Singles

Art Brut - Modern Art

Bill Cummings 13/12/2004

What comes to mind when you think about “Modern Art” eh? The Tate: a bunch of southern poofs salivating over the latest piece of rubbish to emerge from Damien Hirst's Arse. Satchi's blatant attempts to buy up every piece of modern art in Britain only for it to be blown away in a fire? Do we feel for him ? nah! Tracy Enim's unmade bed:the biggest load of self involved nonsense Iv ever seen and it probably smelt too, oh and Deller's recent anti Bush turner prize win. Critics of Modern Art believe it's nothing more than the emperors new clothing, shallow vacuous cultural artefacts slapped together and named art.

On the other hand it could be the new single from angular punk rockers Art Brut, who are currently at the vanguard of the new cross scene. Some dismissed them as novelties when they released “Formed a band” that seemed to some to be a half arsed bunch of ramblings set to garage rock. I however think they are brilliant, Eddie Argos is part Ian Dury, part Mark E Smith his ironic stream of consciousness vocal style veers all over the organised chaos of his band who manage to sound like everyone from The B52's to the Ramones in the space of three minutes. A song about “rocking out” in the Tate is tantamount to a middle finger up to the art establishment (the cover art is pretty much the same).

B side My Little Brother is even better an insistently art punk ditty about a siblings attempts to rebel, and find rock n roll: its rather like Eddie Argo's warning against “coke use” something that even Mr Doherty number one in the NME cool list could do with listening to.

Last up is “These animal Menswe@r” a rioutous rocking beaut of a song that manages to name check two bands in its title alone. Art Brut are clearly on the up, forget the rest Art Brut are the best bit of modern art sound you will hear this week!