Los Campesinos!, an indie band formed in 2006, just released their newest album, "No Blues" this October. Most of the band's earlier music has a rough, punk tone to it, but as one listens to each album, they can conclude that a shift is being made towards indie pop. The lead singer, Gareth, says this is due to the events in his life. He writes around how he is feeling, like many other artists, and this can be seen very clearly through his work. Another cause of their new sound is the loss and gain of band members. No two musicians sound the same, so it is no surprise that what they produce will change. It is not uncommon to see fans get upset when an artist's style changes, but the transition Los Campesinos! is making is graceful if anything.

The album "No Blues" is very fun and upbeat; it might make the band a little better known. A Budweiser commercial using their song "You! Me! Dancing!" gained them some fans, but seeing as their new sound caters more to what seems to be the current demand, I predict that they will get a lot more. "Avocado, Baby" seems to be their most popular song of the album; the fondness could come from its prominent mix of previous tone in lyrics and current sound, or its music video. The video was done in one continuous shot, which is hardly ever seen. Los Campesinos!'s music in this album mixes modern instruments and a positive tone with often grotesque or simply unexpected lyrics. While the tone is becoming more mainstream, their music is still very original. It is hard to compare them to any other band. This album is definitely worth listening to if you are looking for something fresh and new.  

Ampersand analysis

Lyrics

Projecting the feeling of anxiety, in "Ampersand", Amanda Palmer uses internal monologue, morose imagery, and persistent contradiction to convince herself that she is "not the one that's crazy" The beginning of the song describes Amanda's experience with cat callers. Later in the song, no events identify the individual as much as in the first verse. This detail allows the possibility that the song is about her cat caller. The events could be true, but Amanda could be lost in thoughts of hypothetical events induced by her anxiety. The main cause of this feeling, as pointed out by the song, is her lack of desire to be in a relationship.

Throughout the song, Amanda narrates her surroundings and feelings. The song is introduced with her walk home. Automatically, the listener is confronted with an unsettling feeling. Amanda describes her surroundings as "cold and violent." As she  calms down, she is "comforted by the approaching sounds of trucks and sirens." However, just as she was beginning to feel better, she is catcalled. This gesture throws her into a train of thought, describing hypothetical events with one of her harassers. Amanda fabricates their lives together, narrating everything that happens.

Amanda's state of anxiety is set into the listener with her morbid imagery and general language. The first example of this shows up when her significant other "calls into question how authentic" her wounds are. As well as imagery, this piece reiterates the theme of  Amanda's sanity, or lack thereof. Other quotes, such as "your eyes full of ketchup" make the listener feel the intensity of her message. She's "not the one that's crazy" In fact, the opposite can be displayed when Amanda brings up the fact that "nobody deserves to die,/ but" he was "awful adamant/ that if" she "didn't love" him, then he'd "have just one alternative."

Amanda believes that she is the sane one in her relationship, so she feels the need to remind the listener, or her significant other, or herself, every chorus. The fact that she continues to say this, makes the listener feel that she is unsure of herself, or anxious. This uncertainty carries over to the listener as well, as she backs this up with evidence. She repeats that she is "not the one that's crazy" five times throughout the song, instilling the same feeling as throughout the rest of the song.