No one can seem to talk about Los Campesinos! without rambling about the effect of their exclamation point. Twee! Glee! Jubilee! OMG!
But wait — what if Los Campesinos! had chosen to punctuate their name differently? Los Campesinos? might be an avant-garde minimalist group that employs solely sitars and kazoos. Perhaps Los Campesinos; would be some sort of orchestral folk outfit, a 19-piece group that records all their songs in the forest. And possibly Los Campesinos/ would somehow manage to fuse psychedelic metal, dubstep, and reggae. Who knows?
The title of the exclamation-pointed band’s fourth LP Hello Sadness — an album that documents the frustration and confusion of a failing relationship — seems to send the band into emotional territory usually only found in the land of the comma, maybe even the darker ellipsis. You know… the land of lo-fi electro-emo and acoustic shoegaze. Somehow, however, Los Campesinos! manage to keep it quick and rollicking while remaining complex and honest — indie pop definitely worthy of an exclamation point.
So! Los Campesinos! Hello Sadness! Arts&Crafts! November 15!
Tracklisting:
01. By Your Hand
02. Songs About Your Girlfriend
03. Hello Sadness
04. Life Is a Long Time
05. Every Defeat a Divorce (Three Lions)
06. Hate for the Island
07. The Black Bird, the Dark Slope
08. To Tundra
09. Baby I Got the Death Rattle
10. Light Leaves, Dark Sees pt. II
• Los Campesinos!: http://www.loscampesinos.com
• Arts&Crafts: http://www.arts-crafts.ca
