REGINA SPEKTOR
Begin to Hope
Sire
· To Russia (via New York) with love – Regina Spektor follows up her well-received debut, Soviet Kitsch, with an album that’s full of wonderful surprises.
Officially, Regina Spektor is a member of the burgeoning "anti-folk" scene. At least that’s what nearly every article about Spektor has said since 2004’s Soviet Kitsch was released. Funny enough, pretty much every other anti-folk artist (Nellie McKay, Jolie Holland) is a female, piano-playing singer-songwriter. As such, the reflex reaction to place her in that genre was too much to resist. Her new album, Begin to Hope, is much more difficult to pin down.
Hope is characterized by strict tension, a tension that could perhaps be more accurately described as manic depression. Emotionally, the album ranges from pure elation to absolute resignation – sometimes in the same song. During "On the Radio," her mood changes with dizzying speed, leaving the listener both confused and enthralled. Such is the effect her personality has on the entire album. You literally never know what’s coming next.
The songs range in genre from pop-rock ("Better," "That Time"), to full-fledged ballads ("Samson"), and yes, anti-folk ("Apres Moi"). Throughout, Spektor proves remarkably adept at anything and everything she attempts. Some fans will scoff at the increased production level of Hope, as David Kahne (The Strokes) lends his talents, but it doesn’t take anything away from Spektor’s scene-stealing persona.
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