Los Campesinos! represent a refreshing group of musicians who don’t take themselves too seriously while also bringing forth earnest, insightful, and – dare I say it – really, really fun music. I started listening to their EP, Sticking Fingers Into Sockets, and it’s one of those albums that gives me hope for pop and music in general.
We certainly see this band’s influences from the likes of Broken Social Scene, Minus the Bear (great song titles and all), Arcade Fire, Deerhoof, Yo La Tengo, etc., but we also see a startlingly earnest and simultaneously young, but timeless, voice to the band. How many times have any of us thought that “it’s sad that you think that we’re all scenesters…even if we were, it’s not the scene you’re thinking.” So sings Gareth Campesino! in “You! Me! Dancing!” And yes, while a bit on the cheesy side, all of the band members go by the same surname, which, probably because of the quality of the music, makes the exclamation mark, the same surnames, and the irreverent and quasi-ironic track names all totally ok.
Maybe it’s me, but after spending the past couple of weeks listening to The Stars, Sea Wolf, and the new Mountain Goats album, Los Campesinos! feels like a ray of sunshine that makes me want to get up, dance, smile, dress up as a ninja, wave my arms around, fall in love, and sing.
And, really, at the end of the day…anything that inspires that much goofiness and enjoyment is a great, great thing. I really can’t wait to see what Los Campesinos! come out with next and as soon as they decide to come to DC, I’m there.