The Welsh sextet Los Campesinos! has put out five albums since 2006, many of them with titles that don't seem destined to soar to the top of pop's generally lighthearted charts; We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed and Hello Sadness are just a couple of the band's record names. Lead singer Gareth David says the tone of the band's new album, No Blues, reflects a step in a more optimistic direction.
"This album is quite a turning point for us as a band. I think because it is a lot more hopeful than a lot of stuff we've written previously," David says. "As somebody who — to be serious for a moment — has sort of battled with depression for a long time and been in some pretty dark places, when there are those cracks of light and there is happiness, it's important to embrace those things because life is so fleeting. And you've got to make the most of it."
David recently spoke with NPR's Scott Simon about the origins of Los Campesinos! and his peculiar choice of a side job: graveyard maintenance. Click the audio link to hear more of their conversation.
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