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Tune in to the XPN Morning Show each Monday to hear, Host, Mike Vasilikos, review XPN's Featured Album of the Week. This week's album is....

Los Campesinos! - We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed (Arts & Crafts)

We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed is the second album from Los Campesinos!, the seven-piece band in which all members share the same last name. The sophomore album comes less than a year after the release of the band's debut. We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed showcases the band's youthful excitement, which at times borders on ultra-hyper and is playfully matched with whimsical songwriting.

As you might expect from a seven-piece band with such vigor, the mood on the album is ultimately celebratory and almost carnival-like at times. Gareth Campesinos, the lead vocalist, while stylistically writes pretty slick and witty lines offers a different tone on the band's second album. As the title might indicate, there is a bit of "doom" to counterbalance the joyous atmosphere. Failed relationships, uncertainty, and isolation all run as themes throughout We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed.

It's not surprising that record was recorded in merely 11 days. Los Campesinos! sound tireless and determined. And while a bit of "doom and gloom" has infiltrated its way into the band's playlist, it might also serve as an indication of maturity for a band that has got a whole lot of creative ambition and excitement.

Written by Mike Vasilikos

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