Art Brut

Have you ever narrated your life while it was happening (you know, like thinking, "Yes, he thought," as you read this sentence)? If so, you'll probably love Art Brut's piss-taking pop songs about how pop songs work and what listeners try to do with them. One track helpfully alerts you, "Here comes the good bit." Another admits its accent is flawed, then explains it was "learned from a 7-inch record." Etcetera. Don't worry if that sounds too distancing or precious, since it turns out deconstructing rock this skillfully requires knowing how to write a perfect song in the first place, then demanding something more.

On their '05 debut, these exuberant English people got big mileage out of a simple
approach: lean and crude riff rock overlaid with Eddie Argos' half-spoken spiels about
topics such as his little brother discovering rock & roll ("There's a noise in his head and he's
out of control") and his own yearning to move to L.A. and drink Hennessy with Morrissey.
No big changes for album two. It would be nice if Argos offered more details that... More >