Pitchfork

Uh oh, there's battle lines being drawn: "I never cared about Henry Rollins," Los Campesinos! sing on their new single, entitled, yes, "The International Tweexcore Underground". The Cardiff, Wales septet risk swirlies and worse here by dismissing not just the ex-Black Flag frontman but also Ian MacKaye and twee icons like Amelia Fletcher, Calvin Johnson, and Sarah Records. It's not only another surging indie-pop song that on first few listens stacks up to much of their excellent Sticking Fingers Into Sockets EP, but also an enthusiastic ode to the uncool. "I never got my ears pierced, and look how I turned out," Gareth Campesino! exclaims.

After a couple of animated videos, "The International Tweexcore Underground" marks computer-chair potatoes' first real chance to see live-action Los Campesinos!. Gareth, Aleksandra, and the rest of the Camps play the hell out of their guitars, xylophones, violins, etc.-- um, twee-style-- showing why their live show was enough for Pitchfork's Scott Plagenhoef to write that they "could be the best new band of 2007." Los Campesinos! also give acting a try, reenacting the lyrics' musical arguments as a living-room drama. So maybe they don't mean all that stuff about those indie music icons, but you have to think Rollins would admire their cojones.

[from "The International Tweexcore Underground" single"; due 10/22/07 on Wichita]