It's a Bit Complicated

Art Brut | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 19, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Downtown
• ASIN: B000PSJCLK
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #86,129 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Art Brut's sophomore effort works the same ironic, are-they-joking vibe that made 2005’s Bang Bang Rock & Roll such a hoot. Eddie Argos’s lyrics still sound tossed off the top of his clever head, like he looked around the room and wrote what he saw on a dinner napkin. Whether he’s choosing between kissing a girl and turning up the stereo ("Pump Up the Volume") or contemplating his own vanity on "Nag Nag Nag Nag" ("wet trousers in the washing machine/ but I’d rather be damp than seen in jeans"), the words are always the best part of the song. The music, meanwhile, is grand and silly, filled with brash Brit-pop tropes and chunky, Weezer-size guitar riffs.

But the band hasn’t found a way around their central problem: The songs lack variety. It wasn’t such an issue on their debut because the sample was so limited, but now we know too well what to expect. Their particular formula makes it tough; Argos’s spoken, thickly accented delivery doesn’t exactly have a vast range of expression, and their punk-influenced emphasis on simplicity limits what they can do dynamically. Only two records in and despite their catchy tunes and obvious talents, they’re starting to sound tired. Can they find a way to be something more than just a particularly bright flash in the indie-pop music pan? It remains to be seen, but for now I’ll enjoy It’s a Bit Complicated’s smarty-pants snark--for at least another week or so. --Matthew Cooke

Product Description

Much like the art movement of the same name, Art Brut are outsiderish, rebellious, punk before punk, and deliciously libertine. Their second full-length is poppier than the first (2004's "Brutlegs"), and with tracks titled "Pump Up The Volume" and "I Will Survive", expect it to be tongue-in-cheek and rancorously funny.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Is it so wrong to break from your kiss to turn up the pop song?, April 21, 2011

By 

Stephen Cabral (New England) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: It's a Bit Complicated (Audio CD)

These guys are awesome! Witty lyrics...great riffs...powerful power chords...lots of fun. I laughed out loud at the lyric, "Is it so wrong to break from your kiss to turn up the pop song?" from the song 'Pump Up The Volume'. Sort of reminds me of a cross between XTC and Weezer...even a little bit Ian Dury. This is a smart band. I strongly recommend this CD.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A simple formula (that works over and over), July 18, 2007

By 

J. Noland (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: It's a Bit Complicated (Audio CD)

I can't really speak to the Franz comparison, but I can say that the Eddie's monologues seemed to have evolved a bit over the previous album and are undeniably relatable; especially to anyone struggling in a relationship (tracks, "Post Soothing Over" and "Jealous Guy" come to mind here). Eddie Argos is an "everyman" in the truest sense, and his lyrics exude an authenticity unsurpassed by any Brit-pop band in recent memory.

On the whole, there are some great riffs here too. Overall, this is one of the best albums of '07 and well worth your time - although a bit brief. If Art Brut continues to release albums keeping in form with the previous two, keep them coming.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A bit too complicated, June 26, 2007

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: It's a Bit Complicated (Audio CD)

Art Brut are just so darn lovable. Any band that rejoices at their own existance has gotta be special.

That fact is reinforced in their second album "It's A Bit Complicated," which is crammed with more of their exuberant art-punk-poppery. It doesn't stray far from their first album's mold, but them it doesn't really need to -- their energetic, quirky little songs are more than enough fun.

After a bunch of "woo hoo hoo hoos" and a little tap on the bass, the opening song unfurls into a sprightly, punky little rock song. "We've taken our clothes off, in the wrong order/And you're leaving your shoes to make you look taller," Eddie Argos muses, contemplating the perils of teen nookie. "I know I shouldn't/And it's possibly wrong/To break from your kiss/To turn up a pop song..."

Having roped you in with the catchy stuff, Art Brut turns their attention to fast-paced rockers like "Direct Hit" ("Move around like your shoes don't fit!", which are equal parts indie-rock and catchy danceable stuff -- some builds perpetually up to a peak, some bounces all over, and some rushes forward in tight, high-octane blurs.

It winds right down to the brilliant last few songs -- "Nag Nag Nag" is an ideal blend of indie-rock grittiness and dancy exuberance, and "Jealous Guy" sounds like an amped-up version of a classic Britpop song. The album ends, but it doesn't slow at all.

Perhaps the most appealing thing about Art Brut is that they always sound just serious enough to make brilliant music, but not so serious that they don't sound like they're having huge quantities of fun. "It's A Bit Complicated" doesn't change much, but it does continue doing what they do best, with a bit of new polish.

The music basically rides on a wave of blazing bass guitar and nimble electric guitar riffs, tightly wound together into fast-moving melodies. They can make it cycle, blaze, buzz, smash and blast in brief spurts (look at "Late Sunday Evening"). And Mikey B produces some nice drums to ground the rapid-fire guitars, although he's a bit drowned out in some songs.

Argos tends to speak rather than really sing, in his warm, rough voice. For most artists, this would sound like a guy covering an inability to sing, but with Argos it just sounds conversational and quirky ("Sorry if my accent's flawed/I learnt my German from a 7 inch record").

And the songs he sings are full of witty lines and laddish woes -- "I Will Survive" is basically an ode to slob dorm living, and "Jealous Guy" is the lament of a guy feeling threatened by his ex-girlfriend's exes, and her lack of intimacy with him ("You're asleep, I wish I was too/But I can't because I've got something to prove/I tried to wake you with a really loud cough/I accidentally set your alarm clock off...")

"It's a Bit Complicated" doesn't really expand Art Brut's sound, but it's more lovable laddish indie-rock from a band that is almost too endearing. Definitely worth getting.