Soviet Kitsch
Soviet Kitsch is the major label debut and third album by American singer/songwriter Regina Spektor. It was originally self-released in May 2003 but was reissued in August 2004 when Spektor signed with Sire Records. The title is drawn from Milan Kundera's expression for the vacuous aesthetics of Stalinist-style communism, a theme in his book The Unbearable Lightness of Being. One version of the album was released with a bonus DVD, which included a short promotional film titled The Survival Guide to Soviet Kitsch and the music video for the song "Us".
Soviet Kitsch | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 2, 2003 (self-released) August 17, 2004 (reissue) | |||
Recorded | TMF in NYC and The Garden in London | |||
Genre | Art pop,[1] punk rock | |||
Length | 38:49 | |||
Label | Sire | |||
Producer | Gordon Raphael, Alan Bezozi, Regina Spektor | |||
Regina Spektor chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Soviet Kitsch | ||||
|
Reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 72/100[2] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
The A.V. Club | (favorable)[4] |
Blender | |
Pitchfork Media | (6.8/10)[6] |
PopMatters | (7/10)[7] |
Prefix Magazine | (7/10)[8] |
Rolling Stone | |
Stylus | B−[10] |
"I became obsessed with Soviet Kitsch," said British singer Kate Nash. "The songs are so powerful and raw. There's a track called 'Chemo Limo' where she sings about having kids. I was utterly convinced she had children of her own, but it's all made-up. That's one of the great things about her: she has a way of making you believe in what she's singing about."[11]
In 2009, the album was included in NME's list of 100 greatest albums of the decade.[12]
Commercial performance
As of 2007 the album has sold 54,000 copies in the United States.[13]
Track listing
All songs written by Regina Spektor.[14]
- "Ode to Divorce" – 3:42
- "Poor Little Rich Boy" – 2:27
- "Carbon Monoxide" – 4:59
- "The Flowers" – 3:54
- "Us" – 4:52
- "Sailor Song" – 3:15
- "***" – 0:44
- "Your Honor" – 2:10
- "Ghost of Corporate Future" – 3:21
- "Chemo Limo" – 6:04
- "Somedays" – 3:21
- Deluxe version bonus track
- "Scarecrow and Fungus" – 2:29
- Standard vinyl release
- "Scarecrow and Fungus" – 2:29
- "December" – 2:10
Track 7 is titled "Whisper" on digital versions of the album. It is a brief spoken word piece in which Spektor and her brother, Barry "Bear" Spektor, discuss the following song ("Your Honor").
Personnel
- Regina Spektor: piano, voice, rhodes, drumstick, percussion, producer, songwriter
- Alan Bezozi: producer, drums, percussion, heartbeat
- Oren Bloedow: guitar
- Graham Maby: bass
- Gordon Raphael: percussion
- Bear Spektor: whispers ("***")
- The 4x4 String Quartet: strings ("Us" and "Somedays")
- Kill Kenada: backing punk band ("Your Honor")
- Eric Biondo: songwriter (one lyric and melody sampled in "Somedays")
Releases
Year | Label | Format | Catalog no. | Country |
---|---|---|---|---|
2004 | Sire | CD | 48833 | US |
CD/DVD | 48890 | US | ||
Shoplifter | CD | 005 | UK | |
2005 | Sire | LP | 48953 | US |
2007 | WEA | CD | 9362493522 | UK |
2016 | Sire | Red LP | 549811-1 | US |
References
- Christgau, Robert (February 21, 2006). "Old-Fashioned Amenities". The Village Voice. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
- "Soviet Kitsch by Regina Spektor". Retrieved 5 October 2016.
- Allmusic review
- "Regina Spektor: Soviet Kitsch". 5 April 2005. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
- "Blender review". Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
- "Regina Spektor: Soviet Kitsch Album Review - Pitchfork". Retrieved 5 October 2016.
- "Music Reviews, Features, Essays, News, Columns, Blogs, MP3s and Videos - PopMatters". Retrieved 5 October 2016.
- "Album Review: Regina Spektor - Soviet Kitsch". Retrieved 5 October 2016.
- Rolling Stone review
- Stylus review
- "Women in music". Q. No. 262. May 2008. p. 105.
- "The Top 100 Greatest Albums Of The Decade". NME. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
- Visakowitz, Susan (21 January 2007). "Singer/songwriter Regina Spektor doing it her way". Reuters. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
- "Regina Spektor - Soviet Kitsch". Retrieved 5 October 2016.