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Rating:
It took a full seven years to get a fifth album from Art Brut, but it was absolutely worth the wait.
"Wham! Bang! Pow! Let's Rock Out!" arrives bringing some novelties, starting with the new guitarist Toby MacFarlaine (formerly of Stone Gods); and it brings with it a welcome return to the sounds of the early Art Brut, which were somewhat lost with the productions of his majesty Frank Black.
The style of Eddie Argos and company returns to being sharp, direct, and simple as in that "Bang Bang Rock & Roll" which made them align with people like The Rakes, Franz Ferdinand, and Bloc Party in the early 2000s. Eddie Argos's typical "spoken singing" and a series of brilliant and sharp lyrics ensured that the band stood out from the crowd, even if they did not achieve the success of other artists of the period.
Returning to the new "Wham...", as easily inferred from the title, we are faced with a collection of sparkling and lively tracks, characterized by that mix of art punk, garage, and indie rock typical of these former prodigy kids now transplanted to Berlin. Here and there, the offering becomes softer and more melodic - the britpop of "Good Morning Berlin" and "Veronica Falls," the college rock of "She Kissed Me (And It Felt Like A Hit") - but never boring or soporific, and Argos is truly in top form, just as the new addition on guitar proves to be perfectly suited to the role.
The single/title track aspires to join the club of the group's small classics, just like the fun second release "Hospital!" (which playfully describes Argos's long hospital stay for a serious physical issue).
It had been since that now distant debut album that Art Brut hadn't sounded so inspired and edgy. The production by Jim Moray (a long-established English folk singer-songwriter) cleans and resets the band's sound just right, avoiding the mistake made with the overly polite "It's A Bit Complicated" from 2006.
A pleasant and surprising return that, if it doesn't quite manage to attract new fans, will make the always large following of the British band happy.
Best track: Good Morning Berlin
Tracklist
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