The Russian Futurists: Let's Get Ready to Crumble

Back at the start of the decade, just after I discovered The Magnetic Fields, I discovered Tangents — the home of unpopular culture, because they wrote about The Magnetic Fields there, and they wrote beautifully.

And in the years that followed I read about music on Tangents that I didn't hear of elsewhere. Like The Russian Futurists, and in particular this review of Let's Get Ready to Crumble. "Lyrically, as well as musically, it recalls no less a wonder than Stephin Merritt, with wonderfully sharp observations that come across as treasures of super-smart-dumb Pop poetics." Hmmm, well I was nothing if not predictable: if you press that button, I salivate.

But the fact is I've never really got on with this album. If the review had said it recalls no less than Holiday-era Stephin Merritt, that would have been more precise and might have given me pause. The other reference in the review, to the Beach Boys, is also on the money. In fact the closest comparison I can think of is last year's Person Pitch album by Panda Bear, which also drew heavily on the Beach Boys… but, as with Let's Get Ready to Crumble, I only half-liked it.

Gideon Coe plays The Russian Futurists on the radio from time to time, so maybe the penny will drop for me one day.

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