Posts Tagged: Los Campesinos


11
Sep 09

Los Campesinos – The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future

Los Campesinos   The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future listenI was a little timid before listening to Los Campesinos’ new song “The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future”. The group has thrived with their crazy, energetic, unconstrained, and crazy rock-pop music and departure into the more somber unknown is a real risk.

The song opens up with slow strings and an almost spoken narrative of an eating disorder. Crashing cymbals follow a little later behind a very well sung chorus. The song keeps building and growing creating a really powerful atmosphere in the song. Clearly Los Campesinos are heading in some kind of new direction, and it is nice to see that the band has embraced this musical growth. This track should really create excitement for the rest of their latest LP.

[download id="248"]

–postscript–

Speech Debelle won the coveted British “Mercury Prize.” This, of course, got me listening. Check out this jazzy, dizzying, utterly fantastic number, “The Key.” I feel bad that I have just started listening to this spunky emcee, but I won’t dwell in the past… pick up her album, Speech Therapy, today.

[download id="249"]

YACHT (who are touring with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) has laid their remix magic all over Wolfmother’s new single, “New Moon Rising” (this may be connected to the new Twilight movie. No, probably not. But hey…). Check out other remixes by Riton and Fontan @ Filter.

[download id="250"] ♥♥♥♥♥♥HOT DAYUM!

-Luis Tovar


21
Aug 08

New Los Campesinos! – How I Taught Myself To Scream

Los Campesinos!
Probably the busiest guys (and gals) in the scene, Los Campesinos unveiled a non-album track via their newsletter and Pitchfork called “How I Taught Myself To Scream.” The song is your typical Los Campesinos hyper-powered boy/girl voiced indie-pop rock song that we all heard on their debut earlier this year. The track does not indicate, however, that we should expect any change from these guys at all from their scheduled SECOND 2008 album “We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed.” Here’s to “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

[display_podcast]

Oh and… wtf is up with the Fall Out Boy-esque song/album titles?


31
Jul 08

Urban Outfitters wants you to DOWNLOAD their AMAZING Mix

Urban Outfitters

So Urban Outfitters is really one of the coolest stores to ever exist, right? Yeah, totally. I was there the other day (@ this one!) and one of the cute sales people there named Sara just handed me a VitaminWater to “cool me down” while I shop. It was like 100+ degrees that day so I was definitely happy for my free Kelly Clarkson flavored VitaminWater. It was a good day indeed.

But my Urban Outfitters love grows even deeper!

This morning a friend IMs me the link to Urban Outfitters’ first LSTN mix, appropriately called LSTN #1. The mix consists of 21 FREE buzzin’ tracks. Check the tracklist below:

Throw Me The Statue — Lolita

Black Kids — I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You

Architecture in Helsinki — Like It Or Not (Version 2)

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson — Woodfriend

Broken Social Scene Presents Brendan Canning — Hit The Wall

War On Drugs — Taking The Farm

Blitzen Trapper — Furr

The Dodos — Red And Purple

Dr. Dog — The Old Days

Los Campesinos! — Death To Los Campesinos!

Annuals — Sore

Son Ambulance — Horizons

Music Go Music — Light Of Love

The Explorers Club — Do You Love Me?

The Walkmen — The Blue Route

Albert Hammond, Jr. — GfC

Lykke Li — Little Bit

The Notwist — Boneless

The Dutchess and the Duke — Reservoir Park

King Khan & The Shrines — Outta Harms Way

Chad VanGaalen — Willow Tree

Download the entire mix here.


13
Mar 08

Album Review: Los Campesinos! – Hold On Now, Youngster

Album Review: Los Campesinos!   Hold On Now, Youngster mp3

Hello and welcome to “Club Indier Than Thou”, with tonight’s guest semi-stars, Los Campesinos! Let’s run through a few house rules, starting with the most important: guitars are always, always better than synths. Please don’t question the house rules. Secondly, having chart success is inherently suspect. You wouldn’t want an Oasis fan whistling your favourite song, after all, then you’d have to find a new one. Next: try to avoid expressing direct, honest emotions, but if you can’t, then please cloak them in convoluted wordplay. And remember not knowing Spacemen 3 is punishable by a four hour lecture on ’80s post-punk.

Right, that should cover it: have a good night. Well, a mediocre night with shades of world weary ennui, but you know what I mean. Or, as Liam Gallagher might put it: fucking students, which is exactly what the Welsh seven-piece were until last year. For all the abundant virtues of Los Campesinos! – their energy, their vivacity, their obvious and audible love of what they do – it’s hard to sit through all of “Hold On Now, Youngster” without feeling like you’re trapped in a parody of lo-fidelity, high IQ indiedom.

Irritating name with even more irritating punctuation? Tick. Eighteen word song titles and references to stationery, Jane Eyre, K Records, communist Russia, parentheses and obscurantist paradise All Tomorrow’s Parties? Present and correct. Scratchy guitars, cutesy pie glockenspiels, jerky rhythms, yelping vocals and a horribly played violin? You’ve come to the right place! But two things save Los Campesinos! from being utterly insufferable.

The first is that many of these songs are such fun, hurtling from the speakers in a blur of fuzzy guitars, big shouty choruses and smart vocal jousting between singers Gareth and Alexsandra. “Death To Los Campesinos!” is a terrific start, its zig zag guitar riff only just holding together a bundle of melodies and ideas, while “Broken Hearts Sound Like Breakbeats” roars in with the pace, throbbing bass and exuberance of the Pixies in their experimental “Surfer Rosa” period. And the brilliantly titled “You! Me! Dancing!” may be a minor classic, thanks to its vibrant, irrepressible riff and longing melodies. Duds (like the arthritic “…And we exhale”) are rare.

The second saving grace is that Los Campesinos! have the brains to back up their smart arse attitude. For every smug lyric like “We’re gonna smash this place up then decorate it with fairy lights”, there’s a genuinely striking image like “Second hand bookshop employees reading inscriptions that were never meant for their eyes” (both from the stuttering, manic “Don’t Tell Me To Do The Math(s)”). But are they bright enough to realise that all the knowing references and hipster posturing are only getting in the way of their obvious, bright-eyed talent? We’ll have to wait for the second album for the answer to that one.

Los Campesinos! – You! Me! Dancing! DOWNLOAD | LISTEN

Album Review: Los Campesinos!   Hold On Now, Youngster mp3 Album Review: Los Campesinos!   Hold On Now, Youngster mp3 Album Review: Los Campesinos!   Hold On Now, Youngster mp3 Album Review: Los Campesinos!   Hold On Now, Youngster mp3 Album Review: Los Campesinos!   Hold On Now, Youngster mp3 Album Review: Los Campesinos!   Hold On Now, Youngster mp3 Album Review: Los Campesinos!   Hold On Now, Youngster mp3 Album Review: Los Campesinos!   Hold On Now, Youngster mp3 Album Review: Los Campesinos!   Hold On Now, Youngster mp3 Album Review: Los Campesinos!   Hold On Now, Youngster mp3 by Jaime Gill


7
Jan 08

PrettyMuchAmazing’s 215(ish) FAVORITE SONGS OF 2007

PrettyMuchAmazings 215(ish) FAVORITE SONGS OF 2007 mp3

So here it is: my somewhat WTF-worthy, pizzaz-y, eclectic, mega-mixtape of 2007 – a week into 2008 – of course. I gave up on trying to rank all the songs somewhere at No. 45 so I just split them up into smaller playlists. Here are my definite 10 Favorite Songs of 2007, beyond this, rank as you please.
NOTE: MY GOAL HERE IS NOT TO BULK UP YOUR IPOD. DON’T PISS AND MOAN TO ME.

10 Favorite Songs of 2007
1. Justice – D.A.N.C.E .
2. Los Campesinos! – You! Me! Dancing!
3. Kanye West – Stronger
4. LCD Soundsystem – All My Friends
5. Arcade Fire – Intervention
6. Rihanna – Umbrella
7. Spoon – Finer Feelings
8. M.I.A. – World Town
9. Britney Spears – Piece of Me
10. Arcade Fire – Keep The Car Running

Lets kick this off…

Gimme That Indie
Spoon – Black Like Me
Arcade Fire – Intervention
Radiohead – 15 Step [live]
Los Campesinos! – You! Me! Dancing!
Blonde Redhead – 23
Explosions In The Sky – Welcome, Ghosts
Bloc Party – The Prayer
Of Montreal – Suffer For Fashion
Ryan Adams – Halloweenhead
Black Kids – I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You
Arctic Monkeys – Fluorescent Adolescent
A Place To Bury Strangers – To Fix The Gash In Your Head
Spoon – Don’t You Evah
Stars – Take Me To the Riot
Grizzly Bear – The Knife (covered by CSS)
Deerhunter – After Class
!!! – Heart of Hearts
Panda Bear – Bros
Beurit – Elephant Gun
Iron & Wine – Boy With A Coin
Sunset Rubdown – The Mending of the Gown
Bloc Party – The Once And Future King
Band Of Horses – Is There A Ghost?
White Stripes – You Dont Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You’re Told)
Bright Eyes – Four Winds
Rilo Kiley – Silver Lining
Clap Your Hands And Say Yeah – Underwater (You and Me)
Radiohead – Reckoner
Cold War Kids – Hang Me Up To Dry
Arcade Fire – Black Wave/Bad Vibrations
Arctic Monkeys – Teddy Picker
Wilco – Impossible Germany
Spoon – Finer Feelings
Chris Walla – Sing Again
Of Montreal – The Past is a Grotesque Animal
Grizzly Bear – He Hit Me
Interpol – Pioneer to the Falls
The Knife – Silent Shout
Liars – Houseclouds
The New Pornographers – Myriad Harbour
Vampire Weekend – Oxford Comma
Los Campesinos! – We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives
Radiohead – Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Arcade Fire – (Antichrist Television Blues)
Cold War Kids – We Used To Vacation
The Shins – Phantom Limb
Raveonettes – Aly, Walk With Me
Black Mountain – Tyrants
Of Montreal – Gronlandic Edit
The Cribs – Men’s Needs
Battles – Atlas

Mellow Out, Pop!
Feist – 1234
Suzanne Vega – New York Is A Woman
Colbie Caillat – Bubbly
Feist – My Moon My Man
Sarah Bareilles – Love Song
Kate Nash – Foundations
Kelly Clarkson – Sober
Ingrid Michaelson – The Way I Am
Hilary Duff – With Love
Fray – Look After You
Tegan And Sara – The Con
Marie Digby – Umbrella (Rihanna Cover)
Amy Winehouse – Tears Dry On Their Own
Lily Allen – Littlest Things
Mark Ronson – Toxic (Britney Spears Cover)

You Rawk So Hard
Foo Fighters – The Pretender
Queens Of The Stone Age – Make It Wit Chu
White Stripes – Icky Thump
Smashing Pumpkins – Doomsday Clock
Nine Inch Nails – Survivalism
Coheed and Cambria – The Running Free
Velvet Revolver – She Builds Qu
ick Machines
Foo Fighters – Long Road To Ruin
Kelly Clarkson – Haunted
Paramore – Misery Business
Baby Shambles – Delivery
Jimmy Eat World – Big Casino
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Hump De Bump
Daughtry – Over You
Fall Out Boy – This Aint a Scene, Its An Arm’s Race
Against Me! – Thrash Unreal
Evanescence – Sweet Sacrifice
Buckcherry – Sorry
Finger Eleven – Paralyzer
Paramore – Hallelujah

Dirty Pop
Britney Spears – Gimme More
Amy Whinehouse – Rehab
The Go! Team – Grip Like a Vice
Rihanna – Umbrella
Justin Timberlake – Love Stoned
Mark Ronson ft. Lily Allen – Oh My God
Britney Spears – Piece of Me
Kylie – Love Is A Drug
Robyn – With Every Heartbeat
Groove Armada ft. Mutya – Song For Mutya
Fergie – Glamorous
Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse – Valerie
Lily Allen – LDN
Kylie – 2 Hearts
Avril Lavigne – Girlfriend (Lil Mama Remix)
Nelly Furtado – Say It Right
Rihanna – Shut Up And Drive
Robyn – Handle Me
Leona Lewis – Bleeding Love
Madonna – Candy Shop
Kate Nash – Mouthwash
Aly & AJ – Potential Breakup Song
Justin Timberlake – Summer Love
Nelly Furtado – Do It

You’re Every Woman!
Beyonce & Shakira – Beautiful Liar
Mary J Blige – Work That
Keyshia Cole ft. Missy Elliot, Lil Kim – Let It Go
Alicia Keys – No One
Jordin Sparks – This Is My Now
Fergie – Big Girls Don’t Cry
Beyonce – Upgrade U
Lil Mama – Lip Gloss
Rihanna – Breakin’ Dishes (Soul Seekerz Remix)
Britney Spears – Toy Soldier
Mary J. Blige – Just Fine
Ciara – Like A Boy
Vanessa Carlton – Nolita Fairytale
The Pippettes – Pull Shapes
Miranda Lambert – Gunpowder & Lead
Carrie Underwood – Before He Cheats

The Bangers
Kanye West – Stronger
M.I.A . – Bamboo Banga
50 Cent – I Get Money
Common – Driving Me Wild
Lupe Fiasco – Superstar
Jay-Z – Roc Boys
DJ Felli Fel – Get Buck In Here
Outkast – The Art Of Storytelling Pt. 4
The Clipse – Roll With The Winners
DJ Khaled – I’m So Hood
Ice Cube – Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It
Chamillionaire – Wont Let U Down
Rich Boy – Throw Some D’s
Kanye West ft. the Clipse – Flashing Lights (Benzi Refix)
50 Cent – Ayo Technology
Timbaland – Give It To Me
Soulja Boy – Crank That
Lupe Fiasco – The Coolest
Will.I.Am – I Got It From My Mama

It’s Weezy Baby!
Upgrade U
I Feel Like Dying
Dough Is What I Got
La La La
Help!
Dj Khaled – We Takin’ Over
Jay-Z – Hello Brooklyn V2
Kanye West – Barry Bonds

Hey Shawty
Flo Rida – Low
Chris Brown – Kiss Kiss
Rihanna – Hate That I Love You
J Holiday – Bed
Ne-Yo – Because of You
R. Kelly – I’m A Flirt
T-Pain – Bartender
Akon – Don’t Matter
Fabolous – Make Me Better

Do The D.A.N.C.E.
Justice – D.A.N.C.E.
Simian Mobile Disco – Hustler
Chemical Brothers – Chemical Beats
LCD Soundsystem – Someone Great
Daft Punk – Around The World/Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
Air – Mer du Japon (The Teenagers Remix)
Justice – The Party
Burial – Untrue
Stars of the Lid – The Evil That Never Arrived
Thom Yorke – Cymbal Rush (The Field Late Night Essen Und Trinken remix)
LCD Soundsystem – All My Friends
M.I.A. – Paper Planes
Simian Mobile Disco – Wooden
Calvin Harris – Acceptable In The 80’s
CSS – Let’s Make Love And Listen To Death From Above (Diplo Remix)
Rihanna – Don’t Stop The Music
Bloc Party – Flux (JFK Remix)
Burial – Unite
Justice – DVNO
Bright Eyes – Easy/Lucky/Free (Hot Chip Remix)
Britney Spears – I Got A Plan (Get Naked)
Hilary Duff – Stranger
Chemical Brothers – Do It Again
Crystal Castles – Air War
Paul van Dyke – White Lies

Life In 2007
Arcade Fire – Windowsill
Kanye West – Can’t Tell Me Nothing
Lupe Fiasco – Dumb It Down
LCD Soundsystem – Watch The Tapes
M.I.A. – World Town r />Fall Out Boy – The Take Over, The Break’s Over
Hilary Duff – Dignity
Spoon – Don’t Me A Target
Arcade Fire – Neon Bible



11
Dec 07

Last Listen 2007: Best Songs (#35, 28, 26, 19, 9)

Last Listen 2007: Best Songs (#35, 28, 26, 19, 9) mp3

35. Common – The People (YSI)

Common’s Finding Forever was tough to place, but “The People” was guaranteed a spot. Despite Be’s critical and commercial acclaim, Common doesn’t change, keeping it true with tight production, smooth flow, and insightful lyrics. My only problem is that the lyrics get preachy, self-righteous at times.

Last Listen 2007: Best Songs (#35, 28, 26, 19, 9) mp3

28. Miranda Lambert – Famous In A Small Town (YSI)

Lambert has crafted a song about living the simple life, having everyone knowing everyone else’s business. Quite honest and very funny. Her vocals are quite stellar. She can teach Carrie Underwood a thing or two.

Last Listen 2007: Best Songs (#35, 28, 26, 19, 9) mp3

26. Vampire Weekend – Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa (YSI)

Some people might let “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” die after sulking in the afro-beat-indie beat, preferring to stick to the somber tight-pants-wearing, poetry-reciting for indie-pop. New York-natives, Vampire Weekend add a certain fun, hype variety into what’s becoming a generic scene. A perfect pretense, a handful of guys, just out of college: ambitious, endearing, and dorky.

Last Listen 2007: Best Songs (#35, 28, 26, 19, 9) mp3

19. Grizzly Bear – Knife (YSI)

Grizzly Bear has never been a blog band, like, the Arctic Monkeys, Wolf Parade, or Clap Your Hands And Say Yeah!, and I doubt they will ever be. They lack the oomph to spark such temporary hype, instead, Grizzly Bear leave you saying aaahh, especially with this track. “Knife” has a timeless quality of it, dipping into the rare depths of pop music you dont regularly see in our modern FM world. Grizzly Bear is a pop that’s close to perfect, a pop you want to get to know and cherish.

Last Listen 2007: Best Songs (#35, 28, 26, 19, 9) mp3

9. Los Campesinos! – You! Me! Dancing! (YSI)

What more can be said about the elated, euphoric riff that flows through the heart of this song, or the deceitful introductory buildup that swells you up to a blowing climax (erm, not really as it’s in the beginning of the track and it gets lots better)? “You! Me! Dancing!” is pretty much the perfect indie-pop boy-girl anthem ready to attack the clubs not infested with local Daft Punk’s. Basically, if “You! Me! Dancing!” doesn’t cause an onslaught on your pleasure spots — forget your ears — your nerves have screwed you over.