Los Campesinos! - We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed

As the days shorten and thoughts turn to best of year lists, Los Campesinos! pose a problem by releasing We Are Beautiful We Are Doomed mere months after their wonderful debut. Comparisons are inevitable, and as an aesthetic refinement rather than a reinvention, album two is unlikely to challenge expectations - aside, perhaps, from future expectations of the acceptable work rate of less expedient bands. But for those already enamoured with the septet’s rapturous sound, it confirms a knack for melodies so loveable that you’ll want to cuddle your stereo, despite the bitter heartbreak of certain lyrics. Opener Ways to Make it Through the Wall is an adrenaline-charged rush of pop-hooks masking barbed wit (“I identify my star sign by asking which is least compatible with yours”), while the title track eases off the accelerator to reveal there’s so much more to the appeal of Los Campesinos! than enthused hyperactivity. [Chris Buckle]