Art Brut

By special request, something altogether cheerier from my collection...

Bang Bang Rock & Roll was something of an unexpected pleasure when it arrived. I'd seen Art Brut briefly playing live at Reading and they seemed an enjoyable enough band but when I listened to the album I found it was full of hooks aplenty and some sharp and witty lyrics to boot. Track after track found its mark and by the end of it all you had one of my favourite albums of the year.

I'm not going to waste time talking about which lines in particular put a smile on my face as firstly there are too many of them and secondly I wouldn't want to spoil your hearing them for the first time. Yes, there are jokes that may wear in time but for now, I'm still enjoying this one.

ART BRUT - BANG BANG ROCK & ROLL

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Album number two has now arrived and while it's perhaps not quite as good as BBR&R it does manage to avoid becoming a woeful sophomore slump (which, more than usual, was a danger for a band like Art Brut - would the joke last?) This time round, the production has been cleaned up a bit but doesn't feel so slick as to have all the edges that made their debut so endearing taken off. The lyrics haven't suddenly become mature and serious throughout and mostly show further evidence of lead singer Eddie Argos's love of good pop music. I suppose I can in my castigation of most modern pop forget that there are some simply great pop songs out there that deserve just as much praise as anything else from the more rock-based end of the spectrum, not least some of the ones Art Brut are writing. While they may not be as amusing as those from their debut, that's chiefly a complement to the former album.

ART BRUT - IT'S A BIT COMPLICATED

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The Pyramids / Archie Bronson Outfit

The name for this Blog was taken from a track from the recent self titled Pyramids album. It’s an album and track in particular that contain a lot of things I like in my music – it’s a sound that drips with gloom and menace but is also crackles with a fire and passion. Something deliciously dark to wrap your ears round.

The Pyramids are Mark Cleveland and Sam Windett, two thirds of the Archie Bronson Outfit who took some time off from their usual band to record something not a million miles away from but focusing on the more jagged and psychedelic end of their spectrum. The songs for the album were written over a weekend and then recorded over a week in a friend’s barn giving it something of a bottled lightning feel.

THE PYRAMIDS - THE PYRAMIDS

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Their music as the Archie Bronson Outfit is also well worth checking out. Their debut album produced by Hotel of the Kills was a great listen and showed a lot of promise that was fully delivered on with the arrival of their next, Derdang Derdang, which cranked up the intensity but also suffused proceedings with an insistent groove. Propulsive, lean, hypnotic and punctuated throughout by Windett’s frenzied yelp it’s a highly recommended listen.

ARCHIE BRONSON OUTFIT - DERDANG DERDANG

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ARCHIE BRONSON OUTFIT - FUR

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All 3 albums feature on Domino Records who have some great bands on their roster that will be featuring in later posts. Do yourself a favour and check em out in the link at the top of the page…

Preludes and Nocturnes

So, here it is. The first post - what should be a veritable declaration of intent outlining all that I plan to do with this Blog in the days and months to come and with the substance of the post somehow encapsulating all those things in just a short entry, right?

Errrr, perhaps but that sounds a little terrifying so I guess you’ll have to make do with this waffle instead. After all, I do want to have some fun with this thing (aha - a stated aim!)

Simply put, I enjoy my music and when I come across something that I like and feel enthusiastic about I also want to share it with other people. New sounds/old sounds, fresh sounds/familiar sounds but ultimately something that people will enjoy and get them as similarly passionate about the bands, artists and their music as I am. After all, isn’t that what most Blogs are about anyway? Sharing your passions with others?

I’d say so, so without further ado why not skip up to music…