Customer Reviews

Our Thickness

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

i agree with animal grrrrr on most points even though i can't really put my finger onto what actually makes this album so unsatisfying. me and the 2 friends of mine who appreciate this sort of music agree that "methods" is an absolute classic and that "crumble" is a fine but not really great follow-up (by the way, the songs on "crumble" are far too short, the whole album is less than 30 minutes).

my friends haven't heard "our thickness" yet but i've had it for a while now and i'm trying to figure out what matt has lost. is it really only that he's a happier person now? i don't know, even though to my taste a melancholy undertone is absolutely essential for good pop music (something i also miss on most of the recent new order songs, as opposed to their 80s albums).

maybe for "methods", matt simply had more time to let the ideas for the songs evolve. they feel fuller and more thought-out whereas on "our thickness", i feel he often just took a particular idea or sound and stretched it into a song. on a couple of pieces on "our thickness", the results aren't only not that good but really quite annoying. or maybe i'm just missing a little variation in the songs, not necessarily verse-chorus-verse, just something that makes them more interesting.

in the end, i guess it's just a matter of taste, but i think it's no coincidence that uncut magazine - which is usually quite loyal to its favorites - didn't mention this album at all whereas "methods" got a big rave review and "crumble" a small ok-ish one.

As a fan of both confessional indie singer songwriters and lo-fi electronica, I loved The Russian Futurists' debut album, "The Method Of Modern Love". The former was a dark, synth-driven, and somewhat angst-ridden collection of songs about the breakup of a relationship. What saved it from being self-indulgent mopey dross was the inclusion of at least half a dozen indelibly beautiful melodies.

Unfortunately, the follow-up "Let's Get Ready To Crumble" had fewer of those and "Our Thickness" has fewer still. It sounds like sole Russian Futurist Matthew Adam Hart is now undergoing a relatively stable emotional period in his life, and however cliched or selfish it may sound, I can't help feeling that his music has suffered slightly because of this. It's not that "Our Thickness" is a bad album - "Paul Simon", "Why You Gotta Do That Thing" and "Incandescent Hearts" are all catchy songs which I'd happily hum on the tube on my way to work. It's just that, compared to "The Method Of Modern Love" and, to a lesser extent, "Let's Get Ready To Crumble", it just sounds, well, chirpy and a tad too lightweight.

If you are one of those people that tends to like obscure music that would make other people wrinkle their nose and frown, then Our Thickness by The Russian Futurists is up your alley.
It is doubtful that Matthew Adam Hart, the singer and sole member of the band was actually inspired by authentic Russian music when creating this album. Rather, it appears that upbeat, experimental beats fused with unconceivable lyrics is indeed the `future' for Hart.
The record is filled with inconsistencies. "Why You Gotta Do That Thing" sounds more like it would be the background beat for a hip hop song than a pop song. Skip ahead to "These Seven Notes" and you'd swear you were watching a children's television program or at the circus with the creepily unison female background singers. All the awhile Hart's soft spoken, and barely noticeable voice carries on amidst the guitar in songs like "Hurtin' 4 Certain."
Our Thickness is one of those type of albums that will only catch on with a few people. I predict an underground following for Hart and his futuristic vision.
Bottom line: If you like music that your friends would normally label as "too weird" snatch up Our Thickness. In a couple of months, they'll come back to you asking you the name of "that cool Russian band" once it hits underground status.

While I still really enjoyed this album, i rated it 3 out of 5 just because my expectations were so high after purchasing Let's Get Ready to Crumble. The sound is very similar, yet the creative energy just doesn't seem to match the efforts on Lets get ready to Crumble. Overall, a solid album if you enjoy the sound of Matthew Hart. 1st track is fantastic.

The album caught my eye because of the tattoo cover (which I love!)-- and so I bought it even though I'm not really familiar with the band. Playing the album, I was really surprised at how tight they are, kind of a raggedy pop sound, each track a little different in instrumentation, rhythm, mood.... Definitely interested in digging into this band a bit further.

This is the catchiest, most memorable set of tunes yet from Matthew Adam Hart, but I do wish he'd stop burying his vocals so deep in the mix. That's the only complaint I have here -- and with previous Russian Futurists releases as well.