Regina Spektor - Remember Us to Life

Regina Spektor
Remember Us to Life
2016
Spotify

What is so incredibly compelling about Regina Spektor? Her vocals are solid, but so are 10,000 other singers. Her writing also solid, but there are also plenty of good writers. So it has to be something else, something deeper, that makes her so interesting both to listen to and to watch grow as an artist. Her choices are always catchy, and fall on the pop side of things, but there are elements that make it slightly off and thus, better. "Small Bill$" is almost a play on hip hop flossing but in that very Regina Spektor kind of way where instead of big ballin, it's small ballin. On "Grand Hotel" she shows her skill at writing narrative and it is incredibly rich and detailed while still maintaining a strong emotional heart. The song follows a Wes Anderson-esque Grand Budapest Hotel story but if it were owned by The Standard and also was a gate to hell. Her words wash over you like waves coming and going, powerful yet always with the sense that eventually they are going to fade away. "The Light" is one of those songs that gives you chills as she sweetly sings over a piano and a few strings. Regina's voice holds up so well against almost any kind of music, but when she let's it loose and soars it is something to behold.

There is this sense that whenever Spektor sings she is not taking herself all that serious. She knows that music matters, but never forgets that it is also about fun. "The Trapper and the Furrier" is gritty and bold telling the story of, well, a Trapper and a Furrier. The theme seems more suited for a song from the 17 or 1800s, but the growl and spin she puts on it is something to really behold. She is able to put so many connection points in her music that someone in their 60s can love her just as much as a teen. "Obsolete" is a heartfelt ballad about never feeling good enough and constantly failing. For anyone who has struggled for self acceptance it is a shot to the heart, but it maintains enough edge to not get sappy or overblown. The crux of the song comes when Regina sings "Why am I/Why am I incomplete?", it's hauting, beautiful and a level of self evaluation that you don't often find in popular music. Perhaps because she has done so much great work we take Regina Spektor for granted. Her albums are likely to be good, she'll make really interesting choices and we'll love her but fail at making that apparent. Well I'm here to say I love Regina Spektor and Remember Us to Life is just another shining example why.

8.9 out of 10