Russian Futurists

Matthew Hart is the man with the plan and the boy with the toys behind the Russian Futurists, an enthusiastic '80s synth pop project in the spirit of XTC. Atop a Spector-ish wall of keyboards stacked one upon the other, Hart chronicles the losses and laments of love on this excellent debut. Hart demonstrates a remarkable melodic sense that puts him on the same team as Matthew Sweet and Stephin Merritt, whose Magnetic Fields are a particular inspiration. The lyrics can sometimes seem buried, but it's not because they're bad, rather, the waves of pop crashing over them take precedence. Do the retro-futurist in you a favour and track down The Method of Modern Love.