Russian Futurists - The Method of Modern Love
(Upper Class)
Viva la wave nouvelle! Viva les champs magnetiques!
Breaking out in the new millennium like some crusty old Eurotrash
from the early 1980s, The Russian Futurists take the early work
of The Magnetic Fields and massively increase the Wave factor.
Solo artist Matthew Hart makes catchy, melodic pop songs on his
keyboard that have a slight Renaissance Fair-type flair that fits
with his obsessive, detail-rich demeanor. As the title of his
debut album, The Method of Modern Love, implies, Hart takes another cue
from Stephin Merritt and sings about love and only love on this
album. Unlike his idol, though, Hart's voice is not strong and unique;
in fact it is so weak that Hart has to electronically alter it
in order to make it fit in the songs. However, these alternations
work quite well, as it gives the songs a hazy sheen, as if Hart's
voice was coming to you in a dream.
Lyrically, Hart paints a very rich, vibrant picture. Reading
the lyric sheet is like reading a set of short stories, but
everything still fits rhythmically, and the songs still work,
with certain phrases (sentences) turning themselves into choruses. The
problem is this language he uses is so detailed, with many words
piled on for no reason other than to pile on many words, that
many times the meaning is lost. It's just like building a house:
the more wood you use, the more corners that stick out, and the
more space you cover, the harder it is for someone
to figure out where the front door is. On The Method of
Modern Love, Hart has used a Sherwood Forest full of lumber,
and many times, I'm lost as to where to come in. And when I can
figure it out, the meanings of the songs are simple and plain,
the opposite of the lyrics' convoluted construction. Songs are
either about how true love is make believe ("The Hall of Fame of
Things I Despise") or a summer love that is perfect if only for
an instance ("Your Big Brown Eyes and My Big Broke Heart"), and I
feel silly for investing so much time trying to figure out what
the hell Hart is singing about.
Still, you cannot fault the effort. Interesting language is
interesting even when it doesn't seem to have much meaning behind
it. The songs of The Method of Modern Love are have solid
hooks and are ornately constructed. I've been able to make
it this far in my life without having to be subjected to any
copycat artists following in the footsteps of The Magnetic Fields,
which, if anything, has only increased my appreciation of Merritt
and his many projects. The Russian Futurists is pretty good though.
Maybe there is room in my life for a couple artists following
behind the work of The Magnetic Fields.
|
