Los Campesinos!
Hold On Now, Youngster...

THE REVIEW

The best Welsh band since the days of the Manic Street Preachers.

This is how the Welsh band Los Campesinos! has been recently described in the UK.

So let's clarify two things right away: it's a somewhat exaggerated statement, and musically speaking, they have absolutely nothing in common with the Manics. Instead, a more appropriate comparison seems to be the (recurring) one with Architecture In Helsinki.

Los Campesinos! are a group of seven hailing from Cardiff; their debut album, this "Hold On Now, Youngster..." was released last February by Wichita Records, after several supporting dates with the excellent Broken Social Scene and a well-received EP, "Sticking Fingers Into Sockets." Anyway, leaving aside uncomfortable comparisons and/or legacies, these folks know what they're doing, without a doubt.

The music of Los Campesinos! is based on a fun and boisterous indie pop, of astonishing quality and enviable freshness and validity. Their strengths are multiple: a great melodic taste, a distinctive skill in intertwining male and female voices (a peculiarity that makes the music of the seven pleasantly original) and, above all, a remarkable talent in creating irreverent and playful melodic plots.

A great track like "Death To Los Campesinos!" perfectly represents the music of the Welsh (not surprisingly it was chosen as a single); ramshackle, frenetic, and direct, it's perfect to open the album. Carefree tunes like "Broken Heartbeats Sound Like Breakbeats" or "Don't Tell Me to Do the Math(s)" follow, with indie guitar bullets lasting barely two minutes like the second single "My Year In Lists", but also off-key and nostalgic ballads ("Knee Deep At ATP", a potential big single) and tracks so fresh and original that they make the bloated Strokes envious ("This Is How You Spell, HAHAHA, We Destroyed The Hopes And Dreams Of A Generation Of Faux-Romantics", perhaps one of the longest titles in rock history). The other small masterpiece of the album is "You! Me! Dancing!" (already heard last year) that captivates with its continuous and surprising changes of pace, and anticipates a finale in line with the rest of the work.

"Hold On Now, Youngster..." is, ultimately, one of the most beautiful and surprising debuts of the year. Let's hope Los Campesinos! can confirm themselves in the future; in the meantime, let's enjoy them as they are.

Key tracks: "Death To Los Campesinos!", "Don't Tell Me to Do the Math(s)", "This Is How You Spell, HAHAHA, We Destroyed The Hopes And Dreams Of A Generation Of Faux-Romantics", "You! Me! Dancing!"