Comments on: Art Brut & Surfer Blood @ Triple Rock Social Club

By: Ali G

Ali G — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:33:27 +0000

ART BRUT TOP OF THE POPS!!!!!!!

By: JoshCB

JoshCB — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:51:21 +0000

It does add to the enjoyment, no doubt, but even if they sang about streets in other cities, I would still like them way more than Art Brut and consider them functinoing on a whole different level. A lot of my favorite songs by Holdy Steady/Lifter Puller barley mention MPLS at all (songs like “Southtown Girls” overdue it and are my least fav Hold Steady tracks).

Are you saying you would like Hold Steady less if they were, in fact, a New York band that sang about NYC?

Back to the question Chris posed: I guess maybe my man crush on the Hold Steady gives me blinders that make me hear them differently, but I put Craig Finn’s singing/lyrics in a whole different ballpark than Eddie Argos. I have never put particular emphasis on whether a singer has a â€œgood,â€ which in an era of Pro Tools easy to create, and look more at lyrics and delivery. I think that comparing Argos and Finn is apples and oranges. The Holy Steady to me are one of the best bands of this decade. Art Brut are funny and can be entertaining, but I think will ultimately be forgotten.

By: Erik T.

Erik T. — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:15:29 +0000

So you think if Craig were talking about streets or locations in a town you’ve never been in before as opposed to places where you’ve actually hung out, you’d still identify with them as strongly? I just feel the songs hit home a bit more for me since they are about the Twin Cities.

I didn’t claim that the reason you like the Hold Steady is because they talk about Minneapolis, I just suggested it adds to our enjoyment of the band. At least it does for me.

And yeah, in an era where 99% of lead singers actually sing (most of them not very well), comparing Eddie and Craig (and their bands) because of their quirky conversational delivery doesn’t really seem all that far fetched.

By: Chris DeLine

Chris DeLine — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:06:39 +0000

You leave Mike Skinner out of this, mister.

By: JoshCB

JoshCB — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:44:02 +0000

I can say for sure that I don’t like Hold Steady because they talk about Minneapolis (it is an added bonus, but they could be talking about Atlanta for all I care). I find it laughable that the fact that the have conversations styles of singing would be the way to compare the two bands (would you lump the Streets in there too?). Eddie doesn’t talk about a lot of localized stuff (the latest album has a song called â€œThe Replacementsâ€ and the first album talked about Morrissey and forming a band) and has always seemed to me to be much more cheeky and trying to be ironic than Craig Finn. Others may disagree, but I always have found Craig Finn funny in a way that doesn’t seem as forced or so self referential as Argos. In the same way that the Mountain Goats will make you laugh or bring a smile to your face with a witty phrase, the Hold Steady seem to write songs that are clearly written with lots of thought and attention. The kind of songs that would stand up if someone played them on an acoustic guitar. “Formed a Band” or the new DC Comics song the Current canâ€™t stop playing? Funny, but not something that is going to stand the test of time in my opinion.

I don’t doubt that some people enjoyed the set. It was definitely “entertaining” to a certain extent and fans of the band probably would say that it was fantastic to see them in a smaller venue. It was fun, but so were Electric Six at one point, you know? They are a good band, but their act has grown old for me and once the funniness has worn off, I think the band comes across as pretty thin and one dimensional.

By: Erik T.

Erik T. — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:43:46 +0000

Well, there must be some similarities between the two bands (and a mutual respect) since Art Brut opened for Hold Steady at the State Theater a few years back. Both their lead ‘singers’ technically can’t sing, and there are a lot of cultural references/locales/funny bits that are layered throughout both band’s lyrics that their audiences attach to-so I think Chris is right, in a way, if more of Art Brut’s references were directed at you, you perhaps might identify with them a bit more-Like knowing where Penetration Park and City Center are only adds to our enjoyment of “Your Little Hoodrat Friend.”

I too liked Art Brut’s first record, and have faded on them since, but I’ve heard from many people that their set was fantastic and a lot of fun.

By: JoshCB

JoshCB — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:33:38 +0000

To me, comparing Art Brut and Hold Steady is like saying Radiohead and Coldplay do the same thing.

In my opinion, the worst song Hold Steady ever wrote is better than the best song Art Brut has ever written, and that is coming from someone who did like Art Brut at one point.

By: Chris DeLine

Chris DeLine — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:01:12 +0000

I guess I’ve never completely gotten into Art Brut. First album was trillish, but I lost interest after that.

Did think of this though when I was reading the review: do you think that if you were from England, that you might be more inclined to get behind these guys & their shtick as you’ve done with the Hold Steady and theirs?

Or is it apples and oranges? I look at ‘em both as drunk-rock, and haven’t given either much attention. Consider me clueless on this one.