Thank God for Art Brut

Back in 2003, when Art Brut formed, the British music scene was dominated by power pop outfits like The Libertines, who were better as celebrities than musicians. Today, we have similarly over-hyped bands like The Arctic Monkeys and The Subways, who release albums that NME fawns over for six months until the next big thing comes along.

Thank God for Art Brut.

Their first single "Formed a Band," purportedly written in the first 15 minutes of the band's existence, served as a sort of anti-anthem for contemporary British music. Whereas bands like Bloc Party and the aforementioned Arctic Monkeys are slick pop bands with little punk-rock edge, Art Brut's sound recalls nothing if not the dirty, jangly guitar sound of early Pavement, or Pavement's main influence, the British post-hardcore outfit The Fall. In "Formed a Band," lead singer Eddie Argos spends most of the song chanting "Look at us, we formed a band!" in between rants against people buying albums in the supermarket or proclaiming a desire to write a song "as universal as 'Happy Birthday.'"

Many critics (including The New York Times) saw the band as a one-off joke outfit. But since releasing their debut LP Bang Bang Rock & Roll, Art Brut has followed up "Formed a Band" with a string of strong singles, displaying a playful creativity and wry sense of humor. "Modern Art" is a lilting rocker in which Argos proclaims that "Modern art/makes me/want to rock out!", and detailing his experiences doing so in the Tate Modern and Pompidou center. In "Moving to LA," the band recalls the country-influenced garage rock sound of Eagles of Death Metal, as Argos contemplates getting himself deported to LA, where the weather is better and he can lounge about "drink[ing] Hennessy/with Morrissey/on a beach/out of reach/somewhere very far away." And finally, the band's remarkably earnest love song, "Emily Kane," finds Argos pining away for his girlfriend at age 15.

Art Brut is one of the most original, if not popular, bands to emerge from the UK in years, turning their back on a decade of Britpop that fetishizes the heydey of British music in the 1960s. And led by the likes of Eddie Argos (whose performance art-like recitations more than make up for his inability to sing), Art Brut already has a reputation as a great live band.

Art Brut plays Neumos Saturday, March 25. Tickets $10.00 advance, limited all ages seating.