Another Weekend with Art Brut

Weekends have been a constant source of inspiration for the enigmatic every-man Eddie Argos, the lead singer of Art Brut; the indie-rock foursome’s debut album Bang Bang Rock & Roll included the much revered  ‘Bad Weekend’ and ‘Good Weekend’ – two disparate tracks recounting events from wild and love-filled days off work. Now on their fourth album the band return to that highly favoured theme with their comback single ‘Lost Weekend’.

This hotly anticipated track, the second taster from the indie veterans’ new EP Brilliant… Tragic!, in many ways reflects the album’s title. The song is undoubtebly brilliant -the humourous and coyly tongue-in-cheek lyrics ‘I didn’t want this weekend to be over, standing at the cashpoint trying to look sober’ are classic Eddie Argos and the tip of the cap to Frank Sinatra with ‘sorry if I embarassed you, by saying something stupid like I love you’ are like sinking into a familiar arm chair for Art Brut fans, furthered by the trademarked mess of catchy riffs and bopping bass riffs.

But equally, the singing techniques Argos employs in ‘Lost Weekend’ are slightly tragic; followers of the iconic singer will be aware that his usual style of singing is basically a quirky near-spoken-word delivery, which is sadly absent on ‘Lost Weekend’. It would seem Eddie Argos has had singing lessons in an attempt to shed his reputation as the comedy option of indie front men. When he croons ‘it was a lost weekend’ in a soft patter that sounds suspiciously auto-tuned the heart of the listener drops. Where’s the chatty originality of Argos’ patented spoken word delivery? Lost with his weekend it would seem.