Art Brut

It’s A Bit Complicated

{3/5}
In the vein of such telling titles as Slayer’s Reign In Hell and Nickelback’s Always Drinking Diapers, the name of Art Brut’s second album relays a similar sense of truth in advertising. Their previous disc, Bang Bang Rock And Roll, successfully married frontman Eddie Argos’ whimsical narratives with short, direct songs. This time, guitarists Jasper Future and Ian Catskillkin deliver some great tracks seemingly constructed from shared space in a Venn Diagram created by the Pixies and the Smiths. The problem is when the music shines (especially on “Post-Soothing Out” and “Direct Hit”), Argos doesn’t sound particularly inspired. For every hit like “Pump Up The Volume” (“I’ve got my hand in a place I can’t tell if she minds”), there’s a miss when Argos works his B-list material (“Sound Of Summer” rewrites “Modern Art”). Musically, it’s clear Art Brut aren’t a one-joke novelty act; maybe Argos should trade his Jonathan Richman records for some old-fashioned British bile. (DOWNTOWN) Jason Pettigrew