In one of my modules last term, we had a lecture on something called 'Pretexts and Intertexts'; it was about texts which refer to, imitate, parody or reply to other texts. The full understanding of the text therefore relies to a certain extent upon knowledge of the original stimulus. Art Brut's frontman and all-round general dude, Eddie Argos, has teamed up with Dyan Valdes of the Blood Arm to create an album ('Fixing the Charts: Volume One') based entirely around these 'pretexts'; every song replies to an original song, for example 'Scarborough Affaire' continues the story of the famous folk song made famous by Simon and Garfunkel.
Each song, however, is great whether you have any idea of the pretexts or not. Some reviewers have even failed to notice the intertextual nature of the album, perhaps standing as more of a merit to the album's brilliance than an indictment. Argos's trademark chat is complemented by Valdes' plinky-plonky piano and angelic backing vocals, and the lyrics are as clever as one would expect from any Argos production.
Great stuff, so have a listen, and try and catch them on their tour next month.
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