100 - Classic Album; One Of The Best Of All Time
99-90 - Exceptional Work; Rush Out And Get This
89-80 - Very, Very Good; You Should Still Go Out And Get This
79-70 - Not Bad At All; Might Actually Be Worth Your Time
69-60 - Has Its Moments But On The Whole... Meh
59-50 - Won't Make Your Ears Bleed; Won't Make You Dance, Either
49-0 - Don't Waste Your Time; You're Smarter Than This (Probably)
Now... onto the review:
There's a moment - fleeting as it is - on Los Campesinos' third LP, Romance Is Boring, where everything comes together and we get a glimpse of what Los Campesinos could be. As the album is closing, "The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future" creates a foreboding awareness of mortality that builds to a cathartic release as the band sings in unison, "And all you can hear is the sound of your own heart and all you can feel is your lungs flood and the blood course/ But oh I can see five hundred years dead set ahead of me/ Five hundred behind/ A thousand years in perfect symmetry." Without a doubt, it's the shining achievement of Romance Is Boring and it's exciting to see where the Cardiff, Wales band could be heading. Until then, we'll have to make due with the rest of Romance Is Boring, an enjoyable yet flawed record. Undoubtedly, Romance Is Boring finds Los Campesinos growing up as the collective seems slightly more mature than they were on 2008's energetic debut, Hold On Now, Youngster. 2010 finds the band in their sexually frustrated teenage years as it were, as vocalist Gareth Campesinos spits, "I think we need more post-coital and less post-rock/ Feels like the buildup takes forever but you never get me off," on "Straight In At 101." The boisterous second single, "Romance Is Boring" and the opener, "In Medias Res" are also standouts but the record suffers from a pronounced lag in its midsection before rebounding to close on a high note. Romance Is Boring is somewhat odd in that it's an eminently enjoyable listen but simultaneously is one that fails to leave much of a lasting impression, other than to suggest that perhaps Los Campesinos are a band that's slowly beginning to put things together.
RIYL (Recommended If You Like): Arcade Fire; The Decemberists; Hyperliterate punk; Wales; "More post-coital and less post-rock"
Standout Tracks: "The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future;" "Romance Is Boring;" "In Medias Res;" "Straight In At 101"
Dirty Rating: 77/100
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