Los Campesinos! w/ Jeffrey Lewis and the Jitters @ Lee's Palace

Hold On Now, Youngster..., the debut full length by Cardiff's Los Campesinos! is almost certain to rank extremely high on my year end best of list. The CD is just about as much fun as an album can get, so naturally, I expected the show at Lee's Palace to be nothing short of a veritable blasty blast! And a blasty blast it was!

This has been the busiest weekend that I can remember in a long time and remembering specific details about what happened late Friday night is not going to be easy, so you'll have to pardon me if this review comes across as a bit vague. I do remember that they were very energetic, and that energy only escalated as the evening went on. They kept the banter to a minimum, letting the music and dancing take precedence. Their myspace propelled "hit" You! Me! Dancing! was definitely the highlight of the night. What was great about it was the extended intro that was mega effective at building anticipation. It was cool to watch Gareth and Ollie bang away at the drums until that unmistakable riff took over and got the crowd bouncing and jumping along, creating a sweat level that could not be topped if the show took place in a sauna. In a way it sort of did. Man, it gets hot at Lee's. The last song had Gareth climbing the giant speaker to the left of the stage, much to the crowds delight.

Photos: Los Campesinos! @ Lee's Palace on flickr.
Downloads: Don't Tell Me To Do Math(s) mp3

Downloads: We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives mp3


I didn't have much of a desire to see Jeffrey Lewis again because I just saw him last week at this very venue. So I deliberately left my place late, but as I walked in, the familiar whine was in the air, and Jeffrey was in the middle of his Complete History of Punk Rock and its Development on the Lower East Side 1950-1975. It was amusing and entertaining to see people dance along to the 30 second snippets of classic punk that were spread intermittently throughout his beat poet like delivery of punk rock fun facts. This time around he had his band The Jitters with him as well as a projector to show his comic book art in the background. It was cool. I guess. I did like his Daniel Johnston t-shirt..

Photos: Jeffrey Lewis and the Jitters @ Lee's Palace on flickr
Download: End Results mp3

Myspace: Jeffrey Lewis and the Jitters

Los Campesinos! - Sticking Fingers Into Sockets

At this point, Los Campesinos! are pretty much guaranteed to be successful, indie-wise that is! They've used myspace for pretty much the only thing that the irritating social networking site it good for, mainly exposing your music to as many people as possible. That's the very reason why I'm so late joining the Campesino camp. Myspace, although I use it, isn't actually my thing. I've been exposed to a lot of mediocrity on that site. However, Los Campesinos are very deserving of their exposure, and apparently, it's working, since the Cardiff-based band has actually been signed here in Canada to the ultra-hip indie label Arts & Crafts, which is home, of course, to BSS, Feist, Young Galaxy and Stars (to name a few.) They play that highly invigorating style of "music is a celebration of life" that gets the indie kids' heads bobbing nearly to the point of body detachment. The EP "Sticking Fingers Into Sockets" is a 16 minute blast that leaves you wanting more and quickly. It lunges right into things with "We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives" an instantly likable song, with a thick male British accent being accompanied by female vocals to create an excellent pop party song. Their sense of humor is also immediately accessible as Gareth sings, "It's your party and I'll die if I want to!" "It Started With A Mixx" sings of "trying to find the perfect match between pretentious and pop," which the band successfully does. And the myspace hit "You! Me! Dancing!" is one of the best songs of the year, sounding like Broken Social Scene meets Loney, Dear, Yo La Tengo and Architecture In Helsinki. It's true they're not the most original band I've heard this year but who cares when the music is this good.

Downloads:
Don't Tell Me To Do The Math(s) mp3
We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives mp3
Myspace:
Los Campesinos!
Videos:
We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives youtube
You! Me! Dancing! youtube