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Brilliant! Tragic!
by
Brilliant! Tragic! Image
Metascore
67

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 6 Ratings

  • Summary: With the help of producer Frank Black, lead singer Eddie Argos tries out his new singing techniques on the band's fourth release.
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 21
  3. Negative: 2 out of 21
  1. CMJ
    May 26, 2011
    80
    The lyrics are undoubtedly tragic, but they are what give Brilliant! Tragic! its brilliance.
  2. Mojo
    May 16, 2011
    80
    Brilliant! 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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  3. AllMusic
    Dec 19, 2011
    70
    Brilliant! 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.
  4. Beats Per Minute
    May 24, 2011
    64
    With 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.
  5. Under The Radar
    May 27, 2011
    60
    Argos' smarm-charm remains solid, and the band behind the man can still walk the walk. {May 2011, p. 76]
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  6. New Musical Express (NME)
    May 23, 2011
    60
    On '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.
  7. Los Angeles Times
    May 23, 2011
    37
    The jokes are reasonably funny and the riffs rock reasonably hard. But Argos never convinces you that his unlikely persistence is paying off.

See all 21 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. colbag
    May 24, 2011
    10
    Art Brut's 4th album seems to have divided critics; there are those who don't seem to like the fact that Argos has changed his delivery style,Art Brut's 4th album seems to have divided critics; there are those who don't seem to like the fact that Argos has changed his delivery style, and seem to think that Eddie should have carried on with the 'spoken word' delivery. Then, there are those who praise the new 'singing' Eddie and see his different vocal style as a positive change. For the life of me, I can't figure out why people aren't more positive about it; it adds variety to the album and it means that the band are still challenging themselves, adapting and evolving with each album. The people who have criticised the new sound seem to want Art Brut to to continue in the same vein as their previous three albums; they don't want them to move on or change their style. The thing is, even with his new found singing voice, this album is unmistakably Art Brut; spiky riffs, wry, observational lyrics and rough, raw production.… Collapse
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    May 24, 2011
    10
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