tracks: "You'll Need Those Fingers For Crossing", "The End Of the Asterisk"
Track listing for We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed:
- Ways To Make It Through the Wall
- Miserabilia
- We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
- Between An Erupting Earth and An Exploding Sky
- You'll Need Those Fingers For Crossing
- It's Never That Easy Though Is It? (Song for the Other Kurt)
- The End Of the Asterisk
- Documented Minor Emotional Breakdown #1
- Heart Swells/Pacific Daylight Time
- All Your Kayfabe Friends
5.5
2 praise/complaints:
wow, is it that bad? I love their previous album...
It's pretty good - maybe a 7 or 8 imo!
The title track, you'll need those... and DMEB No. 1 are all ace!
And Pacific daylight time's a neat wee acoustic number too - shame it only lasts 40 seconds:(
Saw them at cab vol in edinburgh last week and they were pro!
Maybe not the 10 that the last album was, but it's well worth getting nonetheless.
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