No Blues by Los Campesinos!

Album number 5: It's a tricky one. Your not quite veterans but your not new either. Do you stick to the sound that you used on your first few albums or do you move on? Well if your Los Campesinos then your answer would be to move on. "No Blues" is mature sounding and rather brilliant lyrically. The production is also fantastic and is a lot better compared to first album "Hold On Now, Youngster". Fourth album "Hello Sadness" was a step in the right direction for the band and "No Blues" basically builds upon said album.

What you've got here is an album that is teeming with life. It's almost as if "Hello Sadness" was the depressing death type album (which isn't a bad thing!) and "No Blues" is the resurrection. Take for example, "What Death Leaves Behind", each chord progression in the chorus feels like a flower opening up and blossoming into life. The backing vocals on this track are sublime and the drums really give it that extra punch. "For Flotsam" really makes you want to get up and do something amazing, its got a really motivational feel to it. This is probably thanks to the stream of conscious type lyrics, which clearly tell a personal story. The way that the texture starts and stops is also fascinating to listen to. A long build up in "Cemetery Gates" makes for a great listen as the repetitive synth riff builds up to a climactic verse and chorus. "Glue Me" is a slower "longing for love" type song. Evidence of this can be found in the choruses lyrics "I'll be gloomy till they glue me in the arms of she who loves me". Truly incredible lyrics that a lot of people can relate to.

Speaking of truly incredible lyrics, "Avacado Baby" is another example. "A heart of stone rind so tough its crazy, that's why they call me the avocado baby" will surely comfort listeners and make them feel like they can survive any heartbreak, big or small. It's almost as if "Avacado Baby" is a rousing anthem for people who are about to battle against heartbreak in a long, enduring war. The cheerleader backing vocals in the background spurring on as you prepare. "A Portrait Of The Trequartista As A Young Man" is another genius track lyrically. It's dark, moving and most of all the striking imagery really gets to you. "Inscribe our initials in the bark/ of every tree in every wood/ in ink red blood can you imagine?". Yes you can imagine that and its beautiful in a terrifying, psychotic kind of way. A special mention also needs to go to the closing lyrics in this song "We're a speck of dust in a bad god's eye/ he rubs us clean but love is blind/ a balloon artist kisses porcupine". Wow is all you can say to that really.

"Let is Spill" is a more cheery sounding track that almost sounds almost like 60's and 70's bubblegum pop (think "Stuck in the Middle With You"). However, the guitar effects and the quirky percussion make it sound more modern. "The Time Before The last Last Time" is an angelic interlude that is truly heavenly. "Selling Rope" is an epic 6 and a half minute close and "As Lucerne/The Low" is a fairly decent middle of the album track.

Uplifting, relatable, inspiring and lyrically genius are just a few phrases to sum up this album. There are also many more because "No Blues" is so rich musically. It's also interesting instrumentally and the production is very well done. Seriously, go and buy this album, you won't regret it and you'll have no blues at all.

OVERALL RATING: 9/10

BEST TRACKS: AVACADO BABY, A PORTRAIT OF THE TREQUARTISTA AS A YOUNG MAN, GLUE ME.

WORST TRACK: AS LUCERNE/THE LOW