Regina Spektor's What We Saw From the Cheap Seats

Isn't she pretty?

Regina Spektor is one of my favourite musicians/ singers/songwriters. Her lyrics are very literary and take on a huge variety of different topics (seriously, you would say Regina has lived a thousand lives...) in a vivid and sensitive way; her voice is really rich in emotion and, due to her accent, quite distinctive; and her combination of classical piano with contemporary beats really sets her apart. I like the way her music can be both playful and tragic, often almost at the same time - it really rings true to life (at least, to my perception of it).

I like the album cover: simple, in red and black
(a colour combination I like), and Regina wearing
 a silly/awesome cap.

Her new album What We Saw From the Cheap Seats has just come out and it has been colouring my studying/daydreaming (two activities which mix so well that I am unable to say where one begins and the other starts!). Compared to her early albums, it is much softer around the edges, with a clean, luscious production, no strange yelps or unpredictable vocal twists, and no macabre lyrics, but it is still a very lovely and personal output with that blend of upbeat mood and melancholy which her music encapsulates and reflects my own emotional outlook. 

Four of the songs (Small Town Moon, Don't Leave Me, Patron Saint, and Open) are studio versions of songs she had already played live, the rest are new material. Right now, my favourites are:

Small Town Moon 

very close to how I feel about my future at the moment, now that I am waiting to start anew. Giddy excitement and fear and apprehension live close together.

How can I leave without hurting every one who made me? 

All the Rowboats 

a song about museum pieces being locked away forever and trying to escape; it can be read as criticism to our obsession with conserving the past, or to the way we desire to reach eternity, which is cold and lifeless. I like its eeriness.

On the other hand, I really dislike Ballad of a Politician - it sounds very unpleasant to me, even though its criticism of political power and how it is reached is spot on. Maybe it will eventually grow on me, though - it has happened before (I disliked Dance Anthem of the 80's when I first listened to to it, but it grew to become very relevant to my own experiences and I eventually listened to it countless times). The rest of the songs are quite good, and I suppose I will go through phases of listening over and over to at least some of them depending on what's happening in my life. 

Overall, it is definitely worth a listen. I am really glad to have some new songs by Regina to explore: getting to know their textures is a joy to me, and listening to them is like having a cool friend - both wise and fun - speak to you of her life experiences.