The third album from Los Campesinos! is a hands down success for the indie rock/pop band. Considering that they unexpectedly lost female vocalist and keyboarder Aleks Campesino! mid-production, Romance is Boring was a smooth transition from the 2008 limited release We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed. The album leaves little more to be desired, with captivating intros, thought-provoking poetic lyrics and constant variation of instrumental sound.
Formed in 2006, Los Campesinos! has a caliber of sound that is very professional and talented — qualities usually found in groups created pre-Y2K. Romance is Boring is an album easily listened to straight through without becoming wound up or listless from repetitive beats or melodies. As opposed to what the title might suggest, the singing on the album is not whiny. Lead singer Gareth Campesinos–yes, all band members go by these oh-so-individualized and creative surnames–strikes an ever-resilient vocal blend against the various instruments of the seven member band.
“In Media Res” starts out the album slow enough to not overwhelm the listener and throws out lyrics not as words, but thought-catalysts. Towards the middle, the band poses the idea “I’m leaving my body to science, not medical but physics / Drag my corpse through the airport and lay me limp on the left wing,” turning the ethics of post-death completely on end.
Los Campesinos! quickly gets into the fast-paced pop insanity they are most known for with the album’s titular song “Romance is Boring.” Nearly three minutes of sarcasm, metaphors and bitterness, the song ends as Gareth takes one final gasp for air, one of exasperation.
The sound of Los Campesinos! is so unique that it might be a surprise to hear the beginning notes of “Plan A” sound eerily like Late of the Pier’s “7beat” by both the tune and tone. But no one is calling musical plagiarism here. The song branches away from any other comparable band at the get-go, as the voices of Gareth and sister Kim (Aleks’ interim band member) harmonize to screech an anthem of adolescent reminiscence: “Just like when we were seventeen / We said we’d move to Malta, claim nationality, / And now that we are twenty-three / Days tethered to the running track, / Evenings chained to the dish rack.”
Just as “Plan A” looks back on the immaturity of youth, many songs subsequently take the atmosphere far from the “dish rack.” It seems in proving the insignificance of Romance, the band must go back to the excitement they once had with it.
For example, “There is a Flag. There is No Wind” describes the enervated attitude of the heartbroken, using the flag to symbolize life, and wind its motivation. Thus the album’s title and its content are at times in conflict. But what else could we expect from a band formed in Wales, where none of the band members are Welsh in the slightest and their faux surnames are Spanish?
Regardless, listeners can only hope such intrigue and creativity can be maintained beyond the trinity that Los Campesinos! has already produced. And if by the end of the album you feel unable to relate to Los Campesinos!’ message that “Romance is Boring,” don’t fret. In another week, with the upcoming holiday everyone hates to love, it will be all too clear just how boring romance can be.
4 1/2 stars out of 5.
