Los Campesinos! : Don't Tell Me to Do the Math(s)

I'm trying to decide if 2008 was a really great year for music, or if I was just paying more attention.  It's hard to say.  Regardless, here's another great band with a great release in 2008.

Los Campesinos! is a band from Wales that I think the hip kids would call 'indie'.  They remind of a more pop-oriented Mae Shi.  I know that doesn't mean much to you, as you've probably never heard of the Mae Shi (although if you'd been paying attention since January, you'd have read a little about them).  What I mean by this is, they're very noisy and have an overdriven sound, much like the Mae Shi, but they have a strong pop sensibility and aren't as interested as much in deconstructing the pop sound as celebrating it.

"Don't Tell Me to Do the Math(s)" is a joyous, rambunctious pop song with a great hook, driving guitars, a little violin, and goofy, overly literary lyrics that still manage to sound endearing rather than pretentious.  It's got a nice sense of dynamics and flow and is quite danceable, if you're a little adventurous.  Also, it doesn't rhyme, though I don't think you'd notice right away.

This song comes from their first official release, 2008's Hold On Now, Youngster....  The rest of the album is just as good, verging into more progressive and/or singer-songwriter territory, but staying true to their ensemble sound.

[You can listen to Los Campesinos! "Don't Tell Me to Do the Math(s)" by navigating to the post "Song061" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

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