Los Campesinos!

Romance Is Boring (Arts & Crafts)

By Melissa Bobbitt
Published: February 17th, 2010 | 7:00am

It’s not that the exclamation mark in the band’s name is at half-mast these days — in fact, there’s still plenty of caffeinated gems to be found on their latest, Romance Is Boring — but maybe the kooky collective known as Los Campesinos! is going through a quarter-life crisis. Sure, they still party — see the chiming celebration “These Are Listed Buildings,” in which lead singer Gareth croaks, “We are but two atheists in lust” — but the hangover and accompanying remorse run thick. “Who Fell Asleep In,” a plodding pop dirge with moaning strings, is a walk through a cemetery of wanton lovers: “We turned our backs to the church / With trousers around our knees,” mumbles Gareth. What used to make him and his fellow Campesinos, as well as listeners, feel alive now slowly chisels away at his aging heart. Guiros, xylophones, and twee femme vocals are used as familiar lassos to drag Gareth back to joyful teenage cacophony on songs like the title track, but defeatist sentiments often rule the day. “I think we need more post-coital and less post-rock / Feels like the buildup takes forever, but you never get me off,” he laments in the deceivingly bubbly “Straight in at 101.” At times, the rumination is beautiful, like on the epic, swooning “The Sea Is a Good Place to Think of the Future.” But at other times, it’s a defiant mess (see the nascent punk flailing in “Plan A”). Regardless of some of its minor flaws, Romance Is Boring works as an ample reflection of the dilemmas and rockiness that all mid-20-somethings face.

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Arts & Crafts