As 2010 comes to an end, we are taking a look back at some of our favorite posts of the year by our guest editors.
As evidenced by both their music and exclamatory band name, the seven members of Cardiff, Wales’ Los Campesinos! are excitable boys and girls. The group’s third album, Romance Is Boring (Arts & Crafts), is an energetic, all-hands-on-deck dash through the pantheon of sharp indie pop and sloppy post-punk, gathering steam from Bright Eyes’ sense of emotional catharsis and Art Brut’s wry take on modern love. Try to gather all the influences brought to bear on Romance Is Boring by LC!’s seven-member army, however, and we’d be here all day. MAGNET spoke to songwriter Tom Campesinos! and guitarist Neil Campesinos!—all members (Tom, Neil, Ellen, Gareth, Harriet, Ollie and Kim) have taken the band’s surname—about the new album. Los Campesinos! will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our Q&A with them.
Kim: When I was younger, my mum would drag me around local towns and villages on a weekend to rummage through charity shops for hidden treasures in dusty corners. Although at the time I didn’t really embrace/enjoy the whole experience, since the age of about 14, I have fully made up for it. I spend all of my money in charity shops. I only really remember places I’ve been by the sort of charity shops that they have. Worse than that, I tend to rate the worthiness of a charity according to how amazing their shops are. Bad person. I love the feeling of searching frantically for nothing in particular and then finding this “thing” that I instantly love and adore. I become this kind of searching machine, faster than Google, when I go charity-shop shopping. I see things and instantly get this feeling of, “Oh my god, if I don’t buy this now, I may never get the chance again.” This is quickly followed by, “I can’t actually imagine my life without this bag/jumper/brooch/lamp/book/belt.” I love this hobby of mine, and although some/most people may consider it an unhealthy addiction, it is my favourite way to spend my spare time. Since joining the band, I have tried my best to visit as many charity shops—in as many places we visit—as possible, but I am always wary that I won’t be able to find my way back to a venue. Perhaps I should learn to read a map better before our touring begins again.
