Heart of a Punk Soul of a Rasta

Art Brut album no. IV - "Brilliant! Tragic!" - Now that's better! Brilliant, definitely! Tragic? Surely not. I mean if I was an inane dull headed nondescript dime a dozen music journalist (spit), and it was necessary for me to give Brilliant! Tragic! a numerical score out of 5, or out of ten; or in stars or in fuckin' fly's. I guess I'd have to give it 47 out of something very close to, or slightly exceeding, 47. But happily I'm just a humble punter who doesn't need to indulge in this intrinsically sad pastime of marking music, yawn. I mean what next, holding score cards up to the wind? But having said that 47 out of something slightly more than 47 is pretty Brilliant! So where's the Tragic bit? I don't get it, surely it's Brilliant! Brilliant!

However there was an element of tragedy about the last Brut album, Art Brut V Satan. Supposedly Frank Black (head Pixie) was the producer. Er not as far as I was concerned, he may well have mixed the album, but he certainly didn't produce it. Yep "Art Brut Trois" was a slight dip compared to "Bang Bang Rock & Roll" and "It's a Bit Complicated", and I have to admit I had my doubts when I heard that Brut were going with Frank Noir again. I mean what is wrong with John Cale anyway? Too expensive? Too Welsh? And what's wrong with Mark E Smith? As a producer I mean! Anyway I must be force fed my words because Black Francis has actually produced Brilliant! Tragic! wonderfully-ish. Apparently he taught Eddie Argos to sing as well. Errrrrr why?

Anyway Brilliant! Tragic! is a record drenched in prepubescent and postpubescent reminiscences. "Clever Clever Jazz" opens the LP with tales from those first nerve jangling gigs, whilst "Martin Kemp Welch Five A-Side Football Rules" and "Axl Rose" are set fairly and squarely in Ergo's halcyon school days - "all I learnt at school was how to bend not break the rules" - no that's some one else. Musically every facet of "Brilliant" is a notch higher than "Satan" - from the interplay between the guitars on "Bad Comedian" to the drilled out speaker destroying bass rumble on "Is Dog Eared". But the heart soul and nub of the piece resides in the centre stage fast three - "Martin Kemp" "Axl Rose" and "I Am The Psychic". Yeah "Sexy Sometimes" and "Ice Hockey" have The Brut moving into new and very enjoyable destinations, but tracks 6 to 8 are where the power is!

The only bummer on the record (if there has to be one) is "Lost Weekend", not because Eddie Argos is sort of singing, or because you can hear all the places where Frank Black has dropped him in, but simply because for me "Unprofessional Wrestling" would have been a much nicer option. When all is said and done though Eddie Argos is still the closest thing to Ian Dury we currently possess. And for that reason amongst many I commend this item to you. I will now end this review in the time honoured fashion, with a simple request to Art Brut: for the sake of all that's holy when are you going to do a cover of "The Modern Lovers" track "I'm Straight"! You can get Cale involved if you like! Ahhh I give up they're never going to do it.

PS: The art work of Brilliant! Tragic! by Jamie McKelvie is the former part of the title.