Now Playing: ‘Don’t Tell Me To Do The Math(s)’ from Sticking Fingers Into Sockets by Los Campesinos!

If The Vaselines had been slightly more accomplished on their instruments, if Arctic Monkeys didn’t take themselves so seriously, if The Fratellis had a better sense of humor, well, none of them could have been Los Campesinos – a band smart enough to write good, catchy songs, but also smart enough to laugh at themselves and not feel compelled to illustrate how damned clever they are at every opportunity.

The closest approximation to the sonic joy that Los Campesinos! express on their debut is watching two young kids very happily playing around in an attic; on Sticking Fingers Into Sockets, the band makes up the rules to their own games as they go along with fantastic results. Utilizing every instrument at their disposal (including xylophone, violin, hand claps and cheap keyboards in addition to the standard indie issue guitar, bass and drums), the band throws together five of the greatest indie pop songs in history that simultaneously illustrate what good tune-smiths they are (“You! Me! Dancing!”, “We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives” and “It Started With A Mixx” are peerless in the music that the genre has spawned in the last few years) and how easily, innocently and haphazardly it comes to them (punk values crossed with children’s ideals? Check out the “Tonight we’re gonna smash this place up and decorate it in fairy lights” line in “Don’t Tell Me To Do The Math(s)”). A manic cover of Pavement’s “Frontwards” rounds out the EP and secures Los Campesinos’ place as the best-schooled and talented third generation modern indie band without even trying – out of the box, they have set the bar for their peers at an incredibly high mark and do it with a smile on the members’ collective face.

Artist:
www.loscampesinos.com/
www.myspace.com/loscampesinos

Album:
Sticking Fingers Into Sockets is out now. Buy it on Amazon .