We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
| We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 27 October 2008 | |||
| Recorded | 12–23 June 2008 | |||
| Studio | Avast Recording Co, Seattle, Washington Electrokitty, Seattle, WA Stars and Sons, Toronto, Ontario | |||
| Genre | Indie rock, indie pop, noise pop | |||
| Length | 32:10 | |||
| Label | Wichita, Arts & Crafts | |||
| Producer | John Goodmanson | |||
| Los Campesinos! chronology | ||||
| ||||
We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed is the second album from Cardiff-based seven-piece Los Campesinos!. It was released in the UK on 27 October 2008 on Wichita Recordings.
The band initially did not consider We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed to be their second album, instead considering it a mini-album or an "EEP" (Extended EP).[1] By 2017, the band's members had relented to calling it their second album.[2] Frontman Gareth Campesinos explained to Noisey that "I myself get annoyed when long term fans say "Actually, it's an EP," because I want to be able to say that "my band has released six albums" not "my band has released five albums" because it makes us seem like we've been more important for longer."[2]
The album's release came only thirty-three weeks after debut album Hold on Now, Youngster... and contains ten completely new tracks, none of which were released as singles.[3][4] The album was recorded over an eleven-day recording session with John Goodmanson in his Seattle studio during June 2008.[5][6]
The song "Miserabilia" was named the 94th best song of 2008 by Rolling Stone.[7]
Packaging
The CD version was released with an accompanying DVD featuring a short documentary of the band during their 2008 tour. The CD release also contains a 32-page booklet which, in addition to liner notes and lyrics, also includes drawings and poems from Jason Lytle of Grandaddy, Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu, Zac Pennington of Parenthetical Girls, Brent Knopf of Menomena and Ramona Falls, and Paul Heaton of The Housemartins and The Beautiful South, among others.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   link |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide | B+ link |
| Drowned in Sound | 7/10 link |
| Entertainment Weekly | A link |
| NME |   link |
| Pitchfork | 8.3/10 link |
| Rolling Stone | link |
| Spin | link |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | link |
Initial critical response was very positive. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album was met with universal acclaim, receiving an average score of 82, based on 22 reviews. [8]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Gareth and Tom Campesinos!, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ways to Make It Through the Wall" | 4:12 |
| 2. | "Miserabilia" | 3:15 |
| 3. | "We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed" | 3:54 |
| 4. | "Between an Erupting Earth and an Exploding Sky" | 1:16 |
| 5. | "You'll Need Those Fingers for Crossing" | 5:09 |
| 6. | "It's Never That Easy Though, Is It? (Song for the Other Kurt)" | 2:21 |
| 7. | "The End of the Asterisk" | 1:52 |
| 8. | "Documented Minor Emotional Breakdown #1" | 4:27 |
| 9. | "Heart Swells/Pacific Daylight Time" (Tom, Neil, and Gareth Campesinos!, Zac Pennington) | 2:37 |
| 10. | "All Your Kayfabe Friends" | 3:15 |
Personnel
- Aleksandra Campesinos! – vocals, keyboard
- Ellen Campesinos! – bass guitar
- Gareth Campesinos! – vocals, glockenspiel
- Harriet Campesinos! – violin, keyboard
- Neil Campesinos! – guitar
- Ollie Campesinos! – drums
- Tom Campesinos! – lead guitar
- John Goodmanson – production, recording, mixing
- Jim Anderson – engineering
Charts
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Heatseekers[9] | 43 |
Release history
| Date | Country | Label (Cat#) |
|---|---|---|
| 27 October 2008 | United Kingdom | Wichita Recordings (WEBB187) |
| 25 November 2008 | United States/Canada | Arts & Crafts (A&C037) |
References
- ^ Gareth Campesinos of Los Campesinos! | Music | Interview | The A.V. Club
- ^ a b Garland, Emma. "Los Campesinos! Rank Their First Five—Yes, There Were Five—Records - Noisey". Noisey. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- ^ FACT magazine: music and art
- ^ Los Campesinos!
- ^ "Los Campesinos! Announce We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed Album". Archived from the original on 23 November 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2008.
- ^ "Los Campesinos! Ready New Album". Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2008.
- ^ The 100 Best Singles of 2008
- ^ "Los Campesinos!:We are Beautiful, We Are Doomed (2008):Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
- ^ [1][dead link]