Art Brut is the latest band to be taken under the wing of T-Mobile’s advertising department with the above ad, which debuted during the Grammys last night and which is, I guess, supposed to serve as a testament to the band’s canniness as far as its ability to market itself. While I do think that your average non-blog-reader will be able to figure out that the Brit collective is a real band–and not just some ad exec’s caffeine-fueled “inspiration”–more easily than she was with Of Montreal’s T-Mobile spot from a few months back, part of me wonders why Art Brut’s reps didn’t fight to have the band’s name chyroned on the screen for maximum Google potential. You just know that Teyana Taylor would have her lawyers write a “my name must be on screen for at least four seconds” clause in her contract. [MySpace; warning, embedded remix of OneRepublic's "Apologize" inexplicably within*]
Art Brut is the latest band to be taken under the wing of T-Mobile’s advertising department with the above ad, which debuted during the Grammys last night and which is, I guess, supposed to serve as a testament to the band’s canniness as far as its ability to market itself. While I do think that your average non-blog-reader will be able to figure out that the Brit collective is a real band–and not just some ad exec’s caffeine-fueled “inspiration”–more easily than she was with *Side note to Art Brut: You may want to defriend that dude.
Once again, it isn’t selling out if you don’t have an agenda. That said, I like this band a lot. They also probably won’t respond with an Ayn Rand-esque screed if people start bitching.
I flipped when I saw this last night. No matter how big or how small Art Brut is, I think Edie Argos is a star, and this commercial used his personality in a really cool way. If only they were at the grammys, not just in the commercials during the grammys.
So goes it after your soph record tanks
is this to imply that art brut once had an ounce of credibility to begin with?
@harumph: A lot of their songs are piss takes on the whole messianic idea of a rock band. (”We’re gonna be the band that writes the song/ that makes Israel and Palestine get along.”)
This may be edie argos….or a young alfred molina….can’t tell….
@SuperUnison: nevertheless, i have always found their music to be pandering to hipster sensibilities and lacking originality.
They were way, way better than what I’d initially pigeonholed as a Fall knock off has any right to be the time I saw them. I think a lot of that had to do with Argos, who was a lot of fun to watch.
So yay for him getting money to be good some more?
They’ve never had the whole art/commerce conflict about them, so I don’t really care that much that they’ve decided to pay the rent with some cellphone money.
Comedy rock
@harumph: Only if pandering and satirizing mean the same thing now.
@AstronautDinosaurFiretruck: i’m still not buying it.
i thought we’d moved past this band what with their abysmal selling sophomore effort, no?
I guess T-mobile is a little late to the game
@brownham: I thought the second one was better, but then I didn’t see it big-upped in any year end stuff so maybe it’ll just end up slotted with “Southland Tales” as another curiosity I try to push on people.
Their sophomore album tanked? And they’re unoriginal too? I didn’t know. I feel stupid for liking them now.
I like Eddie and Art Brut a lot. I don’t care what their second album sold, there are a few songs there that I like a lot, like Direct Hit and Post Soothing Out. That’s all I need. They put on a great show here in Seattle, despite being in an alcohol-free dump like the HUB. Don’t care one way or another about this ad, and most people won’t get it anyway.
@JudgeFudge: Or a young Hitler without the ’stache. Good thing Eddie got into the arts.