Rating: NNN
Russian Futurist Matthew Hart kicks off his fourth album with Hoeing Weeds -Sowing Seeds, an insistently catchy dance-floor hit that makes a beeline for the mainstream. It’s a strong start, and he reaches equally high points throughout the record. However, it’s not devoid of misfires, like the slow-jam duet One Night, One Kiss. It’s performed too ear-nest-ly to be a parody of those odes to picking up at the club that are more popular as ringtones than as records. And the lyrics are so cliched, it’s hard to believe they’re by the same person who’s been making great records for a decade.
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Things pick up in the second half, when the lyrics become more surprising and the beats less radio- friendly. Despite some perplexing moments, there’s a lot to like.
Top track: Hoeing Weeds Sowing Seeds
The Russian Futurists rock Wrongbar December 2.
