[3/5]
Here's a brief list of things that are slightly less exuberant than Sticking Fingers Into Sockets, the 2007 EP from indie whirling dervishes Los Campesinos!: Wriggling puppies, underwear dance parties, Tilly And The Wall--and the U.K. band's full-length bow, Hold On Now, Youngster. Elements that were cute and jubilant in small doses on Sockets (cartoonish co-ed vocals, swooning violin, sparkly glockenspiel and cheeky lyrics) become overwhelming when spread across a full album. Still, Youngster does contain plenty of inspired moments. Oldsters will recognize the bratty Scottish pop act Bis in the shrieking fuzzpop explosion "Broken Heartbeats Sound Like Breakbeats," while "Knee Deep At ATP" brilliantly sums up the ephemera of a summer fling: "And when our eyes meet, all that I can read is, 'You're the B-side.'" But like the sugar rush/crash cycle it emulates, Youngster is ultimately only temporarily satisfying. (ARTS&CRAFTS) Annie Zaleski
 Official Website: http://www.arts-crafts.ca
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