No Blues
Los Campesinos! · 2013
41 min · 10 tracks · indie pop
Energetic indie pop melodies intertwine with introspective lyrics, creating a vibrant tapestry of youthful exuberance and poignant reflection.
Top tracks — play these first
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What Death Leaves Behind — This track encapsulates the album's balance of upbeat instrumentation with darker lyrical themes, showcasing the band's ability to juxtapose joy and melancholy.
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Avocado, Baby — A standout for its playful lyrics and catchy chorus, this song exemplifies Los Campesinos!'s knack for blending humor with heartfelt emotion.
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Cemetery Gaits — With its intricate storytelling and layered arrangements, this track highlights the band's growth in songwriting and musical complexity.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
The album showcases strong lyrical content and varied musical structures but lacks a cohesive flow throughout.
What we noticed
- The album opens with a brisk tempo and layered instrumentation, maintaining an upbeat energy for the first half before shifting to more introspective themes.
- Several tracks feature abrupt transitions, such as 'As Lucerne / The Low,' which combines two distinct musical sections without a clear break.
- The lyrics often employ vivid imagery and narrative storytelling, particularly in tracks like 'What Death Leaves Behind' and 'Cemetery Gaits.'
- The final track, 'Selling Rope (Swan Dive to Estuary),' concludes with a gradual fade-out, creating a sense of lingering reflection.
- Composition 25% of the score
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7/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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6/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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6/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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6/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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5/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Little footprint beyond its audience. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- playful narratives with sharp wit
- short bursts of energetic melodies
- reflective moments amidst lively rhythms
- sing-along choruses with friends
Maybe skip if you
- prefer slow, soundscapes
- want lengthy, sprawling compositions
Where this album fits
- In the catalog
- Deep Cut — A solid entry in the catalog that may not be as recognized as others.
- Career context
- Released in January 2013, No Blues is Los Campesinos!'s fifth studio album, following the critically acclaimed Hello Sadness from 2011. The band was evolving their sound while maintaining their signature blend of witty lyricism and infectious hooks, marking a maturation in both their musical style and thematic depth.
- Stylistic neighbors
- The Pains of Being Pure at Heart· Tigers Jaw· Frightened Rabbit
Tracklist
Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.
- 1 For Flotsam 3:44
- 2 What Death Leaves Behind 3:37
- 3 A Portrait of the Trequartista as a Young Man 3:01
- 4 Cemetery Gaits 4:52
- 5 Glue Me 5:04
- 6 As Lucerne / The Low 4:22
- 7 Avocado, Baby 4:36
- 8 Let It Spill 3:20
- 9 The Time Before the Last Time 2:47
- 10 Selling Rope (Swan Dive to Estuary) 6:20
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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