Don’t stay up late to wish on this album.
artwork by Anna Becker
After six months of listening to Regina Spektor, I realized that I had never heard her debut album, 11:11. I was sure it would be the best, I mean, she was untainted by the music world, right? Wrong! I was sorely disappointed. The music in 11:11 is so different from the Regina Spektor I know and love, and while “different” can be good, Spektor’s voice doesn’t mesh very well with many of the styles in this album.
The album does, however, have some redeeming qualities. The half-jazz, half- folk style is refreshing after radio stations full of teeny-bop slop. The lyrics are still beautiful and haunting, of course, which is the best part of the album. Spektor’s words rarely focus on herself, which is hard to find in music today, and altogether wonderful. Everything about Spektor’s music is original and uniquely hers, which is fantastic in-and-of itself. Still, the unusual and unpleasant sound of most of the songs negates these positive attributes.
Spektor composed and sang every song on the album, and even produced and sold her own CDs. After her second CD, Songs, she signed a contract with Sire Records and has worked with them ever since, which may or may not have been the cause of her change in musical style.
11:11 is largely jazz, although songs such as Braille hold foreshadowing of Spektor’s current style. In this album, Spektor’s voice is strong and rough which contrasts with her usual display of soft and lilting vocals. Spektor still has the intensity that reminds the listener of her passion for each and every song.
The album opens with Love Affair, the lighthearted story of a man who would be perfect, but for a mother’s disdain, which is ironically set to a creepy tune. While the tune and beat are fantastic, the lyrics fall short in comparison to Spektor’s other work. They don’t tell a particularly deep story, and have no real message. Two songs after that is Buildings, which seems to be the song that holds the entire album together. The beat is repetitive and soothing, while the vocals are lilting yet powerful. It softens one of many transitions in the album and is my favorite song in the album.
The best lyrics on the album belong to Marry Ann. Weird, as per usual, but absorbing, nonetheless. This is the story of a woman who is promiscuous but seemingly innocent, who begins to consider murder because she prefers her meat freshly butchered. The accompaniment and repetition makes the song sound like a fairytale, which vaguely reminds one of Sweeney Todd.
Regarding the track Pavlov’s Daughter, I have but one comment: Regina Spektor should not be allowed to rap. Although her voice is still beautiful, rap is just not Spektor’s strong suit. She plays with using a New York accent and varying low and high notes in a diminished scale, which gives the song an eerie feel. Not even Spektor’s lyrics could make this song bearable.
Later in the album is I Want To Sing, which is completely a capella. In contrast to what one would expect from Spektor, this song is a ballad, and has no scatting or vocal imitations of instruments. The song is pretty and has an almost lullaby quality, but it would be a thousand times better with instrumental music to back it up.
A good thing about Regina Spektor is that she has so many different styles. Spektor once said in an interview that her goal was to never have a definable style. This makes it easy for listeners to like at least one song on any of her albums, even if they hate the rest. I would suggest previewing this album before buying it, especially for a fan of Spektor’s newer music. There are definitely parts worth listening to, but nothing particularly special.
Track List:
1. Love Affair
2. Rejazz
3. Back of a Truck
4. Buildings
5. Marry Ann
6. Flyin’
7. Wasteside
8. Pavlov’s Daughter
9. 2.99 Cent Blues
10. Braille
11. I Want to Sing
12. Sunshine
Preferring:
• Love Affair
• Buildings
• Marry Ann
• Braille
Album rating: ★★★☆☆
