Los Campesinos! - Romance Is Boring

In September 2008, I referred to Los Campesinos! as "ambitious," due to their release of follow-up album, We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed, only six months after their debut, Hold On Now, Youngster. It seems they've decided to continue in that same prolific vein for 2010, as their NEXT album (yes, another full length), Romance Is Boring, is due out on January 26th. Although not a lot of time has passed, Los Campesinos! have honed their skills a bit and managed to make their most cohesive album to date. I've never been a huge fan of the seven-piece (save for their fantastic debut EP, Sticking Fingers Into Sockets) and always found their carefully planned out sloppiness to be a bit grating after several tracks. But with Romance Is Boring, it appears they've stopped trying so hard, and just let their natural love for pop fall into place. The proof is in their unpretentious, straight-forward power-pop ("There Are Listed Buildings"), their ballsy denouncement of romance (aka their initial lyrical crutch) on the title track, and the catchy vocal interplay between singers Ellen and Gareth that's sprinkled throughout the album. Los Campesinos! are not looking to be taken too seriously and that's okay, as long as they keep writing lyrics as witty as "I think we need more post coital and less post rock," and using their melodic strength to make a cohesive album like this one, rather than fucking around for forty-five minutes like they did previously. Kudos Campesinos, stick with this new direction, and you'll have three new albums written by 2011.

DOWNLOAD: Link Removed By Request [Arts & Crafts]
Recommended Tracks: "There Are Listed Buildings," "Romance Is Boring," "We’ve Got Your Back (Documented Minor Emotional Breakdown #2)," "Straight In At 101."