Eddie Argos wants to tell you what’s on his mind. Like, every little thing. A lyrical sampling from his British band’s third album, Art Brut vs. Satan:
• “I love the taste of cereal/I have it for almost every meal.” (“DC Comics and Chocolate Milkshake”)
• “I can’t believe I’ve only just discovered The Replacements/How have I only just found out about The Replacements?” (“The Replacements”)
• “I love public transportation/Train or bus, they’re both amazing.” (“The Passenger”)
The Details
• “I’d overheard you saying that you were going into town/And at the time I lived right in between two towns, so I wasn’t quite sure which one you meant/So I bought a bus pass; I went to both of them.” (“Am I Normal?”)
Of course, Argos could be speak-singing from the viewpoint of created characters, but listening to these 11 slacker-ific English tales—described in so-mundane-as-to-actually-seem-interesting detail—it’s not a stretch to imagine the man at its center has lived just such a life. Either way, Art Brut vs. Satan has a simple message: Life should be fun, and Art Brut is here to help.
Sure, there’s a sameness across most tracks, probably due to both the band’s limited range (only the Weezer-ish “Summer Job” and slow-developing closer “Mysterious Bruises” break the three-minutes-of-grand-bluster mold) and Frank Black’s dependable but relatively spare production. But in the end, that matters little. By the time Argos exclaims, “I fought the floor, and the floor won!” near the finish, it’s hard to deny that Art Brut has also emerged with a victory.
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