The Cheap Seats

Regina Spektor.

If you haven't heard of the girl (in other words, if you aren't like me, collecting every single song that she's ever produced), you should go look her up as soon as possible. Her music really doesn't disappoint. You may have heard one of her songs in 500 Days of Summer. I can't really compare her to any other artists, because she's really completely unique, and that's part of her charm. Regina was born in Moscow, and she later immigrated along with her parents, where she settled in the Bronx. She studied classical piano and started singing a capella songs when she was 16. The unusual thing about Regina is that she never writes any of her songs down.

 

Style of Regina: She combines her well-ranged voice with unorthodox techniques like beat-boxing and strange buzzing sounds. She also incorporates many different languages in her music, such as French, Latin, and Russian. Her piano creations are surprisingly simple, but her lyrics add a depth unlike most current artists.

Her newest album, What We Saw From The Cheap Seats, recently came out. 

Songs To Look For: Oh Marcello, Firewood, All The Rowboats, Ballad of a Politician, Open, and Call Them Brothers

There wasn't a single flawed song on the entire album. I will say, for true fans, the first few songs may have seemed a bit predictable, because I felt like I'd heard them before. But they grew on me. Her lyrics were still beautiful and sensitive, but I wasn't feeling the shock that I usually get when I listen to her truly inventive pieces. There weren't any stand-out pieces. But then one song caught my attention: "All The Rowboats". 

It pushed all my buttons in the right way. It started out with a heavy beat (some kind of drum?), completely electrifying. Then Regina came in with her amazing lyrics ("When no one's looking I fetch a sculpture, Marble, gold, and soft as satin"). When she got to the chorus, I could have cried. I'm a sucker for dissonance and weird chords, which Regina delivered both at once.

Pleasant Surprises

Regina couldn't be stuck in a rut, nope. She came out with some folky, soothing tunes that get stuck in your head. In "Call Them Brothers", Regina begins by crooning a folksy tune with a Only Son, whose voice is pretty darn nice. "Call Them Brothers" and "Jessica" (both using acoustic guitar) both proved that Regina isn't just an innovative Russian, but she can still try new things.

What We Saw From The Cheap Seats is probably a good introduction to Regina Spektor, it being the easiest to enjoy by any age, but if you want something a little more adventurous, Soviet Kitsch would probably be the way to go. 

All The Rowboats

Call Them Brothers

Us (from a different album)