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It's A Bit Complicated

by

Art Brut

 
It's A Bit Complicated
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Avg: 3.5 (92 ratings)

The sharpest pop-music wits in post-Pulp England

  • We Say...

    Review by Matthew Fritch

    Being a rank amateur has its privileges. Just ask Art Brut, whose 2005 debut offered simple, punk-by-numbers guitar riffs and a frontman who readily poked fun at his own vocal shortcomings. But such technical mediocrity and singer Eddie Argos' self-deprecating sense of humor are exactly what made Bang Bang Rock & Roll one of the most charming albums of the modern indie-rock era. Whether mock-boastful ("We're gonna write a song as universal as 'Happy Birthday,'" sing-speaks Argos) or seriously revealing (the whole of erectile-dysfunction anthem "Rusted Guns of Milan"), the five members of the South London group quickly established themselves as the sharpest pop-music wits in post-Pulp England.

    Following up a scrappy, lovable debut, however, has its challenges. Like most second acts, It's a Bit Complicated goes easy on the comedy and focuses on plot development. So instead of railing against modern art or gushing over a new girlfriend, Argos mostly frets about long-term relationships and comes to terms with growing older. Which sounds like a drag, except Argos — a near-jovial monologist/singer who's more Fred Schneider than Mark E. Smith — rarely writes the ordinary script. On Complicated standout "People in Love," he justifies ending a relationship with the best logic he can muster: "People in love lie around and get fat/ I didn't want us to end up like that." It isn't Shakespeare or Bob Dylan, but Argos could do worse than Woody Allen.

    More than mere props for Argos' musings, the instrument-playing members of Art Brut occasionally steal the spotlight on It's a Bit Complicated. Ian Catskilkin often carries the melody with his Franz Ferdinand-like lead-guitar stabs, and a horn section provides a needed lift for the midtempo "Late Sunday Evening." But the joy of Art Brut doesn't come from note-perfect details or sophisticated arrangements; it arrives in the big, splashy riffing of pop/punk singalong "Direct Hit" and Argos crowing "Hit! Hit! Direct hit!" as if to will himself onto the pop charts. Careful what you wish for, sir.

  • They Say...

    Review by Heather Phares, All Music Guide

    From Art Brut's first moments, they've been high-concept -- after all, their debut single was about how they formed, and sounded like they recorded it immediately after getting together -- so it probably shouldn't come as a surprise that they've become increasingly meta, or that It's a Bit Complicated tends to feel like it's based on the concept of what Art Brut's second album should sound like. In the wake of Bang Bang Rock & Roll's success, Eddie Argos and company are no longer underdogs, so the band's sound is bigger, bolder, and more confident. There's more distance in Argos' lyrics -- there are no more stories of how long it's been, to the second, since he's seen the first girl he ever loved, or how his little brother just discovered rock & roll. Instead, there are songs about songs, how moments in life relate to pop songs and several mixtapes' worth of allusions to other, more famous songs (indeed, "Sounds of Summer" is basically a love song to the time-honored tradition of making the perfect mixtape, right down to removing the cassette's recording tabs). Even for Art Brut, getting this conceptually tricky is risky, and there are tradeoffs to this approach. It's a Bit Complicated boasts some laugh-out-loud funny lyrics: "Is it so wrong to break from your kiss to turn up the pop song?" Argos asks on "Pump Up the Volume." "Post Soothing Out" is a sardonic look at the very bitter end of a relationship: "I met your parents, and I know it sounds rough/But I'm gonna be out when they pick up your stuff." However, with so much focus on the words, the album's music suffers by comparison. Most of It's a Bit Complicated focuses on the same tempos, cranked guitars, and backing vocals -- think Bang Bang Rock & Roll's "Moving to L.A." turned up to 11 -- making for a sound that's either focused or samey, depending on your level of patience. Fortunately, It's a Bit Complicated's risks pay off more often than not, especially on "Direct Hit," which sings the praises of dancing instead of talking when tongue-tied around a crush (though it's hard to imagine Argos or any of the characters in his songs at a loss for words) and the brilliant "People in Love," a seemingly arch take on breakups ("You can learn to enjoy this type of upset"). The band's odes to arrested development are also standouts; "I Will Survive" and "Nag Nag Nag Nag" explore the gray area between actually being a teenager, or just feeling like one years after the fact, with a little poignancy and a lot of wit. Moments like these, "Jealous Guy," and "Blame It on the Trains" reclaim some of the intimacy that Bang Bang Rock & Roll had in spades and seems to be missing from a good chunk of It's a Bit Complicated. This album may not be as special as Bang Bang Rock & Roll, but It's a Bit Complicated proves that Art Brut are masters of writing pop songs about loving pop songs passionately.

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