In the battle between good and evil, hope is often found in the innocence, or in a more cynical sense, the naivety of children. That naivety creates a raw energy around all its endeavors, a youthfulness that cannot be had in the over-wrought ventures of so-called adults. Simultaneously, it’s often conflicted energy with idealistic notions of what things should or should not be that in reality simply cannot be.
For better or worse, it’s those same contradictions and raw energy that have fueled the music of Eddie Argos and Art Brut over the past four years. Argos and company’s new album, Art Brut vs. Satan, maintains that attitude, but with the help of Pixies front man Frank Black, they’ve managed to crank up the quality while continuing their playful guile. It’s been an audible battle between the band’s studio growth and the “Slap Dash for No Cash” approach that Argos has espoused since day one. On the one hand he’s tossing up the beanbag of success and on the other he’s trying to cradle that of sincerity. That juggling act both entertains Argos’ youthfulness and escalates his maturation. Where It’s a Bit Complicated suffered growing pains, vs. Satan delights in complex maturity.
Art Brut vs. Satan is a testament to the battle of indie vs. mainstream, integrity vs. pragmatism, and as always for Argos, acceptance vs. rejection, all told with the wide-eyed wonder of Plato’s protagonist emerging from the cave. Not without its share of contradictions though, Argos attacks the very industry through which his voice is heard.
“I’ve been accused of some things, I’m not sure what they meant/Peter Pan syndrome and arrested development.” Argos, always the incisive lyricist, acknowledges his unsophisticated approach and embraces it, yet coupled with Black’s veteran production; it yields a post-modern pop gem. Combining punk attitude and energy with wry whit and deft one-liners, vs. Satan is brutishly better than Art’s best.
Throughout the record, Black’s touches can be heard in cohesive and tight rhythmic punches from Ian Catskilkin’s guitar and more subtle and sophisticated backing vocals than were present in previous Art Brut records. The background melody of “What a Rush” harkens to Black’s late-’80s days with Kim Deal, adding delicacy previously untouched by the inexperienced exuberance of Art Brut songs such as “Moving to LA.”
The juggling act maintains balance on most tracks with the notable exception of “Mysterious Bruises” where the band falls back on old tricks that worked solely for their unique arrangements the first time around. However, the song contains one gem in an “I Fought the Law” homage when it thumps to the beat of “I fought the floor/and the floor won.”
So who wins on vs. Satan, youth or experience? Like all creations worth discussing, it remains unclear. But there seems to be a delicate balance — an unwavering idealistic Argos and a mad-genius Black coalesce into a “Direct Hit” that Bang Bang Rock & Roll and It’s A Bit Complicated fell short of.
The polyrhythmic blast of “Demons Out!” anchors the album thematically and also contains the album’s title. The track exemplifies Black’s influence and Argos’ audacity perfectly. The rhythm guitar syncopates with the bass through the left channel while the lead guitar gallops through the right. All the while, captured within the track are the lyrics that are the root of the album and Argos’ struggle: “How can you sleep at night/when no one likes the music we like?/How am I supposed to sleep at night/when no one likes the music we write?” Like Kurt Cobain and others before him, Argos and his Lost Boys struggle with inherent contradictions of selling music that criticizes selling music.
The undying romantic in Argos will always be torn between the appeal of authentic pop music and the manufactured garbage of the mainstream, just as he’s torn between chasing romantic ideals of childhood infatuations, ala “Am I Normal?” versus the realities of adult relationships. For indie listeners, he embodies modern Beta Male desires, prolonging our childhood dreams of Pan’s fantasy and lending a keener whit to our less fond memories.
But at the end of the day, Argos battles on against popular music lambasting its proponents while attempting to put his brand of pop back on top: “Record buying public, we hate them/This is Art Brut vs. Satan.” Amen.
"Art Brut vs. Satan" is on sale April 21, 2009 from Downtown.
