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Redefined Pop Goes Party

What’s an identity complex in today’s music scene anyway? To the seven members of Cardiff group Los Campesinos!, arguably little. They’re not just a bass, drum kit, keyboardist or even a glockenspiel. Hell, they aren’t even Spanish for Christ sakes. They are Team Campesinos! and go by their individual sir names atop the last name of their band with zero guilt. Gives a new meaning to a band shouting “We are [insert band here]!” at the end of a show, huh? It’s not arrogance when you’re this quality. Their debut Hold On Now Youngster is everything their EP promised last year and more.

Those familiar with the pop love of The New Pornographers are already tan from their rays of catchy quick riffs and bouncy beats. Turns out Los Campesinos! vacation at the same spot but prefer the party beach rather than the drinking pool. Look no further than ‘Broken Heartbeats Sound Like Breakbeats’ festive handclaps and bubbling chorus to get any kid moving or the knee jerk reaction to fast paced ‘Death to Los Campesinos!’ and it’s crowd begging banter. For taking a name that means ‘peasants’, these guys are musically educated elitists. Scratch that - these kids are melodic sponges. Obviously influenced from everything indie for the past two decades they soak in sounds from Pavement and Yo La Tengo to that of My Bloody Valentine. Nothing demonstrates off all these levels better than ‘You, Me, Dancing’. Its long-suffering but stewing intro, nippy guitar plugs, and boy/girl banter is watertight.

If you can overlook Gareth’s gauche vocals, there’s a world of brilliance with what he says. Banter like, “Oh maybe we should read more into the books that we adore/perhaps we should drink less vitamin C/and now I’m shouting out in capital letters I WILL THROW YOU HIGH FIVES IF YOU KEEP YOUR OWN SECRETS!!”. You gotta be kidding me; this troupe isn’t a band, they’re political satirists and lobbyists hiding in musician clothing. But it’s when they rely purely on it that the music stutters as in parts of ‘Knee Deep at ATP’. But that’s when the experience of Broken Social Scene member and producer David Newfeld shine through by proving everyone from Ollie (banging away on heeled beats) to Neil (rocketing away on his guitar) has an important place in this pop rumble. Of course, even he can’t keep it all together and much of the album is an interconnected mess. But, there is beauty in this chaos if you allow yourself to get swept up in its revelry.

Sean Kendall