Art Brut: Bang Bang Rock & Roll
CASE MEMORIAL LIBRARY CALL NUMBER: CD/ROCK/Art
ARTIST WEBSITE: http://www.artbrut.org.uk/
The New Yorker wrote: "In the overpopulated genre of British guitar rock -- Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, Kaiser Chiefs, and others -- the London five-piece Art Brut stands out, not for its energy but for its comedy. 'Formed a Band,' their breakthrough single, gleefully turns stardom inside out, and the rest of the album is either just as funny ('Moving to L.A.,' 'Good Weekend') or unexpectedly heartfelt ('Emily Kane')" ("Pop Notes: Going Back," 1/9/06, p. 18).
Actually, to this listener's ears, "Emily Kane" is pretty funny too, with lyrics such as "I've not seen her in 10 years, 9 months, 3 weeks, 4 days, 6 hours, 13 minutes, 5 seconds." A lot of the humor is in vocalist Eddie Argos's delivery (never sung, always declaimed), kind of a cross between Fred Schneider of the B-52s and Gang of Four's Jon King. To be honest, I didn't notice any "heartfelt" tracks on Bang Bang Rock & Roll. At the same time, it is not just a comedy record -- the songs have real music as well as plenty of energy. I look forward to hearing them again.
ARTIST WEBSITE: http://www.artbrut.org.uk/
The New Yorker wrote: "In the overpopulated genre of British guitar rock -- Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, Kaiser Chiefs, and others -- the London five-piece Art Brut stands out, not for its energy but for its comedy. 'Formed a Band,' their breakthrough single, gleefully turns stardom inside out, and the rest of the album is either just as funny ('Moving to L.A.,' 'Good Weekend') or unexpectedly heartfelt ('Emily Kane')" ("Pop Notes: Going Back," 1/9/06, p. 18).
Actually, to this listener's ears, "Emily Kane" is pretty funny too, with lyrics such as "I've not seen her in 10 years, 9 months, 3 weeks, 4 days, 6 hours, 13 minutes, 5 seconds." A lot of the humor is in vocalist Eddie Argos's delivery (never sung, always declaimed), kind of a cross between Fred Schneider of the B-52s and Gang of Four's Jon King. To be honest, I didn't notice any "heartfelt" tracks on Bang Bang Rock & Roll. At the same time, it is not just a comedy record -- the songs have real music as well as plenty of energy. I look forward to hearing them again.
posted by casemusic at 1:02 PM
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