Regina Spektor
11:11

THE REVIEW

Regina Spektor, Russian-born American singer-songwriter, presented herself to the world in 1999 with “11:11”, her debut album consisting of a handful of songs for voice and piano (and some impromptu percussion). An indie record, made with little money but lots of dedication and skill, only a few copies were printed, making it rare to find in physical form.

Regina has a classical background and uses the piano not just as an accompaniment but as an integral part of her pieces, exploiting the communicative power of this instrument and placing it at the service of her lyrics as only the most capable singer-songwriters like Tori Amos and Fiona Apple can do. But the comparisons with these great music figures end here: Spektor's way of singing and playing is entirely unique and also draws other influences such as American nu-folk and the brechtian cabaret atmospheres of the Dresden Dolls (Amanda Palmer even covered "On the Radio" from “Begin to Hope”).

This record consists of everyday life stories, made strange and unsettling by Regina's personal filters, who manages to see everything with the dreamy eyes of a child (listen to “Building” and the surprise in observing how tall buildings are being constructed nowadays, to believe). And so, if a love affair taking place in an eerie building provides a cue for a delightful opening track seasoned with very peculiar vocal games typically Spektorian ("Love Affair"), we find ourselves catapulted into a world of crazy and dark characters ("Mary Ann" and "Pavlov’s Daughter") that seem to come out of a Tim Burton movie. The most striking example of Spektor's skill in portraying snippets of life and transfiguring them in a disturbing way is the ballad “Braille”, which has now become a true classic of the singer-songwriter.

The atmospheres are jazz (after all, the second track "Re-Jazz" is a clear statement of intent) and at times reminiscent of "Closing Time" by Tom Waits. The arrangements are simple, yet incisive (the sweet “I Want to Sing” a cappella and the conclusive “Sunshine” are two gems that shine precisely because of their simplicity and directness). However, not all tracks manage to maintain the level of the more successful ones, and there are pieces that, while charming, seem more like b-sides waiting to be completed ("Flyin’” and “Wasteside”). But from a debut, it's quite normal to expect some rawness; still, that doesn't take away from the fact that the album is truly enjoyable and reveals a crystalline talent that doesn’t need major productions to stand out. This and the subsequent "Songs" will be a good preparation for what will later be Regina Spektor’s undisputed masterpiece and perfect album, “Soviet Kitsch”.

Braille

She was lying on the floor and counting stretch marks 

She hadn't been a virgin and he hadn't been a god 

So she named the baby Elvis 

To make up for the royalty he lacked

And from then on it was turpentine and patches

From then on it was cold Campbell's from the can

And they were just two jerks playing with matches

 'Cause that's all they knew how to play

 

And it was raining cats and dogs outside of her window

And she knew they'd be destined to become sacred road kill on the way 

And she was listening to the sound of heavens shaking

Thinking about puddles, puddles and mistakes

 'Cause it's been turpentine and patches

And cold, cold Campbell's from the can

 And they were just two jerks playing with matches

'Cause that's all they knew how to play

 All they knew how to play

 

Elvis never could carry a tune

And she thought about this irony as she stared back at the moon 

She was tracing her years with her fingers on her skin

Saying why don't I begin again

With turpentine and patches 

With cold, cold Campbell's from the can

After all I'm still a jerk playing with matches

It's just that he's not around to play along

I'm still an asshole playing with candles

Blowing out wishes, blowing out dreams

Just sitting here and trying to decipher

What's written in Braille upon my skin