Pitchfork

The precocious scamps of Cardiff, Wales septet Los Campesinos! have done animated videos. And they've done a really good live-action video where they argue about the relative merits of punk and twee-pop's most beloved icons. Recorded in Los Angeles, the video for "Death to Los Campesinos!"-- originally from their early, blog-circulated demo and now re-recorded as the first single from forthcoming full-length debut Hold On Now, Youngster...-- starts out looking like the video where Los Campesinos! decide: "Hey, we can play in a proper studio now. Let's make one where we're singing with headphones on like we're in some real 'We Are the World' shit."

But then balloons, confetti, feathers, kittens, rainbows, and stuffed animals start shooting out of the speakers, and soon Los Campesinos! are overwhelmed by the power of their own punk-charged indie-pop. As for the song itself, it's another reason to put exclamation points on your calendar next to... whatever day next year this album comes out. With all the frenetic energy, shouted hooks, glockenspiels, and bright, scrawling guitars of 2007's excellent Sticking Fingers Into Sockets EP, the song also shows that all this touring and critical acclaim hasn't yet dulled their self-deprecating sense of humor, with lyrics about war economies, father Führers, artificial intelligence, robots, and leopards changing their spots. "I invented you, and I will destroy you," Aleksandra and Gareth Campesinos! sing to each other. They kind of did-- dig the Ramones-like noms de punk, the literal sign of their self-invention-- and let's hope they don't.

[from Hold On Now, Youngster...; due 04/01/08 from Arts & Crafts]