crystalstunes

[crystalstunes]

crystal's tunes #3: Romance is Boring by Los Campesinos! (2010)

"First and foremost, oh, let it be said/I am writing this at 7:10AM/On the hard dry tarmac of a vacant forecourt/Astronomically speaking, it's the first day of Autumn." - I Just Sighed. I Just Sighed, Just So You Know (Track 11) this album has been a staple of my taste for years, it's overdue that i write about it, and of course the first day of autumn is the perfect time.

the third Los Campesinos! album, romance is boring, is the perfect cap on the original lineup era of the band. containing some of their greatest lyrical work, satisfying instrumentals and a sense of humour that perfectly harmonizes with some of it's more sombre themes. released less than 2 years after their debut album (and 1.5 after their sophomore), this album is a much more mature in its songwriting, but retaining the immature, verbose lyrics they're known for, referencing romance and sex often despite the album title. however, these are largely about toxic relationships and miscommunications, with gareth usually portrayed as pathetic in the narrative of the songs.

one great example of this is Straight In At 101, one of the most iconic songs from the album. the track starts very directly with the line "I think we need more post-coital, and less post rock/Feels like the build-up takes forever, but you never get me off", and then progressively describes a break-up, getting cold feet, and a series of failed attempts to get laid, before finding out that his breakup didn't even make it onto a tv show of the 100 most heart-wrenching breakups of all time. he should be happy about this, but is instead embarrassed and shameful for his breakup not being more devastating.

as we reach the second half of the album though, the tone begins to transition to themes of existentialism and mental health, though romance is still the through-line between the songs. gone is the occasional comedy of the first 7 tracks, now we have discussions of headstones as "rows of engraved middle teeth, hungry, waiting for me" - Who Fell Asleep In (Track 8), eating disorders, abuse and self-harm.

instrumentally there's a change in vibe here too, with a lot more slower-paced songs and darker chord sequences in this half. the lyrics also become more violent, and start making fun of the listener for being so invested - "broke down laughing and screaming for more, but if this changed your life, did you have one before?" - I Warned You: Do Not Make An Enemy Of Me (Track 9).

in I Just Sighed. I Just Sighed, Just So You Know, the protagonist is unable to detatch himself from the person he has a crush on - "i've displayed marriage proposals on the jumbotron of ball games you've not been at/i've written eulogies in guest books in galleries in the hopes that you might pass" - but by the end of the song he finally realises his fault, but still deals with it in an immature way: "i promise after this i will pick up the phone book/and pick the name my eyes fall upon on their first look/aim all of my poorly composed declarations there in the future".

the emotional culmination of the album comes in the track The Sea Is A Good Place To Think About The Future, a song describing his girlfriend's declining mental health, and the unhealthy coping mechanisms she uses to deal with it, and the chorus describing the girlfriend's suicide by drowning herself in the ocean. the tone here is deadly serious, and the song is absolutely incredible.

the final track on the album, Coda: A Burn Scar In The Shape Of The Sooner State, leaves the end of the narrative intentionally, describing a death and then ending with the line "I can't believe you chose the mountains every time you chose the sea". overall this album is just the perfect encompassment of this original era of Los Campesinos!, from the instrumentation with violins, horns and duet vocals to the sexual lyrical content, sense of humour and unusual number of football references. i'd say it's their most essential album, and it's certainly influenced my taste in music since i first listened to it five years ago. i can't wait to see them live next week.

[crystalstunes]

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[crystalstunes]

crystal's tunes #2: WORRY. by Jeff Rosenstock (2016)

i was going to wait a while before talking about this album, but i mean come on, it's literally got a track called June 21st. if i was gonna do it any day it'd be today.

WORRY. is an album that's very special to me. i originally discovered it via James Acaster's book Perfect Sound Whatever (named after the closing track of the album), and in the years since it's become one of my most listened to albums of all time. i'm not going to link any specific songs here, because i feel like the album is meant to be listened to in its entirety.

this was the second studio album Jeff released after the end of his previous project, ska-punk collective Bomb the Music Industry!, which in itself was born out of the end of his previous-previous project The Arrogant Sons of Bitches. this album really feels like a culmination of all of his work leading up to this, refined to a T and bursting with energy.

"We're not stupid people but this financial oppression has got everyone believing all that we can do is nothing/'Cause we organise through avenues they lace with advertisements so the ones we rage against are still lining their pockets" - Festival Song (Track 3)

thematically, the album discusses a variety of issues with modern-day America, such as landlords/gentrification, the coroprate sponsors of festivals and culture, social media mining your data, police brutality, and how the world just keeps getting worse due to capitalism in general. this is especially evident on tracks such as Festival Song, Staring Out The Window at Your Old Apartment, Blast Damage Days, HELLLLHOOOOLE, and The Fuzz, but is present throughout the album. he also touches on some more personal issues, such as alcoholism and the struggles of being a DIY musician.

the production here is absolutely top-notch, every single element is balanced perfectly, guitars are clear and crushing when they need to be, drums are punchy, vocals cut through well and instruments such as saxophones, glockenspiels and synths are used in certain songs to offer various different sonic textures. its not just the instruments that are varied here though, he also travels across a number of styles such as his classic ska-punk on the 91 second track Rainbow, to more hardcore punk on 30 second track Planet Luxury.

the A-side of this album is fantastic, with tracks like We Begged 2 Explode, Pash Rash and Festival Song becoming fan favourites and staples of his live sets, but i think this album really comes into its own during it's B-side. every track from Blast Damage Days through to the final track Perfect Sound Whatever perfectly transition into each other, creating a medley of different punk subgenres that is absolutely incredible. it's cathartic and danceable all in one, and its one of my favourite things he's done on an album.

"Whenever we feel ashamed, being alive and awake in such an era of hate and military police/These are the mass murder days, we are the blast damage age, where we can't love anything, because they keep us afraid/Oh, I will be there, kicking, fighting, beating, screaming 'There's no fucking way I'm ever letting go of you!'" - Blast Damage Days (Track 9)

the album builds up in energy until its final anthemic, gang vocal repetitions of "Perfect always takes so long, because it don't exist/It doesn't exist!", which is one of Jeff's main mission statements creatively. the first Bomb the Music Industry! album Album Minus Band has anti-piracy hiss throughout from various plugins he used the demo versions of instead of buying, and a track that's project files corrupted so he couldnt mix it properly, but all of that just adds to the artistry of it all. nothing can ever truly be perfect, so just be honest and authentic and do what you want, because in both art and people, our imperfections are what make us whole. i'm not a perfect person, and that's alright. i may have my own anti-piracy demo plugin hiss in my brain, but that's just part of what makes me myself - i wouldn't truly be me without it, and that's beautiful.

i think this album is truly great because despite the overwhelmingly negative topics being discussed, in the end its hopeful, even if the world or your life seem like theyre fucked, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel. the penultimate track ...While You're Alive, ends with the verse "And it's not like the love that they show us on TV/It's a home that can burn, it's a limb to freeze/It's worry/Love is worry". this can just be taken at face value as the fact that when you love someone you worry about them, but i interpret it a different way, especially with the context of the rest of the album.

when the government and systems are against you, you're fighting your own brain, and you're overwhelmed with worry, that worry is coming from a place of love, because you wouldnt worry about something you dont care about. you love yourself, you love the world, and in a way, your anxieties are really just a form of expressing your care and love even if it feels like fear, and anger, and sadness. and, for me at least, that's one of the most reassuring messages i've ever been given from an album. thanks, jeff.

"Because it's June 21st, and this winter was the worst we've ever seen, but we made it through the freeze/And now it's June 21st, and this winter was the worst we've ever seen, now it's 84 degrees forever." - June 21st (Track 14)

[crystalstunes]

crystal's tunes #1 - Hex Dealer by Lip Critic (2024)

for the first album to talk about on this new blog, why not go with the most recent album i've been loving, namely Lip Critic's debut studio album Hex Dealer. i first heard of these guys late last year, and was immediately intrigued by their unconventional instrumentation - two samplers, and two live drummers. in anticipation for the album i listened to their previous releases countless times, and since the album's release back in May its been one of my most streamed albums of the last month.

the opening track, It's The Magic, immediately sets the vibe with a comparatively slow and long track (4.5 minutes as opposed to the album's average of 2.5), but this works very well to ease you into the unique sound on display here. bret's vocals are absolutely fantastic on this album, providing a raw, punk energy to every track, but it never becomes *too* much. they know when to pull back and give a quieter performance before absolutely yelling one final chorus to pack an extra punch.

the real highlight of this album though is the production. the combination of distorted samples (though never straying into harsh noise territory) along with the two live drum tracks offer you a wide variety of textures and rhythms that never lose your attention. this is probably the most inspiring and creatively produced album i've heard this year, its completely unlike anything else i've heard recently and is bursting with enough energy to get you absolutely locked in - it's been my soundtrack for when my brain needs a jumpstart all month. every single element here is just so satisfying to listen to, like the audio equivalent of popping bubblewrap. destructive and chaotic, but simultaneously thought out and carefully considered.

these lyrics are surprisingly catchy too, with the choruses of singles Milky Max and In The Wawa (Convinced I Am God) being major earworms. they also don't stay too serious with this album's lyricism, often going for absurdist or surreal scenarios as opposed to personal introspection, especially on My Wife and the Goblin, a song about his wife and the goblin and how his son and the mailman want to kill him with bombs. its an utterly ridiculous concept for a track, but its so well-constructed that it just works effortlessly.

(tw: flashing images from 1:30)

there are darker moments on the album however, such as the first half of Sermon, which feels like you're being surrounded by a suffocating stormcloud and offers a brief moment of respite from the fast-paced madness, before going into a frantic breakdown with deliberately strained vocals launching you into the back half of the album.

the combination of highly sythesized instruments and percussion including breakbeat loops combined with the live dual drumming helps create a unique sound on every track, with each song taking on its own distinct identity despite often sharing some common qualities. from rapid arpeggiators to gritty bass tones, soft keys to vocal samples, theres never a dull moment here. Lip Critic have created an explosion of creative, colourful and crushing music and compressed it into a 32-minute blast of intensity and energy, and they're shoving it directly into your bloodstream.

if you check out the album and wanna hear more, i highly recommend their previous project Lip Critic II (technically their first "album", though it's more like a mixtape), as well as their EPs Lip Critic: Truth Revealed and Kill Lip Critic, especially the song Entry Level Stud (a song about getting your kidneys stolen while trying to get an ear piercing at Claire's).

stream the album!

[crystalstunes]

hey! welcome to crystal's tunes :3

i'm crystal, and this is crystal's tunes, a music blog where i will gush about albums that i love, talk about new music i think needs to be heard, and listen to albums recommended by YOU!

i love a wide variety of genres, so if you stick with me hopefully i'll help you discover a new album to obsess over!

thanks for checking out my blog, feel free to request an album in my asks, and i hope you have a great day!