Bang Bang Rock & Roll

British rock combo Art Brut released their debut LP Bang Bang Rock & Roll in the UK in May of 2005. As usual, it only just got a US release (on Downtown Records, which makes them labelmates to the hotly hyped Gnarls Barkley and Josh Hommes' the Eagles Of Death Metal). I cracked and bought the import in February, unwilling to wait any longer, and a week later I found out about the US release date. Typical. It was worth it, though. They are your quintessentially British band - singer Eddie Argos talk-sings in a way (I'd say it's a bit Mark E. Smith) that puts the lyrics front and center, and they are hysterical. Over a gloriously sharp collection of post-punk, punk and indie rock tunes Eddie tells great, witty stories. Formed A Band is about how they're going to "write the song that makes Israel and Palestine get along" and "play it 8 weeks in a row on Top Of The Pops". I haven'tbeen so amused by lyrical content in a long time. The music is pretty fab too, sharp and crisp and full of memorable hooks. Emily Kane is a hysterically funny love song to an old girlfriend who he never got over - "Every girl I've seen since looks just like you when I squint." It gets funnier and funnier by the verse. Fight! is another amusing tune - "some people like things left unspoken, I prefer to have it out in the open, come on, come on let's have a fight!" - all set to a series of classic punky riffs. Brilliant stuff that's guaranteed to make you smile.
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