Romance Is Boring

Los Campesinos! | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 26, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Arts & Crafts
• ASIN: B0030ZOYN6
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #69,609 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2010 release from the Welsh Alt-Rockers. Recorded in two legs, Romance Is Boring is a record that's bigger, deeper, more complex and more direct than anything Los Campesinos! has recorded to date. There are huge choruses ('There Are Listed Buildings') and squalling, Blood Brothers dissonance ('Plan A'), sheets of twinkling electronic ambience ('Coda: A Burn Scar In The Shape Of The Sooner State') and more great lyrics than you could ever hope to pin down in a press release. Ask yourself this: how many indie bands make a second record that's better than their first, and then make a third record that's better than their second, all in little over 18 months? Think about that one for a bit. Romance Is Boring is filled out with added brass, strings, drum machines and electronics, packed with guest spots from the likes of Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu, Zac Pennington of Parenthetical Girls and Jherek Bischoff of the Dead Science, it is nothing if not ambitious.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Los Campesinos! - Romance is Boring, January 26, 2010

By 

Andrew Vice (Plano, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Romance Is Boring (Audio CD)

Talking pure numbers, Los Campesinos! have released three killer records within the span of two years, a feat which is only getting more and more uncommon. You can't fault indie rock classics like Built to Spill for taking their time between albums, especially when their long-term output has been so incredible, but there is something refreshing about a band that writes an album, goes on tour, and then goes straight back to the studio to give the fans more. Romance is Boring is the band's third major release (though technically it's considered their sophomore album), and the band is certainly only getting better with age. Romance is tight, confident, and energetic, and it feels like a perfect balance between the styles of their debut and the extended EP follow-up. It packs both their most aggressive songs to date as well as their slowest, darkest musings. "We've Got Your Back" is my favorite track off the record, and it encapsulates everything I love about the band. It's fun, energetic, and bitingly clever. If you're a fan of the band, there should be no doubt in your mind: get this album. If you want to give the band a try, I'd say this is probably the place to start for a new listener. Cheers and happy listening!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrifice work of art, February 5, 2010

By 

Skyler Loomis (Howell, MI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Romance Is Boring (Audio CD)

I don't mean to sound pretension when I say that this album is a work of art. It is beautiful in so many ways. This is the type of album someone can listen to and just have a big silly grin on their face because of how great the music is and how great it makes them feel. Romance is Boring is Los Campesinos! 2nd or 3rd album (depending on who you ask) and I feel it is completely safe to say it is there best.

From the very first song you can hear how much they have grown as a band and as individuals. The songs hold so much emotional resonance that it hurts to listen at times, but even at it's darkest I cannot help but feel uplifted. If not simply because of the beautiful music, but because despite the thesis of the album, that romance is boring, it's painfully obvious that the pain of love lost is exhilarating.

If you have never heard of Los Campesinos! this really is a great place to start. The music is more accesible than ever, it feels less cluttered and like every note is exactly where it needs to be. This album will undoubtably prove to be one of the best the year, and I cannot personally think of a better way to start the new decade.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Romance is Boring, March 24, 2010

By 

Thomas Zavoral - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Romance Is Boring (Audio CD)

Over the course of three albums and a short EP, Los Campesinos! have matured and found a more cohesive sound. Romance is Boring is an emotionally packed showcase of the poppy songwriting and clever lyrics of this young, high energy group from the UK. There remains a variety of sounds on this album, from the peppy guitars of the first single There Are Listed Buildings to the drawn out melancholy of the strings on The Sea Is a Good Place To Think of the Future.

The overall result is a wonderful indie rock album that is certain to rank among the best of the year on many lists.