The Russian Futurists - The Weight's On The Wheels
- Written by Andrew Seaton
Just when you thought Matthew Adam Hart had thrown in the towel – just what has he been doing for five years? – The Russian Futurists come from nowhere with The Weight’s on the Wheels; the fourth studio album and one which returns to familiar territory. In common with Hart’s past output, this album is pop-electronica drenched and rattles out twee synth melodies at speed. Like 2005’s Me, Myself & Rye, the record is also done and dusted in a little over thirty minutes. This is a good thing. Hart’s lo-fi electronica template, though admittedly effective, is at risk of getting a bit tiresome if stretched to a longer album. Russian Futurists records have never been the kind where you would want to listen to two in a row. The Weight’s on the Wheels is no exception to this, it is enjoyable for the thirty-seven minutes it lasts but does stray close to repeating itself on occasion.
This is more of a comment regarding Hart’s approach however, and not so much one concerning The Weight’s on the Wheels. The most noticeable change that seems to have occurred in the last five years is that Hart’s voice is a lot more prominent in his songs. Hart no longer walks alongside his twee synth loops but now leads them. This is a welcome addition from a talented lyricist who is influenced by Stephin Merritt. The opener ‘Hoeing Weeds Sowing Seeds’ is about farming. Strange, but Hart, like Merritt, is a lyricist who has the ability to make the use of a plough interesting.
The Weight’s on the Wheels cherry-picks its sounds from a number of genres, and this works well within the electronica framework that we have already identified. ‘Golden Years’ borrows from R&B as it slows down to a cadenced drumbeat. In places this particular approach falls on its face however. ‘100 Shopping Days Until Christmas’ is the low-point of the album. The track starts with Beastie Boys style drums and bass line but goes on to feature pseudo-hip-hop backing vocals that are cringe-worthy. Think cheese not a million miles away from 90s outfits like East 17. That said, generally speaking Hart is able to borrow from enough styles to keep you interested throughout.
The highlight of the album is the brilliant track ‘One Night, One Kiss’ which features a duet with Heavy Blinkers vocalist Ruth Minnikin. It has a great piano sample that plays throughout and the clapping in the background builds up to a fun chorus. Hart and Minnikin sing at each other throughout as a pair of star-crossed lovers on a dance floor; Hart sings, ‘In the club the music’s always blaring’ and Minnkin replies, ‘I looked around and boy I caught you staring’. This is not Belle and Sebastian twee romance though. ‘One Night, One Kiss’ has a refreshing frankness about sex that is rarely found coming from bands you would normally associate The Russian Futurists with. The chorus ‘Baby let’s be lovers/Spend the rest of the night under the covers’ attests to that.
The Weight’s on the Wheels is an enjoyable and decent effort from an artist coming back from a five-year hiatus. While the constituent parts of the record can come close to becoming indistinguishable and there are some hit and miss moments the Russian Futurists’ latest has enough pop synth hooks and catchy lyrics to overshadow these flaws.