in Review

New Albums are Boring

Los Campesinos – Romance is Boring

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. After two great albums (or one album and then an extended EP, which I believe is the official story) Los Campesinos came back this January with a new album. That’s right, I’m reviewing another slightly older album that I originally didn’t want to review because I doubt you guys will give it a chance, but now I want to even though it’s not relevant or meaningful to anyone. Anyway, the group, one member switched for her sister, hopped the pond over to the States to record the third (or second) album, which came out at the end of January. And boy, something was lost in translation.

This album oozes “oh, you liked what we did last time? Let’s try to do that again.” Which is fair, let’s face it, these guys and gals are like our age. But it feels forced. Like they figured out they could make a living out of something that was never intended to make it that far. The result is a collection of mostly hollow songs. Some manage to tap into what made the earlier work great, ending up as fairly charming. Others feel like they’re just ripping themselves off. And a few are painfully stupid.

So do I hate this album? No, not really. It was a huge disappointment at the time, but I can certainly listen to it all the way through. It’s simply not that special. Los Campesinos made a couple outstanding albums, and then tripped. Whether this will be the fall that kills them or just a little stumbling is yet to be seen. But they definitely need to prove themselves next time.

Favorite Tracks: “In Medias Res,” “We’ve Got Your Back,” “A Heat Rash in the Shape of the Show Me State or, Letters from Me to Charlotte”

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