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May 26, 2011The lyrics are undoubtedly tragic, but they are what give Brilliant! Tragic! its brilliance.
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UncutMay 23, 2011Art Brut's fourth album marries attractively sloppy garage-rock riffing to boozy bad-sex confessionals and bittersweet self-examination. [Jun 2011, p.77]
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MojoMay 16, 2011Brilliant! Tragic! soars on the crumbling wings of an Adverts-brand art-punk and Argos's much-improved bellow. [Jun 2011, p.96]
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Alternative PressMay 16, 2011On Brilliant! Tragic!, Argos has channeled his inner Johnny Rotten, seemingly vacillating between contempt and boredom. Fortunately, the band play with a similar sense of toughened rawness. [Jun 2011, p.106]
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Dec 19, 2011Brilliant! Tragic! is a little uneven in its mix of new and familiar ideas, but for a band as clearly defined -- and sometimes confined -- by its approach as Art Brut is, to start changing the formula is a big step forward.
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May 24, 2011While the album is again principally focused on Eddie Argos, it's not exactly the same Argos. He has his quieter moments, his darker moments, even a rare, purely happy one. It's not a huge difference, not one that makes this seem like it's somebody else's album, but it's a difference nonetheless.
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May 24, 2011Accept the band for what they are: ironic sort-of-punkers-but-mostly-jokesters who like to pun Axl Rose and play Pixies-infused squelch-rock-which is exactly what they do on their new album, Brilliant! Tragic!
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May 23, 2011Nobody is suggesting that Brilliant! Tragic! isn't a flawed album, but it is also one which delivers some of the richest, fullest thrills of Art Brut's career.
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May 16, 2011The results vary: "Lost Weekend" is some kind of romantic peak, while the Lennon-esque "I Am the Psychic" is not.
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May 24, 2011That said, the serviceably catchy yet unobtrusive indie-rock instrumentation on Brilliant! Tragic! is some of the finest the group has offered, starting with the first couple of songs, which explore charted territory.
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May 24, 2011With some great tracks, and some tracks that are only just okay, Brilliant! Tragic! is definitely worth listening to at least once or twice this summer.
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May 27, 2011Argos' delivery on Brilliant! Tragic! is a necessary and not unwelcome change, a way to keep the songs compelling and unpredictable.
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Under The RadarMay 27, 2011Argos' smarm-charm remains solid, and the band behind the man can still walk the walk. {May 2011, p. 76]
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May 23, 2011On Art Brut's fourth – and sturdiest – album to date, he delivers his wry recaps between sudden thrusts of guitar and rigid, right-angle percussion.
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May 23, 2011On 'Brilliant! Tragic!' all the usual themes crop up – loving Axl Rose, feeling sexy, the Republic of Sealand – but there's something strangely self-conscious about it all, like the way that Argos is trying to drum up, Big Brother-style, ever-stranger ideas, but without quite believing in them.
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May 20, 2011With fewer memorable songs than superior efforts like Art Brut vs. Satan or Bang Bang Rock & Roll!, Brilliant! Tragic! is neither as good nor as bad as its title suggests. In the interest of accurate advertising, I propose that the band renames the album Decent! Enough!
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May 18, 2011Since the lyrical content now borders on morose and even sadistic, the music also follows the leader with a muck of baseless solos and thrilling codas to compensate for the otherwise linear compositions.
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May 23, 2011At least he hasn't lost his wry sense of humor. But about this newfound singing business: Argos has discovered a voice that sounds a bit like Jarvis Cocker's, only if he'd lost it after a long night out drinking-- a little hoarse, whispering low so as not to upset the hangover.
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May 27, 2011Oddly, he's got a ton of talent, a great band, an excellent producer, and lots of committed fans, but he still comes across as needy and overbearing.
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May 25, 2011Argos's unrepentant superstar imitations aside, Brilliant! Tragic! holds some well-written standouts.
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May 23, 2011The jokes are reasonably funny and the riffs rock reasonably hard. But Argos never convinces you that his unlikely persistence is paying off.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 5 out of 6
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Mixed: 0 out of 6
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Negative: 1 out of 6
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May 24, 2011
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May 24, 2011