Art Brut - 'Alcoholics Unanimous'
ChartBlog Community College, Easter Term
REPORT
Student(s): Art Brut
Subject: Awkward Third Album Studies/Nutrition
And so as another term here at ChartBlog Community College comes to an end, it is a time to reflect on students' performances and to consider their potential for improvement. It is time, once might say, to review.
Art Brut are proving to be an exceptionally bright collection of students, consistently performing well in classes and turning in some fantastic written work, especially in the case of Mr Argos whose . I would be utterly delighted for the students to continue their progress through the college; with young(ish) people as bright as these the future seems secure, despite the recession.
I must note, however, that certain members of the group (namely, all of them) seem not to be making the progress that one might have hoped for since their first album with us here. The charmingly shambolic potential shown on early hits such as 'Emily Kane' was something we hoped to be able to foster at the college into something that lived up to their theoretical performance:
( - 'Emily Kane' via MySpace)
It is an awkward thing to have to say, as a performing arts specialist college, that it is possible our students have been focusing too much on being completely brilliant pop stars and delivering amazing live shows and possibly not enough on the business of making music. There is an extent to which, as a teacher, you have to wonder if they are perhaps not still treating their musical releases as a novelty vehicle for the (quite wonderful) stage show they can perform.
This seemed charming and appeared to show huge promise, back when the students admitted to not being able to play any instruments and only doing as a sort of conceptual art piece but now that they've been plugging away at things for about five years, some improvement or at least refinement is to be expected, if their performance is not to become stale or disenchanting.
I have included their recently submitted work 'Alcoholics Unanimous' to illustrate the problem.
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As a teacher, one doesn't want to discourage the pupils, especially not ones as likeable as these, but you do begin to wonder whether Argos & Co have paid any attention whatsoever for the last half-decade. Certainly, it is a fun and slightly touching piece but it's all very well being charismatically rubbish on your first album but by your third the college can reasonably expect the students to have produced something less reminiscent of by Alexei Sayle.
The college does applaud the continued dedication shown by the lyrically simple but dextrous Mr Argos' to shouting, but questions whether, in a song about binge-drinking, he really has to be that loud this early in the morning, and has to conclude that Art Brut, although a generally good thing are not ready to be a good thing on record yet.
The college hopes they will present themselves on time and with a little more discipline next term.
Download: Out now
CD Released: April 6th
´óÏó´«Ã½ Music page
(Hazel Robinson)
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