Tag: Los Campesinos!

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UPCOMING: Indie for the Holidays, An Amazon Original Playlist (2016)

Amazon Music
Buy: Amazon MP3 | Amazon.uk MP3

So… today is nuts. So much. So much. Amazon not only has an Acoustic Christmas playlist, but they’ve also resurrected Indie for the Holidays! Last year’s playlist had some gems – Oscar, Ivan and Alyosha and Sondre Lerche & Jherek Bischoff. It was generally pretty solid. Now this year we are being treated to…

01 “Sister Winter” – Joseph
02 “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” – Savoir Adore
03 “When Christmas Comes” – Los Campesinos (This is a new, more stripped down version)
04 “Carol Of The Bells” – Melvins
05 “Hard Candy Christmas” – Inger Loree & the Nymphs
06 “Christmas (The Way It Was Back Then)” – Chris Staples
07 “Azusa” – The Album Leaf
08 “Plastic Mistletoe” – Glint
09 Santa, Baby” – Red Rosamond
10 “Holiday Road” – Tennis
11 “Headphones For The Holidays” – Blake Hazard
12 “Silver Bells” – Dandy Warhols
13 “Ritmo De Vida” – Nortec Collective Presents Bostich + Fussible
14 “Snow” – Sam Evian
15 “Come On Home (It’s Christmas)” – PINS

Looks damn solid to me. Can’t wait to hear more tomorrow. I’ll likely update this post to a review as well.

Bottom Line: Looking good so far – can’t wait to hear the Album Leaf, Tennis, and PINS tracks specifically.

LISTEN

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Los Campesinos! – A Los Campesinos! Christmas EP (2014)

Los Campesinos! Christmas

Caroline
Buy: 7Digital MP3 (US) | Amazon UK

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

 

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UPCOMING: Los Campesinos – A Los Campesinos! Christmas (2014)

Los Campesinos! Christmas

Stubby, I don’t know how you pipped me on this. I don’t even see it on their website… YOU ARE THE MAN.

YES, Los Campesinos! is going to put out a Christmas 12″, which will no doubt become an indie classic. It compiles their three previous WONDERFUL efforts with three more holiday tracks. I can’t imagine they’ll be pressing too many of these, so I would order early and often.

Los Campesinos! have finally confirmed the release of this new EP – and they will have a new track streaming, as well as a direct-from-band preorder (which they will have some in the US store too) on Monday. This also confirms that this release will also be available digitally, and my fingers are crossed that the digital copies may be available slightly earlier than the vinyl (for my mix!).

EDIT: Both the EU and US preorders are sold out. We have learned that the vinyl will include a CD inside it as well, and if you were one of the lucky 400 to get a copy from the band, it will apparently ship well before the official release date. Hooray!

Side A:
1. When Christmas Comes
2. A Doe To A Deer*
3. The Holly & The Ivy*

Side B:
4. Kindle A Flame In Her Heart*
5. The Trains Don’t Run (It’s Christmas Day)
6. Lonely This Christmas

*previously released