There's a lot to say about this album. Let's start with the bio. 

Matthew Adam Hart (just like Jennifer and Jonathan) writes songs with cheap keyboards, guitars and gallons of reverb. He sounds like hi-fi Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, less fashionable Postal Service, cheesier Flaming Lips. Let's Get Ready to Crumble is his second album. He writes pop songs, that's what he does. 

The production is really unsettling. Everything is drowned in reverb and it ends up sounding like the sonic version of a soap opera pink blurry frame. Either like that or like a guy playing his songs in a huge, deserted place. So, yeah it's unsettling. The good thing about it is that it's 10 songs and less than half an hour long. It's easy to get used to it, and listening to it in its entirety quickly becomes a pleasure, unless you're a die-hard Creed fan. 

Here come the songs. Let's Get Ready to Crumble sounds like a Hayao Miyazaki movie theme and then the drum machine with all the reverb in it kicks in and it sounds cheesy in a funny way. the keyboard lines are quite unbelievable. When the Sun Drops like an Anvil features handclaps. Precious Metals has a 80ish hip hop rhythm. and handclaps and keyboard lines again, still shameless. The Matador's Theme sounds like a live recording of a guy singing in the middle of a giant deserted sand arena with no bull in sight. especially when the drums kick in. A Telegram from the Future: I'M SORRY. STOP" is great. Because he writes love songs. what else is there to write about anyway? It sounds like it was recorded live in a huge deserted chruch. It's Actually Going to Happen sounds smooth in a bossa-nova way, caïpirinhas by the swimming pool, male supermodels and Gucci sunglasses. You Dot, Me Dot, T-Dot starts with the sound effects from an old gameboy videogame and then it sounds like he's all alone singing his song with his trustworthy casios and drum machines in a giant deserted stadium. It's not Really cold When it Snows sounds like a forgotten Wham! hit single. I guess it's good, Wham! has always been underrated anyway. Actually it sounds more like a recording of a Wham! hit single performed live in a giant deserted gay nightclub. It's my favourite song on the album. The Plight of the Flightless Bird sounds like when you're in a town and there's a band playing at the fun fair and you're far and you can not hear it quite clearly but still can hear it. It sounds like that, except that the band is not playing I Will Survive. Your Life on Magnetic Tape closes the album with a tidal wave of reverb and behemoth-like beats. Well. Not really behemoth-like. It sounds, like, POOOOWWWWWWWWWW!!!

It doesn't sound like anything documented before. This is a pop record for the new generation, this is a pop record for you and me. I'll let you take me to the prom if you let me be your fuck buddy.

-Barbara H

/july 1st 2003/