Art Brut Watch

I've been remiss in announcing that Art Brut is once again on tour in the U.S. They've already ripped through the South, stopped in on the West Coast, and now they're working their way east, passing through Chicago at the Metro next Thursday. The tour also includes We Are Scientists, who've been receiving their own share of buzz over the past year.

Jim DeRogatis gives us yet another profile of Eddie Argos in today's Sun-Times (thanks to Chuck to the tip). Apparently there are new songs in the works, and the band is due to go into the studio for album number two in December. Argos and DeRogatis also talk up Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers, who seem to be on the receiving end of a sales spike due to Argos's championing of the band and Richman's solo work.

It's very surprising that it hasn't even been a year since I first saw the band and picked up the album. They've become very familiar--almost a part of my personal landscape--and it can't be only ten-and-a-half months since I was introduced to their live show. But boy, do they tour. By my count, this is the fourth time they've been to Chicago since last November. It almost seems like they're trying to make a career out of this or something.