Brilliant! Tragic!

Describing the writing and recording of the album, Argos said, "with the last album we met up every couple of months and wrote three or four songs. This time we got together in the second half of the year and wrote whenever we could 2 or 3 times a week. We had more time in the studio this time too (about a week more) so Black Francis had time to teach me how to sing. I'm very proud that I sing on it. Only took four albums to start singing, not bad." Argos was not the only Art Brut member singing for the first time on this album. Bassist Freddy Feedback also debuts her vocal skills, singing backing vocals for the first time. "Frank Black was saying how nice it would be if there was a female backing vocals", Argos says. "Freddy can be quite shy. She likes to be in the back, really. The plan is now to get her to do it live. I think she sounds quite lovely. When I heard her on the record, it was amazing. Maybe she should be the singer, I'll write the words. That's what we should probably do". ==Reception==

The band aired the new material at several shows before the album's release, including the 10th birthday party of Islington's Buffalo Bar. The new material was described as "more adventurous" and "more varied than on previous albums", and was generally "well received", despite the fact that the audience was "not familiar with any of the material." One critic went so far as to say that "'Brilliant! Tragic!' may very well be the best Art Brut album yet" while another says that the song boasts "some of the best swearing you'll ever hear!" NME awarded the album an average 6/10. Despite finding something "strangely self-conscious" about the album, the reviewer concluded by saying that she still loves them, despite their "eccentric faults". ==Song information==

, "a man you'd want in your corner" On the track "Axl Rose", Argos has said that "I think GnR are a great band. I think if you got into an argument with someone, you'd want Axl in your corner. He's a good guy to have on your side. You know, you don't want Rivers Cuomo defending you. Axl Rose is the guy who will stand up for you. It's funny, I was recording the song with Frank Black, and he's going, "you know, if there's one thing you can say about Axl, it's that he tells people to fuck off!" It was pretty amazing having a conversation with Black Francis about Axl Rose" It was written in response to the Axl's controversial Reading Festival performance the previous year. In their review of the album, Consequence of Sound noted that Axl Rose "is a fitting tribute to the Guns N' Roses vocalist; mindless lyrics about checking out his middle finger and beating the world to the punch. It's a little silly, a little dumb, and heavy on the riffage… which is to say, it's a lot like Axl Rose". ==Brilliant! Tragic! comic==

To accompany the album, Art Brut compiled a comic book version of Brilliant! Tragic! to be released simultaneously. The Brilliant! Tragic! comic book features artwork by a range of artists, including Akira The Don, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Hope Larson, Jamie McKelvie, Jeffrey Brown, Jeffrey Lewis, Let's Be Friends Again, Marc Ellerby, Mr Solo, Sian Superman and Patrick McQuade. Argos was "over the moon and incredibly flattered that these artists took time out to work" on the comic. A lifelong comic book enthusiast, whose three track EP featured songs inspired by DC Comics characters Batman, Booster Gold and Blue Beetle. He also writes an online comic book review for Playback called "Pow to the People". "I can remember the first comic I ever read" Argos said, "it was the Beano, the day I had my tonsils out. I was given it as a treat as I couldn't eat anything. It might have been the only time I've turned down Ice Cream, it blew my tiny 6-year-old mind. I loved comic books growing up but always had a fear they might be something I would have to give up as an adult. Then one day somebody, I still don't know who, put some Batman comics through our letter box. These blew my tiny 11-year-old mind. They were pretty full on, nothing at all like the Adam West goofing around show I had seen Saturday morning television. In these stories people were being murdered, they were political, and morally ambiguous. If my mum had known how different they were from the Saturday morning kids show she would have taken them off of me. I loved them though and realised then that they were something that would stay with me into adult life and have spent all my money on comics ever since". The strip ends with the Joker hurling his nemesis through a window, parodying the opening of Watchmen. and said, "I had total creative freedom to do whatever I wanted. I chose the album's final song "Sealand". It was a blast to do!" ==Track listing==

An additional track, "Unprofessional Wrestling" was recorded in the same sessions, and not included on the album, but leaked to the internet in advance of the album's release. ==Credits==

• Eddie Argos - vocals • Ian Catskilkin - Guitar • Jasper Future - Guitar • Freddy Feedback - Bass guitar • Mike Breyer - drums ==References==