Word: welled
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...farmer who has left her hometown of Dellacrosse, Illinois, to attend college in Troy, a nearby university town. The novel starts in 2001, a few months after September 11, and focuses loosely on Tassie’s experiences working as a nanny to Sarah and Edward, a pair of well-meaning, well-to-do liberals who take a sanctimonious and labored approach to parenting their adopted mixed-race toddler...
...vibrator to stir a glass of chocolate milk, or write a college paper about “The Plausible Sufic Geology of Stonehenge.” Tassie is at once herself, and a parody of herself, and if she still has a precious, irritating streak—well, who doesn’t at twenty...
...Boring,” is a bleaker, angrier record is no small statement. The transformation in emotional tone is partially rooted in the lyrics, which retain their visceral but heartfelt quality within an expanding thematic range. Encompassing anorexia, losing parents, meaningless sex, abuse, and loss of faith, as well as more well-trodden romantic territory, the topics at hand are far from cheerful. More than anything, though, the tonal shift comes down to the band further shedding their twee image for a noise-influenced, experimental, nearly anarchic sound foretold by guest appearances by members of Xiu Xiu and Parenthetical Girls...
...Whether they’re the most interesting songs on “Romance is Boring” or not is up for debate, but singles “There Are Listed Buildings” and “Romance is Boring,” as well as blogosphere hit “The Sea is a Good Place To Think of the Future” show the band haven’t lost their touch for delightfully edgy pop songs. The title track in particular will be causing plenty of lost voices at Campesinos! concerts with its rollicking, gleefully...
What is most striking about “Romance is Boring” is how much Los Campesinos! have matured. Instead of shying away from the essential disaffectedness which has always defined their albums, they have embraced it musically as well as lyrically, with a noisy, lo-fi aesthetic which is a natural fit for the band. As they become more comfortable with their new skin, it isn’t hard to imagine Los Campesinos! releasing a truly great noise-pop album. But even this slightly tentative effort doesn’t leave much room for complaint...