 Latest
Album Reviews |
|
| Lightspeed Champion - Falling Off The Lavender Bridge | | "not every band that NME champions has to be shite" (More) |
| | Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster... | | "It can’t be denied that Hold On Now, Youngster is fun" (More) |
| | British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music? | | "Not all British bands with guitars sound the same" (More) |
| | The Aliens - Astronomy For Dogs | | "Instead of listing all the influences just go to wikipedia and search for popular musical styles" (More) |
| | Idlewild - Make Another World | | "A band at the crossroads" (More) |
| Latest Gig Reviews |
|
| Radiohead, Bat For Lashes, MGMT | | "29th June 2008 - LCCC, Manchester" (More) |
| | Half Man Half Biscuit | | "17th April 2008 - Coronation Hall, Ulverston, Cumbria" (More) |
| | Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark | | "13th May 2007 - Olympia Theater, Dublin" (More) |
| | Black Rebel Motorcycle Club | | "17th April 2007 - Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall" (More) |
| | Paul Weller, The Charlatans, Ian Brown, Echo and the Bunnyman, Noel Gallagher | | "30th March 2007 - MEN Arena Manchester" (More) | |
| |  | |
| Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster... |
| |
| (Wichita - 2008) |
| |
| It’s a risky move to leave the two singles you’re – probably - best known for off your debut album; whether this decision turns out to be foolhardy or relatively brave and inconsequential remains to be seen, and depends somewhat on the factors you’re going to judge this on. We won’t know yet whether it’ll reduce sales and maybe negatively impinge on the career longevity of the band (and whether this is even an important factor to them). But what can be said now is if the potential quality of the album has been affected by leaving We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives and International Tweexcore Underground off it.
Answer: Yes. A bit.
A record review should solely be about the quality of the product, and therefore it is a shame that the aforementioned singles were left of it as even though Hold On Now, Youngster is good, it could, and maybe should, have been better.
It is undeniable that Los Campesinos songs contain many of the same features: an upbeat tempo, shouty girl/boy sections, wordy lyrics, bit of violin here, bit of glockenspiel there, and all of it bringing to mind the fey, obsessive, slightly intellectually snobby indie boy/girl (in their original form before the term became bastardized to include those with drainpipe jeans, terrible teeth and a predilection for boorish and trivial guitar rock). Some of this snobbishness comes across in print, where singer Gareth has stated that he doesn’t want people to like his band if they have poor taste in music, so maybe it’s this desire to be different, fresh and to not pander to the casual music buyer that leads to certain things being left off the record. The band may say “Well surely you have all of our singles anyway so why would you want them again?” which would be okay (if not risky in terms of sales), yet there are bits and bobs from the back catalogue that do make the final selection.
You! Me! Dancing! is here and it is still the best thing Los Campesinos have done. It flies along with an irresistible giddiness, even though it contains many of the same basic elements as the other songs. Yet, previous ‘b-side’ Don't Tell me To Do The Math(s) is here and whereas it is passable, it ain’t no We Throw Parties.... Such contrary boys and girls.
With songs more or less following the same blueprint there is a risk that the whole thing will sound samey, and it is true that sometimes one song blurs with another to the point where verses and choruses could almost be interchangeable between them. Hold On Now, Youngster however always remains interesting because boys and girls shouting lines from a chorus at each other is good isn’t it? More records should be made utilising the violin and glockenspiel, yeah? And what isn’t to like about lyrics such as “I cherish with fondness the day (before) I met you” from My Year In Lists or “And there were conversations about what Breakfast Club character you'd be, I'd be the one that dies (no one dies), Well then what's the point?” from We Are All Accelerated Readers.
An album with limited variation may prevent Los Campesinos from becoming your favourite band but it can’t be denied that Hold On Now, Youngster is fun. Maybe that’s all that matters and the future of the band isn’t important now. Let’s see where they go from here.
|
| |
| |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Glenn 1st June 2008 00:00:00 |
| |
No Comments |
| |
|
| |
|
|