Caroline
Buy: 7Digital MP3 (US)
Los Campesinos! have established themselves as one of the most reliable purveyors of fine indie Christmas tunes. With songs such as “Kindle a Flame In Her Heart,” “A Doe to A Deer,” and the beautiful cover of the traditional song “The Holly and the Ivy,” every song they had done was so good that had these been the only songs Christmas songs they ever released, I would feel fortunate. Released as mp3s (I thought there was a Heat Rash release, but I can’t find it) in the past few years, each Los Campesinos! release has been both surprising and spectacular. Thus, when I saw on Stubby’s site that Los Campesinos! was going to release an entire Christmas EP, I was over the moon. Expectations were high… and they were met. The new track, “When Christmas Comes” is just as interesting as their previous originals, and unlike anything else that has been released this year. The other new original “The Trains Don’t Run (It’s Christmas Day)” has a slower pace and a more dour vibe. It may be a downer, but a satisfying one. Finally, the cover of Mud’s “Lonely This Christmas,” is by far the weakest on the record. Los Campesinos! originals are so much better that the contrast becomes quite stark – why even bother with a (modern) cover when your songs are so much better?
I do hope for a volume 2 somewhere down the line. Los Campesinos! rule!
Bottom Line: At times glorious, at the very least extremely listenable all the way through. Extra points for the vinyl, as well as the cheap price! 5/5
Christmas Underground 