They went into the studio to record an EP, and came out with an album. At this point, we've not even stuck 'We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed' in our stereo; what follows are very much first impressions. No repeat plays, no skipping back to catch a lyric or melody, just words inspired by an untainted debut play. It better not be rubbish.

'Ways To Make It Through The Wall'
Would it be entirely daft to say we think we last heard some of the various stabs that kick off 'We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed' hiding away on a Biffy Clyro track? Initial impressions are of a more polished, slightly-heavier-but-still-suitably-twee (can twee get heavier? - Ed) Los Camp, with a short section about the two minute mark that sounds like the theme to E.T.. Beat that.

'Miserbilia'
A track on the end of one of those baby bouncers, 'Miserbilia' does almost literally oscillate from trademark twinkling to distinctly unfamiliar distorted vocal lines. A mish mash of ideas, the first listen leaves an impression that it most likely either qualifies as brilliance or the first guitar part to ever induce motion sickness. To be fair, either would be a bit of a triumph.

'We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed'
If the title track contained a proper pop chorus, it'd give 'You! Me! Dancing!' a bloody nose. Instead it takes an infectious intro and skips along through more subtle melodies to spoken word and a bit of good old fashioned dischord.

'Between An Erupting Earth And An Exploding Sky'
1.16 of instrumental that kicks off sounding a bit like someone drowning a 1980s arcade machine and ends up growling, stamping, angelically harmonising then disappearing before leading in to...

'You'll Need Those Fingers For Crossing'
There's a guitar part half way though 'You'll Need Those Fingers For Crossing' that quite literally makes hairs stand on end. Shortly after there's a lyric about a "soft porn version of the end of the world". Either side you've got a winding, meandering track that, before it reaches it's fifth minute manages to erupt into all kinds of instrumental explosions.

'It's Never That Easy Though, Is It? (Song For The Other Kurt)'
Laid back, drawling intro chugs into typical Los Campesinos! quick smart verse, giving away to the most excellent refrain: "he's gonna get drunk and call you at 4 in the morning". Topped off by a string laden mid section, it's most certainly the most immediate track so far.

'The End Of The Astrisk'
All about the "oh oh!" bits that mark it's chorus, 'The End Of The Astrisk' is one of those tracks that hints at just what kind of all conquering monster Los Camp could pen should they ever wish to take over the entire bleedin' world. Festooned amongst some enjoyably intricate, jolting verses, a two minute stab of jolly good fun will have to do for now.

'Doccumented Minor Emotional Breakdown #1'
Don't have us carted away when we say that the intro to this one had us half expecting a Jarman to pipe up; you'll hear what we mean soon enough. Order is restored quick sharp and the same hook turns into a fantastically euphoric center point between verses. A mention of "graffiti genitalia" sends us home happy, as perverse as that may sound.

'Heart Swells / Pacific Daylight Time'
Acoustic driven and swathed in ambient noise, this is a tad different from the usual happy, clappy Los Campesinos!, giving way to something half way to a country ho down in a snow storm about half way through. We never thought we'd describe a track like that either.

'All You Kayfabe Friends'
You know that all conquering monster we were mentioning earlier? There's more hints of it here in a track that feels like a joyous and much anticipated sugar rush. At every point you find yourself thinking 'bleedin' heck, this is a bit catchy' there's a suitable instrumental section or growling breakdown, and then it's done. On first listen, this one's both our favourite by a mile and (possibly, cos we may be hearing things that aren't there) the only song we can think of to namecheck Tony Cascarino.

The Verdict
We'll need more time with this one, but while 'We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed' is unlikely to win over those who found major faults with it's predecessor, those who enjoyed 'Hold On Now Youngster...' are in for a treat. A mix of the comfortably familiar and a few new ideas, there's every indication that there's still more potential in Los Campesinos! to come; a notion exciting enough in itself.

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