Regina Spektor is one of my all-time favorite musicians and, if I had to choose only one to listen to for the rest of my life, it would probably be her. Her music has evolved a lot throughout her career, but has always maintained a quirkiness that is both endearing and teeth-gritting-inducing at times, and is her signature. Today, I'll be writing a bit about her musical evolution as a guide of sorts for Spektor newbies.
Early Years: Purely Weird
A lot of Regina Spektor fans consider these two early albums to be "pure" Spektor, but I don't think that's really an accurate description. Her debut album, 11:11, was self-released and created at a time when she was heavily influenced by blues and jazz, which shows up somewhat in Songs but not as much in her later works, which are a lot more anti-folk/singer-songwriter-esque. 11:11 is probably my second least-favorite album, mostly because it's not always "fun" or "enjoyable" to listen to, but it is very artistically interesting and unique.
Songs, which is not available on iTunes and is very hard to get your hands on, has some of the same influences as 11:11 but sounds more cohesive as a whole. A lot of my favorite songs by Regina Spektor come from this album, including Consequence of Sound and the first version of Samson. This album is still weird, but in a more accessible way that's fun to listen to all the way through.
Polishing Up: Soviet Kitsch
My favorite album after Songs is definitely Soviet Kitsch. This is the album that has the popular Spektor song Us. I love that song, and also love most of the songs on this album, including Carbon Monoxide, Ode to Divorce, Chemo Limo, Ghost of Corporate Future, The Flowers...wait, I'm listing over half the album. This music sounds like a combo of 11:11 and Songs but with more polished production and a more mature, cohesive style. A lot of her music on the early album is very dark, and SK is similar in that way, but a lot of the songs also have sweetness in the harmonies or accompaniment that make it not overwhelming.
The Beginning of Pop
On her fourth and fifth albums, Begin to Hope and Far, Regina Spektor starts experimenting with more "pop" sounds, but still in her unique Regina-y way. A lot of fans felt like she sold out on these albums to try to appeal to the masses, and I used to feel that way too until I listened to Far again recently and realized I did like the music, even if it wasn't like her earlier style. Begin to Hope, however, I do not listen to at all, even though it has what is probably her most popular song, Fidelity, on it. Other than that song and Better, I really don't like anything on the album.
Far is still a little pop-y but not as blatantly so, and goes back to her quirkier roots, so I like it much better than BtH. Dance Anthem from the 80s is super catchy and great, and Two Birds is fun, too. Far just sounds like Regina Spektor doing pop but not trying as hard as she did on Begin to Hope.
Original and New
What We Saw From Cheap Seats is also one of my favorite Spektor albums. It reminds me the most of Songs, just with more production and richer orchestration. with WWSFCS and Remember Us to Life, I felt like Regina Spektor was embracing her original weird roots while getting a stronger handle on the more "pop" aspects of her style. These albums felt a lot more effortless than Begin to Hope and Far, and they feel like her, too. They feel like all the best parts of Regina Spektor's music, and I'm really excited to keep listening to her in the future.
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