review: regina spektor - begin to hope

begin to hope - 9/10 -

this is a dangerous album for regina spektor fans. this album sees regina spektor truly begin to depart from the piano and vocal combination of her first 2 1/2 albums and start to really throw in copious amounts of guitar, drums, generic etc. with that said, which would make me want to hate this album and live in the past, it's still ridiculously good. the fact that she doesn't share the writing credits offers some solace, doesn't it? this album is extremely well-rounded and complete. it doesn't feel like it's missing anything, and the songs that i may skip now (perhaps with the exception of 'better') will most likely grow on me and be my favorites for a day at some point in the future... i'll mostly just be limited to bitching about getting rid of the aforementioned drums, guitar, and generic etc. for god's sake, man, see her live and you'll understand why they make me wary. interestingly enough, a lot of this reminds me of 11:11 for some reason (random statement)... i can honestly say that i don't really find anything about this album disappointing, which is definitely a welcome change of pace.

fidelity - 8.5/10 - see... i heard this song and 'better' long before this album came out, so they're already nice and settled-in. while i don't listen to 'fidelity' very much at this point, it still routinely gets stuck in my head. there's nothing revolutionary about it, but it's still quite good. the extra instrumentation doesn't even bother me too too much.

better - 7.5/10 - this song was, is, and will always be 'fidelity's' less-impressive brother. here, the guitar and drums are extremely intrusive, probably the worst on the album. despite the fact that this is in the running for my least favorite song on the album, this song was still superb live. surprise surprise...

samson - 8.5/10 - i'd give this song at least a 9 in part because i'm sure everyone will yell at me if i give it any less... yes, this song is old. and really good. and i still never listen to it. it's not quite as powerful on this album because the added instrumentation, however subtle, screws up a song that needs to be just regina spektor and her piano. so, 8.5.

on the radio - 8.5/10 - i paid very little attention to this song until i saw the music video. now i listen to it all the time. funny how that works. it's extremely catchy, and the non-piano blasphemous instrumentation actually works quite well on this song. it's unintrusive enough. no complaints here, although the catchiness means my adoration for 'on the radio' will most likely run its course somewhat quickly.

field below - 8/10 - this song is extremely distinctive. it does fall into that category of kind of 'serious regina spektor songs' such as 'samson,' 'the flowers,' and 'somedays.' there's nothing weak about it.

hotel song - 8.5/10 - distinctively stylistic and with an entirely different feel than 'field below,' this is another favorite of the day that i sort of stumbled across while driving through chinatown (unnecessary detail). though i listen to this constantly, the lyrics seem deceivingly ominous. i should really look into that...

apres moi - 9/10 - i had the good fortune of hearing this song live a couple months ago. it stood out in the show, and stands out on the album. this is undoubtedly the most powerful and forceful song of the twelve, and it's one of the most impressive things i've heard in a long time. trilingual = bonus points.

20 years of snow - 8.5/10 - youtube tells me that this song is better live. the piano line is hypnotic, and she's somehow manage to make her voice awkward in a positive way... that makes no sense, but it's true. her voice is especially impressive on this track. get rid of the drums...

that time - 8/10 - this is an older tune, and one of the two or three songs that regina spektor plays on guitar at her shows. it made me giggle when i recognized it. it's not one of her best songs, and i've been spoiled by hearing it live. live is where it belongs, and it doesn't equal its guitar counterpart, 'bobbing for apples.' get rid of the drums...

edit - 9/10 - 'edit' shows regina spektor's true potential to create a song that might actually sound better recorded than live, if it's even possible. leave all the extra instrumentation in on this one. that's how damn good it is.

lady - 8/10 - i haven't really gotten into this song quite yet, and i initially flirted with a 7.5. again, this song is quite distinctive. another one of those slower tunes, but it has its own identity. 'lady' is a beautiful example of what regina spektor can do with her voice without having to overpower the listener. plus we get a saxophone break...

summer in the city - 7.5/10 - this song is a good conclusion, though i haven't really fallen in love with it yet. still, if i ever listen to albums linearly as opposed to on random, i assume that i'll more fully appreciate this finale.

recommended music:
regina spektor - dance anthem of the 80s
radiohead - the gloaming (softly open our mouths in the cold)