The lyrics on Los Campesinos' third album, when read together and without the band's frenzied instrumentation, would seem to describe one (young, confused) man's tortured relationship with love. "Romance is boring!" he declare's on the album's title track, before spending the next half hour filling his listeners in on every little detail of his carwreck of a lovelife. The album's fifteen tracks describe no literal "concept" or narrative arc, but are, rather, unified by the sorts of things that the sonnets we've read have been linked by: point-of-view, a pervading sense of romantic hopelessness, etc.
(His self-deluded claim that "romance is boring" happens to echo Sir Thomas Wyatt the Edler's "Farewell, Love": "Farewell, love, and all thy laws forever/Thy baited hooks shall tangle me no more." Of course, neither Wyatt nor Campesino are actually done with love--but both desperately wish they could be. But, then, without love, what would they write about?)
The album has a couple of recurring motifs. Multiple songs reference a TV news program that counts down Gareth's worst breakups of all time, underscoring that feeling that doomed relationships are this guy's entire world: he can't even turn on the TV without being reminded of how bad he is at the whole boy-girl thing. Elsewhere he laments his and his partners' lacking physical appearances; excoriates those who (like him) put intellect and irony over visceral, truly felt emotion ("I think we need more post-coital, and less post-rock") and describes scene after vomit-encrusted scene of youthful, romantic hysteria.
I've written about Los Campesinos for Prefix Magazine, if any of you guys want to check it out.
The title of this album is really eye catching. Very much avoids cliche.
ReplyDeleteIt's great the way you've been able to draw out the themes in this album. I tend to think of a lyric sequence needing a narrative, but now I'm sure a collection of songs reflecting on a common theme or emotion is just as valid. All these songs reflect on the artists frustration with his love life. It's up to the listener to fill in all the details.
Great choice! I like that you emphasized the recurring themes, because they really enhance the idea that this album is a lyrical sequence. I feel like most artist's write about their love lives, but I think what makes this album stand out is that it's very upfront, and all the songs are connected.
ReplyDeleteI also like how you referenced this information back to our readings for the week. Good Choice.
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