Art Brut It's A Bit Complicated CD

Art Brut's 2005 debut BANG BANG ROCK & ROLL introduced the South London outfit's brand of bratty, conceptual art-punk. Ironic and arch, while also managing to rock with sincerity, Art Brut sounded like naive, irreverent school kids who were actually smarter than their teachers. It's not a shock that IT'S A BIT COMPLICATED, the 2007 follow-up, doesn't branch far into new territory: to "mature" and "develop" would be against the band's M.O.

Instead, the album delivers more clever, brainy fare suitable for both pogoing and chin-stroking. Singer Eddie Argos applies his wry, biting humor to such topics as break-ups, adolescence, and pop music itself in his Fall-ish half-sung, half-spoken drawl. Meanwhile, the band slams and shuffles behind him with amps cranked, offsetting Argos's ironic stance with a raucous glee and pop smarts. Listeners not charmed by Art Brut's overall concept the first time out (and they are, after all, a concept band) are unlikely to be converted, but fans of BANG BANG ROCK & ROLL should give IT'S A BIT COMPLICATED a well-considered spin.

Audio Mixer: Dan Swift.

Recording information: London Bridge; Superswift Sound.

Art Brut: Freddy Feedback (bass guitar); Mike Breyer (drums); Eddie Argos, Ian Catskilkin, Jasper Future.

Personnel: Eddie Argos, Emma Kalkhoven, Alice McCabe (vocals); Ian Catskilkin, Jasper Future (guitar); Tim Sanders (tenor saxophone); Roddy Lorimer (trumpet); Annie Whitehead (trombone); Kick Horns (brass); Mikey Breyer (drums); John J. Moore (musical saw).

Additional personnel: Kick Horns (horns); John Moore (unknown instrument); Alice McCabe, Tayo Phillips, Emma Kalkhoven (background vocals); Annie Whitehead, Roddy Lorimer, Tim Sanders.

Rolling Stone (p.70) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[T]here are enough well-modulated garage guitars or heartfelt choruses to keep you tuned in. It all adds up to something lovably unpretentious -- and pretty unique."
Spin (p.99) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Art Brut succeed nearly all the time by injecting every minute with crackling life and by never, ever getting more than just the slightest bit complicated."
Entertainment Weekly (p.69) - "[M]atters remain direct, if droll, throughout....Idiosyncratic yet entertaining guitar-based pop..." -- Grade: B
Uncut (p.89) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[The songs] cover subjects including disco mating habits, the art of making the perfect mixtape, and escaping from a lover's embrace to turn up a pop song."
Alternative Press (p.160) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[G]uitarists 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."
Magnet (p.89) - "[T]he usual Britpop templates are augmented by soaring arena-rock solos and aw-shucks melodies reminiscent of Ian Dury and Nick Lowe tunes. The lyrics are slightly more nuanced..."