A little less than a year ago, I had just started blowing all of my money going downtown to see shows, and spending whatever was left of that money at merch stands. At the time I only vaguely knew who Los Campesinos! were but I had heard (or read somewhere) that they were amazing live, and any band whose members all changed their last names to Campesinos! (with the exclamation mark included) were cool in my books.

So I went down to the Opera House to see them, witnessed the most energetic and unpredictable show I have seen to date, and then arrived home to instantly make it my night’s mission to scour the internet for every bit of information on this seven-piece from Cardiff, Wales.

A year later and with the release of their third full-length release, Romance is Boring, Los Campesinos! expands on their simply explosive indie style. At their core they are a power-pop band, and although they never stray too far from the genre, they always manage to keep things fresh. In fact, many of the great moments from the album come in their ability to blend drastic changes in mood and tempo that practically force you to pay attention. Unfortunately, this same unpredictably lends the album to feel a bit reckless and all over the place at times.

Gareth, the lead vocalist on most tracks, does a fantastic job in refining his lyrical style of cynicism and adolescent angst, with a touch of dark humour. The addition of guest trumpets and saxophones, working with the violin sections of previous releases, gifts the album with the ability to build gentle string melodies into thumping jazz-rock riffs. Tracks like “In Medias Res” and “I Warned You Do Not Make An Enemy Of Me” are perfect examples of the clamouring and sheer craziness that they’ve come to be known for, and the last five tracks in particular are simply thrilling.

Overall, Romance Is Boring is an album packed to the brim with ideas. It’s aggressive, catchy, sarcastic and classy all at once. And although it jumps around a bit, it somehow all fits to make for a great listen. Do yourself a favour and go see them live on April 20th at the Phoenix Concert Theatre.

***

For more Los Campesinos!
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/loscampesinos

Review By Roman Melnik