It's a Bit Complicated
Encyclopedia
The initial reaction to the album has been generally favorable. The Guardian
awarded the album full marks, comparing the group to both The Fall and Half Man Half Biscuit
. Their glowing review of the album concluded with the line: "Full of the kind of bathetic genius English pop used to excel in, Art Brut are life-affirming - and are worth 500 of almost every other new guitar band.
" NME
gave the album 8/10, believing that the group seemed "poised on the brink of mainstream acceptance". Pitchfork
's review of the album was positive, scoring them 7.4, and noting "Art Brut have succeeded in crafting a satisfying half-mature sequel"
Not all reviews were positive, however; Q
s Simon Goddard stated that after their first album Bang Bang Rock & Roll, It's a Bit Complicated sounds "extremely tired," with the "principal culprit" being singer Eddie Argos
, who "is torturous after the full 34 [minutes]."
released "Pump Up the Volume
" the third single from It's a Bit Complicated without informing the band. There was no physical release of the single and only a video was released after the single had been issued. Writing on the Art Brut website, the band stated; “It seems Art Brut have accidentally released a single. Yes, the rumours are true. But how could this happen, you may ask? Why were we not informed? Well, my friends, pick up any thread of incompetence and it will usually lead you to a record company. That's right, it seems EMI have decided to release 'Pump up the Volume' without informing either the band or myself, making any kind of widescale promotion rather difficult.” On 1 March 2008, Argos subsequently revealed on his blog that Art Brut and EMI had amicably parted.
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
awarded the album full marks, comparing the group to both The Fall and Half Man Half Biscuit
Half Man Half Biscuit
Half Man Half Biscuit, often "HMHB", are an English rock band from Birkenhead, Merseyside, active since the mid-1980s, known for satirical, sardonic, and sometimes surreal songs. The group comprises Nigel Blackwell , Neil Crossley , Ken Hancock , and Carl Henry...
. Their glowing review of the album concluded with the line: "Full of the kind of bathetic genius English pop used to excel in, Art Brut are life-affirming - and are worth 500 of almost every other new guitar band.
" NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
gave the album 8/10, believing that the group seemed "poised on the brink of mainstream acceptance". Pitchfork
Pitchfork
A pitchfork is an agricultural tool with a long handle and long, thin, widely separated pointed tines used to lift and pitch loose material, such as hay, leaves, grapes, dung or other agricultural materials. Pitchforks typically have two or three tines...
's review of the album was positive, scoring them 7.4, and noting "Art Brut have succeeded in crafting a satisfying half-mature sequel"
Not all reviews were positive, however; Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
s Simon Goddard stated that after their first album Bang Bang Rock & Roll, It's a Bit Complicated sounds "extremely tired," with the "principal culprit" being singer Eddie Argos
Eddie Argos
Eddie Argos is the lead singer of English rock band Art Brut,born in Weymouth, England. He later moved to Poole, Dorset as a young child, and has subsequently written about the Martin Kemp-Welch School there , in the song Martin Kemp-Welch Five A Side Football Rules from the album Brilliant! Tragic!...
, who "is torturous after the full 34 [minutes]."
Departure From EMI
In February 2008, EMIEMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
released "Pump Up the Volume
Pump Up the Volume
Pump Up the Volume may refer to:* Pump Up the Volume , a 1990 film* "Pump Up the Volume" , by M|A|R|R|S...
" the third single from It's a Bit Complicated without informing the band. There was no physical release of the single and only a video was released after the single had been issued. Writing on the Art Brut website, the band stated; “It seems Art Brut have accidentally released a single. Yes, the rumours are true. But how could this happen, you may ask? Why were we not informed? Well, my friends, pick up any thread of incompetence and it will usually lead you to a record company. That's right, it seems EMI have decided to release 'Pump up the Volume' without informing either the band or myself, making any kind of widescale promotion rather difficult.” On 1 March 2008, Argos subsequently revealed on his blog that Art Brut and EMI had amicably parted.
Track listing
- Direct Hit was featured in EA SportsEA SportsEA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
FIFA 08FIFA 08FIFA 08 is the 2008 installment of EA Sports' series of football video games. Developed by EA Canada, it is published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. It was released on all popular gaming formats in September 2007 in Europe, Australia, and Asia, and in October 2007 in North...
and also features Animals That SwimAnimals That SwimAnimals That Swim are a musical group who formed in London, England, 1989, with a line-up of stand-up drums, piano, trumpet and "a nifty line in clever narrative lyrics"...
frontman, Hank Starrs, on vocals.