Los Campesinos!

Sticking Fingers into Sockets (Arts & Crafts)

By Marisa Iacobucci
Published: July 21st, 2007 | 10:46am

Okay, we’ve got some serious summer fun tunes here with Los Campesinos!’ Sticking Fingers into Sockets. This seven-member, Cardiff-based band is one of the U.K.’s rising buzz bands and based on their huge following from their party-lovin’ fan base, there’s no stopping them.

Los Campesinos! started off as a few university friends jamming and writing songs, but when they expanded to their seven-member band status and posted four demo songs on their MySpace page last summer, that’s when things exploded for them including sold-out shows in London, calls from record labels, and a full-length album released this summer.

What works for Los Campesinos!? Well, for starters, you can tell that their multi-instrumental approach to playing music ? they play everything from guitars, violins, banjos, down to even a glockenspiel on these songs ? is influenced by bands such as Broken Social Scene, which means they are able to craft ultra-melodic indie tunes with a unique spin. They are also able to layer their melodies with verse after verse of catchy lines such as, “Trying to find the perfect match between pretentious and pop / It started with a mix, how did it end up like this?” At times, you can almost become dizzy in the manic storytelling of their songs such as in “We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives.” Comparisons to the Arcade Fire are obvious, although, they’re a lot more gleeful, and more along the lines of the Fiery Furnaces.

Overall, this CD is a joy ride. As soon as you press play, you’ll know right away why the Brits are mad for Los Campesinos!.