Written by Thomas on Saturday, November 22, 2008

StationBreak: Regina Spektor

[Oh, look – it’s StationBreak time again! But on a Saturday?! WHY?! Why am I late?!]

Ok, there are two easy ways to make me like you: first, have a cool name. Second, appear on Conan O’Brien’s Late Show and rock as his musical guest. Regina Spektor fulfills both requisites, and you know what? I like her.

She came on right at the end of the show and played the song Fidelity without any backups, just her and the piano on-stage. But they made so much sound, so much music. Her voice and the piano chords bouncing up and down to the tune of the song.

It was just the first track of her album, Begin to Hope. I’ve sampled her other albums but I found them a little bit too much on the playful side of music for my tastes. I feel like she was still playing around with the idea of her sound and what direction she wanted to take it in, but with Begin to Hope she really hit the nail on the head. The songs there are a lot tighter, resound with more purpose, and are much easier to listen to overall.

I’ve seen her live once in concert, and I remember her for this very interesting dual personality. The feisty singer from New York who wouldn’t take any crap as she belted out her lyrics, and then this soft-spoken, high-pitched little voice on stage that was so humbled by the energy of the crowd before her.

I love her music, but I find it really hard to get the words across to help me describe what exactly it is that charms me. But if I have to say something about this album (and get redonkulously sentimental at the same time), then Begin to Hope is that rare album that you can both start and end the day with. It’s something that wakes me up and fills me with a strange sense of wonder and inspiration. I find it perfect for really waking up in the morning, but also for slinking off to sleep.

What does that really mean? I honestly don’t know. Go listen to the album, maybe you’ll word things better than I have (which really isn’t hard to do!).