Brief, exhilarating songs about love… of course; Pop is founded upon such foundations, but in Matthew Adam Hart’s gifted hands our wonder and gleeful idiocy is laid out in rare, brilliant detail. Critics and the public alike have recognized in Hart one of the most impressive compositional minds to emerge in years. He is a talent simultaneously modest but mighty, plainspoken but rigorously intelligent, creating miniature electronic epics that sound as if they were spun from gold.
The Weight’s On The Wheels is a mighty accomplishment long-coming for Matthew Hart: The Russian Futurists have left the “bedroom-pop sound” genre they helped define and made an ambitious studio-produced monster pop record loaded with low end, depth, volume, and Hart’s heart-breaking voice atop the mountain of sounds. Produced by Hart with the aid of Michael Musmanno (Outkast, Lilys, Arrested Development), the fourth studio album exposes a polished pop finish that Russian Futurists fans have been begging for. The Weight’s On The Wheels will cast a wider net on fans to be captured by the Futurists pop regalia. Tracks like “Horseshoe Fortune” and “Register My Firearms? No Way!” reveal Hart’s trademark ability to turn a phrase with heart-wrenching lyrics that evoke cinematic imagery, and “One Night, One Kiss”, a sugary duet with Heavy Blinkers crooner Ruth Minnikin now peels away the reverb and synths that used to envelop him, revealing a soulful Hart across crystal clear soundscapes. The bad-ass slammer “100 Shopping Days ‘Til Christmas” both begs an advertising bidding war with it’s chorus “100 Shopping Days ‘Til Christmas and you’re the one thing on my wish list” and shows off Hart’s love for hip hop with the skill and complexity of his lyrical flow. “Hoeing Weeds Sowing Seeds”, mixed by Grammy Award Winner Michael Brauer (Coldplay, John Mayer, The Bravery) and the lead single, is a celebration explosion, a thumping and glorious beat with classic Matthew Hart triumphant vocals rising atop the electronic paradise. The album, ten tracks in total, is front to end the best songs we’ve yet heard by Matthew Adam Hart and a new exciting day has dawned for one of the greatest song writers Canada has produced.
The Russian Futurists have three internationally acclaimed releases under their belt, and in 2007 Me, Myself and Rye was released; the amalgam of The Futurists’ hottest songs assembled from their three previous albums, digitally re-mastered. The Russian Futurists international profile saw them become UK-label mates with The Go! Team and The Pipettes, spawn a whirlwind experience that put them on a UK tour with Peter, Bjorn & John, North American dates with long time friends Caribou and Junior Boys and playing to 10000 fans at the Mada Festival in Brazil, while receiving acclaim and praise from the likes of NME, Clash, Spin, Time Out London, BBC, and X-FM. All the while producer-songwriter singer Matt Hart was remixing the likes of Stars, Sloan, Sally Shapiro, Dykehouse, Shout Out Louds, and Cadence Weapon.
Born and bred in the cold and lonely Ontario, border-town of Cornwall, and raised on hockey [“loving the Leafs is like being in love with a terrible woman”] Matt found comfort in the simplicity of AM Radio. “There are songs that were produced to sound like they belonged there. I used to sit up at night and drink a bottle of red wine and listen to AM to get inspired. My roommates used to think I was kind of a weirdo when they would walk into my room at 2 am and find me drunk listening to ‘Buttons & Bows’. I would like to end up on AM when I’m old and grey.”
Surprisingly, Hart’s roots as a producer and arranger lie not in Pop. “I was a compulsive Hip Hop producer from age 13 to 19,” he admits, “and would finish a completed Hip Hop track, from start to finish, every day after school” This interest is still evident in the Russian Futurists’ electronic rhythms, but a passion for the Pop music of his childhood (Abbey Road was a prominent obsession) is the heart of The Russian Futurists. “When I eventually began to try to make music other than beats it wasn’t my intention to make Pop. It just came out. I felt I was being stifled by Hip Hop and wanted to experiment with melody.”
Hart constructs his songs under the ongoing influence of Phil Spector, Brian Wilson “He showed me that Pop was able to be listenable and experimental at the same time.” Honesty shines through in all of The Russian Futurists’ songs – all the more remarkable for them having been conceived in Matthew Hart’s bedroom. Hart cheekily describes his sound as a result of “trying to make all of my songs huge, ambitious productions on very limiting and awful equipment.”
C'Mon
The Russian Futurists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That keeps me up nights sad and boozin'
Just called to tell you I kind of like it, I know it sounds sadistic
But when it's gone Oh how I miss it
I've grown accustomed to the feeling; I know I've hit the bottom,
Time skips like stones on ponds in Autumn
But at a tavern, Late one Sunday I had a premonition;
But if you stare up into the sky
There's people like you and I
Dancin' on the moon at night
And the black sky's pierced by a burst of white
Stare up into the sky
There's people like you and I
Dancin' on the moon, just check
And the sky's turned into a discotheque
I've been wondering for a while now what sort of force you're usin'
That keeps me drinkin', thinkin', losin'
Is it on purpose? A conscious effort? Cause if so you're a sadist
And you fill my books with angry pages
It's getting colder with Christmas coming, I don't know why you're opposin'
The winter's just the summer frozen
And on your rooftop late at night time the moon's as white as birchbark,
It's like the universe's freakish birthmark
And on your rooftop late at night time we watch them oh so joyous
And count hours until the sun destroys us
And on your rooftop late at night time we watch them oh so joyous
And count hours until the sun destroys us
The Russian Futurists’ song "C'mon In" is a melancholic love song with a touch of bitterness about the singer’s unrequited love. The lyrics express a desire to dwell on the pain of the relationship, the masochistic pleasure obtained from experiencing its depth and intensity. The lines "I’ve been wondering for a while now what sort of force you’re usin'/That keeps me up nights sad and boozin'" express this desire to remain in this emotionally charged state despite the pain it causes. The singer realizes that life without this force will be incomplete and unfulfilling. The lyrics "Forgettin' you was my life's mission" demonstrate the singer's inability to let go, signifying the level of attachment, as well as the powerlessness in trying to forget.
The second verse of the song moves away from the singer's own emotions and reflects more about the larger human experience: "But if you stare up into the sky/There's people like you and I." This line signifies the universality of pain and hurt in relationships. The line "Dancin' on the moon at night/And the black sky's pierced by a burst of white" points to the possibility of moments of joy and happiness despite the underlying pain. The repeated lines of the chorus call for a shared human experience - "Stare up into the sky/There's people like you and I/Dancin' on the moon, just check/And the sky's turned into a discotheque."
This song is a reflection of the often-self-destructive nature of love and relationships, specifically those that are unrequited. The lyrics are poignant and express the pain and pleasure of love that is often confused with hate. The song shows a universal longing for meaningful human connections and the desire for an emotional depth that can be achieved only through these relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been wondering for a while now what sort of force you're usin'
I am curious about the power you possess that makes me feel sad and depressed, keeping me awake at night.
That keeps me up nights sad and boozin'
Your force causes me to drink and be depressed during the night.
Just called to tell you I kind of like it, I know it sounds sadistic
I have to admit that I enjoy the feeling of sadness and depression that your force brings, though it may seem strange to others.
But when it's gone Oh how I miss it
When the sad feeling is over, I miss it greatly, indicating my deep reliance on it.
I've grown accustomed to the feeling; I know I've hit the bottom,
I am used to feeling sad and depressed, and it seems that I cannot get any lower.
Time skips like stones on ponds in Autumn
Time passes quickly and unpredictably, like skipping stones on a pond in the fall season.
But at a tavern, Late one Sunday I had a premonition;
One Sunday evening while I was at a bar, I had a feeling about something that may happen in the future.
Forgettin' you was my life's mission
My goal in life was to forget about you completely.
But if you stare up into the sky
If you look up at the sky,
There's people like you and I
You and I are not alone in the world, and there are others who feel the way we do.
Dancin' on the moon at night
Imagining dancing on the moon during the night.
And the black sky's pierced by a burst of white
There is a sudden explosion of light in the dark sky.
Stare up into the sky
Look up at the sky,
There's people like you and I
We are not alone in our emotions and there are many people who share our feelings.
Dancin' on the moon, just check
Let's imagine ourselves dancing on the moon for a moment.
And the sky's turned into a discotheque
The sky is transformed into a vibrant and lively discotheque with flashing lights and loud music.
That keeps me drinkin', thinkin', losin'
Your force causes me to drink, think excessively, and always lose.
Is it on purpose? A conscious effort? Cause if so you're a sadist
I wonder if you intentionally cause me to feel sad and depressed, and if so, it would mean that you enjoy my suffering.
And you fill my books with angry pages
Your influence fills my writing with pages full of anger and frustration.
It's getting colder with Christmas coming, I don't know why you're opposin'
As Christmas approaches, the weather is getting colder, but for some reason, you seem to oppose this change.
The winter's just the summer frozen
Winter is simply the colder version of summer.
And on your rooftop late at night time the moon's as white as birchbark
While standing on your rooftop late at night, the moon appears white like the bark of a birch tree.
It's like the universe's freakish birthmark
The moon's unusual appearance in the night sky is like a bizarre birthmark on the universe.
And on your rooftop late at night time we watch them oh so joyous
We enjoy watching the stars while standing on your rooftop late at night.
And count hours until the sun destroys us
We contemplate the number of hours we have left until the sun rises and shatters our peaceful moment.
Contributed by Alexander W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.