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Avg: 4.0 (344 ratings)
- Date Released: February 18, 2008
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Style: Indie Rock
- Label: Arts & Crafts / IODA
Like being dropped headlong into a classroom of demented kindergarteners.
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We Say...
Just how old are these hyperactive Welsh art schoolers anyway? Last year, they covered an early Pavement b-side, this year, they parenthetically diddle the title of an iconic 1991 alt-rock documentary with the song "2007, The Year Punk Broke (My Heart)." But though their references warm the hearts of indie-rock oldsters, there's nothing retro about the ADD jokery of these kids (all seven of whom are surnamed Campesinos! — and you can be sure they didn't learn the trick from the Donnas.) Tiny mis-tuned guitars nibble at your ears and glockenspiels clatter with glee; it's like being dropped headlong into a classroom of demented kindergarteners, but only the most illiterate beefhead could diss the group as "twee."
Brashly nerdy Gareth and prettily secure Aleksandra finish each others sentences, trading admonitions not to read Jane Eyre, claims to be "more like Spiderman than you will ever be" and laments that "every sentence that I spoke ended in elip ... sis." Fall Out Boy would trade you Jay-Z's cell number for a title like "This Is How You Spell 'HAHAHA, We Destroyed the Hopes and Dreams of a Generation of Faux-Romantics'" And as for faux-mance itself, Gareth pithily quips "I'm not Bonnie Tyler/ And I'm not Toni Braxton/ And this song is not going to save your relationship" before the group announces, en masse, the opposite of true love: "REALITY!" -
They Say...
Every now and then the title of an album is a perfect embodiment of the music found within. Los Campesinos! are dead right calling their album Hold on Now, Youngster..., because from the first track on, the album is a thrilling madcap whirlwind of sound, words, and voices that by the end leaves you feeling like you've been engulfed in an indie pop-driven hurricane. The members of the Welsh seven-piece are hyper-literate, hilarious, and know their way around a hook as they pile through the 11 songs on the album like they are on a breakaway heading for the goal. Words tumble out in jumbles, the lead voices (Gareth with his high-pitched whine, Aleksandra with her sweet kid tones) trade off lines and sass each other, and the instruments (guitars, bells, keys, violins) whip up a joyful mess, while the drums try mightily to pin it all down. Bands with less grasp on dynamics and timing and a less sympathetic producer than Broken Social Scene's producer Dave Newfeld might have ended up with a real mess of a record on their hands. Instead, Los Campesinos! have a ringing success here: a combination of punk rock energy, indie pop wit and emotion, indie rock experimentation, and the raw feel of classic garage bands throughout the ages. The bands they bring to mind at different points of the record are the kind of groups whose songs could tear your heart out with a sudden dynamic burst, a cutting lyric, or a singalong chorus, bands like Huggy Bear, Comet Gain, Heavenly, and the early Pastels. It's no stretch to include Los Campesinos! in this select group or to favorably rate their best songs, like the indie disco fave "You! Me! Dancing!"with its raging glockenspiels, huge chorus, and snarky lyrics; the hard-driving "Don't Tell Me to Do the Math(s)," which features Aleksandra's best vocals; or the simply heart-stoppingly good "Death to Los Campesinos!," which sports the kind of hook that'll be stuck in your head for days. And you'll be thwarted if you try to find a weak spot or a duff moment on Hold on Now, Youngster.... The only possible problem is that people who need ballads to give them a breather between the squalls of noise and emotion will find them totally absent. They can go listen to a Shins album and leave the debut album of Los Campesinos! to lovers of wildness, unrestrained but thoughtful emotion, and careening songs that leave a mark when they hit you. Recommending this album seems too light a course of action; requiring it may be more apt. Consider Hold on Now, Youngster... highly required, then.
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| 01. |  |
Death to Los Campesinos! |
2:51 |
|
| 02. | |
Broken Heartbeats Sound Like Breakbeats |
3:35 |
|
| 03. | |
Don't Tell Me To Do The Math(s) |
3:22 |
|
| 04. | |
Drop It Doe Eyes |
2:43 |
|
| 05. | |
My Year In Lists |
1:51 |
|
| 06. | |
Knee Deep At ATP |
2:48 |
|
| 07. | |
This Is How You Spell "HAHAHA, We Destroyed The Hopes And Dreams Of A Generation Of Faux-Romantics" |
4:19 |
|
| 08. | |
We Are All Accelerated Readers |
2:54 |
|
| 09. | |
You! Me! Dancing! |
6:47 |
|
| 10. | |
… And We Exhale And Roll Our Eyes In Unison |
2:50 |
|
| 11. | |
Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks |
4:31 |
|
| 12. | |
2007, The Year Punk Broke (My Heart) (BONUS TRACK) |
4:43 |
|
12 Total Tracks, 43:14 Total Length
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Credits
- Steve Davis - Assistant // John C.F. Davis - Mastering
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