Pretty Simple, Really

It's a Bit Complicated
Art Brut
Downtown, 2007
3 stars

I missed Art Brut the first time around, but listening to It's a Bit Complicated, their second album, it's easy to imagine them in the back-row of the uk new-wave schoolbus, bumping shoulders with Bloc Party and the Futureheads and flicking elastic bands at the Arctic Monkeys. Where their first record had a we're-starting-a-band theme, the songs on this album focus on everyday stuff like wanting to turn the stereo up while making out with your girlfriend (Pump Up The Volume), and obsessing over making the perfect mix-tape (Sound of Summer). Whilst the music itself is good, the lyrics are the main event here - Eddie Argos' half-mumbled half-sung observations actually make you want to study the liner notes, and the repeated choruses will play in your head long after the disc stops spinning.

Artwork: C

Published in mX, Thursday 28 June 2007.