UnPopular Culture… With Professor Honeydew

Today's Area of Study:Art Brut - It's A Bit Complicated

Back in 2005, British rock quintet Art Brut scored one of the most  critically well-received records of the year with their debut Bang  Bang Rock and Roll.  Beyond being a consistently playful album, Bang  Bang was a deft blend of straightforward instrumentation and biting  lyricism, a knowing wink at self-referential post-modern art spread  over twelve tautly anthemic tracks.Now the boys and girl from Deptford are poised to release their much  anticipated follow-up, It's a Bit Complicated, only this time the  stakes surrounding their record's release are much higher.  No longer  the outsider artists implied by their name, Art Brut have some high  expectations to live up to.  One of the reasons their debut was so  effective was the sheer novelty of the act with its fresh approach  and the tang of vocalist Eddie Argos' incisive one-liners.  It's a  tough act to follow.How do they fare the second time around?  Surprisingly well, as it  turns out.  While none of the tracks have the instant magnetism of an  "Emily Kane" or "Modern Art," the songs on It's a Bit Complicated are  the product of a band clearly maturing in all of the right  dimensions.  Lyrically the songs are as compelling as ever, painted  with the smug brush of punk meets Ph.D., high culture references  mingling with the timeless concerns of love and its dysfunctions.On the record's final track, "Jealous Guy," Argos finds himself  sharing a bed with a girlfriend who has decided to hit the hay a  little too prematurely for his liking.  Confronted with the dilemma,  he resolves "I'm not willing to admit defeat, I'm pulling on blankets  and tugging on sheets."  The sentiment is at once preposterous and  relatable, and Argos has the good sense to know which side of things  to position himself on in these tales.  You can't help but feel for  the guy as he wonders whether her "ex-boyfriends let [her] get this  much rest in," questions how he stacks up against the (imagined)  competition, tests out some conspicuous coughs, and reconciles his  feelings of emotional satisfaction with the baser needs of his  physical desires.Although for the most part the band remains true to its template of  standard rock instrumentation, there are some shades of nuance here  that were missing from Bang Bang.  On "Late Sunday Evening," for  instance, a blushing trombone yields to a coda buffeted by a  boisterous horn section and some positively cooing vocal harmonies.   Moments like those reveal that Art Brut is always operating with a  very conscious degree of control; their nods to the sloppiness of  their musical heritage are calculated and smart, their slight musical  embellishments are always restrained.  Indeed, this intellectual  streak is what continues to set the band apart from their peers.   It's a Bit Complicated broadcasts, for those willing to listen, that  this band is much more than NME's latest crush.  There is no question  that Art Brut can rock out with the best, but it's their sassy,  surprisingly brainy side that will keep you listening.Art Brut's second record, It's a Bit Complicated, will be released on  June 19th on Downtown Records.  For a chance to win a copy, visit  http://myspace.com/neighborhoodies