Darker, edgier and more mature than on their previous releases, Cardiff-based septet Los Campesinos! nonetheless remain as exuberant and cacophonous on Romance Is Boring as they were on their two previous studio albums. Gareth Campesinos’ – in case you weren’t already aware, the entire band have replaced their original surnames with ‘Campesinos’ – lead vocals are in some cases reminiscent of The Wombats’ Matthew Murphy and Art Brut’s Eddie Argos, especially on the title track, but still are of a way, way higher standard than either of those frontmen.
As on We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed, the record is produced by John Goodmanson, who has experience of working alongside such impressive acts as Nada Surf, Death Cab For Cutie and Fight Like Apes, and ultimately the kudos for the limitlessly enthusiastic arrangements must go to him, at least in part. There is just one glaringly awful misstep; Plan A is just excessive noise, pure and simple, and is a thoroughly awful song. Overall, however, the sound is glorious, with the instrumentation on the elaborately-titled A Heat Rash in the Shape of the Show Me State; or, Letters from Me to Charlotte (crikey) and the nifty string intro to Who Fell Asleep In worthy of particular admiration.
The Cure are who the band most resemble in lyrical terms on Romance Is Boring; personal, earnest, angsty and po-faced but nonetheless incredibly wry, clever and articulate. On Straight in at 101 Gareth laments his romantic travails with such deft wit and self-deprecating humour that you can’t help but love it. “Just let me be the one that keeps track of the moles on your back”, from I Just Sighed. I Just Sighed, Just So You Know sticks in the mind as well.
There’s still infectious upbeat tracks on the album too, with There Are Listed Buildings and opener In Media Res standing out, but it’s it the more emotive stuff that catches the attention and holds on to it. The Sea is a Good Place to think of the Future is perfectly representative of this, a song which could easily have come from the pen of Conor Oberst, such is its eloquence and depth of feeling. Best track on the record by far.
These descriptions might make Romance Is Boring sound downbeat and depressing but the impact is more uplifting than anything else, largely because the joyous accompaniment is so bombastic and well-orchestrated. Sonically, the effect is astonishingly invigorating. Now there’s a sentence you don’t read every day.
College fund burning a hole in your pocket? If you would rather spend your money on music than themed stationary this year, here's a round-up of the albums we're loving this week.
