Not Art

Not Art is the second studio album by Australian Indie pop duo Big Scary. It was released in Australia on 28 June 2013. The album debuted and peaked at number 32 on the ARIA Charts. In late 2013, the duo signed with Barsuk Records and the album was released in North America in March 2014.[8]

Not Art
Studio album by
Big Scary
Released28 June 2013 (2013-06-28)
Studio
  • Metung (East Gippsland)
  • The Landen Manor (Melbourne)
  • Mixed Business Studios (Melbourne)
GenrePop rock[1]
Length42:48[1]
Label
Producer
Big Scary chronology
Vacation
(2011)		 Not Art
(2013)		 Animal
(2016)
Singles from Not Art
  1. "Phil Collins"
    Released: February 2013[2][3]
  2. "Luck Now"
    Released: April 2013[4][3]
  3. "Twin Rivers"
    Released: 12 July 2013[5]
  4. "Invest"
    Released: February 2014[6][7]

At the J Awards of 2013, the album was nominated for Australian Album of the Year.[9] At the AIR Awards of 2013, the album was nominated for Best Independent Album. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2013, the album was nominated for Breakthrough Artist - Release and Best Independent Release.[10] At the Music Victoria Awards of 2013, the album was nominated for Best Album.[11][12] The album won the 2013 Australian Music Prize.[8]

Singles

The lead single "Phil Collins" was released in February 2013. Tester McFlyn from The Music Network said "This slow burning song defies the conventions of a lead single".[13] Tom Iansek said its selection of lead single was a ploy to misdirect saying "We released 'Phil Collins' first knowing that it wasn't a single at all. It's kind of moody, there's no real catchy chorus. I guess we just thought it was more of a mood-setter for the album. Bands tend to put the catchiest, poppiest out first as the single, then everyone is expecting a bright, catchy album to follow it. A lot of the time that isn't the case. We wanted to suggest that it would be a darker record and we definitely tried to keep people guessing a bit."[3]

"Luck Now" was released in April 2013. In an album review, FBI Radio called it the "standout" saying "[it's] a song that leads a delicate piano intro into a solid wall of synth, harmony, drum and string."[14]

"Twin Rivers" was released digitally on 12 July 2013 and included two remixes of the song. The music video was released in November 2013.[15]

"Invest" was released in February 2014 as the fourth and final single.[16][17]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

FBI Radio said "The duo have left behind the rock-heavy sounds of their debut, Vacation, to find a more emotive sound [and] as the album progresses, so does the band's experimentation". They concluded saying "This album asks a lot of questions, but doesn't provide many answers. It forces you to consider 'What is Art?' and 'What is Not Art?'. Reward yourself with a listen, and make up your own mind."[14]

Bernard Zuel from Sydney Morning Herald said the album "gets under your skin" saying "Even when everything is simple and calm, these songs seem to bulge with powerful doses of passion of all types."[18] Andrew P Street from The Guardian said Big Scary have "...created a sonically lush and diverse work that's already a shoo-in for being one of the best Australian albums of 2013, filled with guitars, keys, percussion, electronics and more."[19]

Tester McFlyn from The Music Network said "Big Scary are still in the process of discovering their sound and Not Art is indicative of that. While the record is more focused than their debut, the sonic influences are still wildly diverse; from Jeff Buckley to Bruce Springsteen to Kanye West, Not Art pays homage to an eclectic blend of artists and genres and that’s the best thing about it."[13] Matt Collar from All Music said the album "showcases the band's melodic, atmospheric and stylistically varied sound."[1]

Track listing
Not Art track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Hello, My Name Is"
3:12
2."Luck Now"
  • Iansek
  • Syme
3:56
3."Harmony Sometimes"
  • Iansek
  • Syme
2:31
4."Belgian Blues"
  • Iansek
  • Syme
4:31
5."Phil Collins"
  • Iansek
  • Syme
4:01
6."Twin Rivers"
  • Iansek
  • Syme
4:03
7."Invest"
  • Iansek
  • Syme
4:30
8."Lay Me Down"
  • Iansek
  • Syme
4:00
9."Why Hip Hop Sucks in '13"
  • Iansek
  • Syme
5:43
10."Long Worry"
  • Iansek
  • Syme
3:46
11."Final Thoughts with Tom and Jo"
  • Iansek
  • Syme
2:35

Charts
Chart performance for Not Art
Chart (2013) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[20] 32

Release history
Release history for Not Art
Country Date Format Label Catalogue
Australia 28 June 2013
  • Pieater
 PIE006
United States of America 25 March 2014[8]
  • Barsuk Records
 BARK138

References
  1. "Not Art CD". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  2. "Big Scary - Phil Collins (Not Art LP 2013)". YouTube. February 2013. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  3. "Big Scary 4". Beat Magazine. 2013. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  4. "Big Scary - Luck Now (Not Art LP 2013)". YouTube. April 2013. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  5. "Twin Rivers – Single by Big Scary on Apple Music". Apple Music. November 2013. Archived from the original on 5 October 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  6. "Big Scary - Invest *Official Video* (Not Art LP 2013)". YouTube. February 2014. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  7. "Big Scary Releases New Single". Mix Down Mag. February 2014. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  8. "Big Scary Win $30,000 Australian Music Prize". Tone Deaf. 5 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  9. "The J Award 2013". Triple J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2013. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  10. "ARIA Awards Search Results - Big Scary". ARIA Awards. Archived from the original on 4 July 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  11. "Previous Nominess". Music Victoria. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  12. "Previous Winners". Music Victoria. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  13. "Album Review: Big Scary Not Art". The Music Network. 2013. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  14. "AOTW Review:: Big Scary Not Art". FBI Radio. 1 July 2013. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  15. "Big Scary - Twin Rivers *Official Video* (Not Art LP 2013)". YouTube. November 2013. Archived from the original on 14 November 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  16. "Big Scary - Invest *Official Video* (Not Art LP 2013)". YouTube. February 2014. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  17. "Big Scary – Invest". poetryinanemptycokecan. February 2014. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  18. "Not Art review: Big Scary's second album gets under your skin". Sydney Morning Herald. 27 July 2013. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  19. "Big Scary: 'We're not thinking about whether it's artful or not' – interview". The Guardian. September 2013. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  20. "Australiancharts.com – Big Scary – Not Art". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
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