New Music: Regina Spektor

By Rachel Woodward, Oct 11 2016 —

Since her last full album release in 2012, American singer-songwriter Regina Spektor has released small doses of music
to her fans in soundtrack appearances and a demo tape. Finally, her latest album, Remember Us to Life, will fill the void for many Spektor fans around the world.

The album is a soulful and melodic collection of stories. Spektor takes listeners into a beautiful world with quirky and flawed characters that live simply and feel the winter arriving. Remember Us to Life arrives at a perfect time with the snow just beginning to fall. The album is a lovely and colourful portrayal of a fairy tale and could stand alone as a soundtrack to a Disney tale of villains, twists, turns and love.

The opening track, “Bleeding Heart,” starts off strong with a catchy chorus and jumpy tune. Spektor’s unique vocals set the tone for the rest of the album’s musical journey.

The storytelling on tracks like “The Trapper and the Furrier” places listeners in an incredibly dark and visually immersive experience. Spektor demonstrates her knack for drawing audiences into her wacky song-filled world. “What a strange, strange world we live in, where the good are damned and the bad are forgiven,” she sings.

The melodic bonus track “The One Who Stayed and the One Who Left” is a simple story for listeners to follow slowly with the lyrics. The track is like listening to a familiar description of how this main character views themself. It compliments the album beautifully by focusing on a small aspect of a large story.

Listening to the album was a thoroughly wonderful and creative experience. Spektor has a remarkable ability to force listeners to crawl into her stories without a second thought and trust the narrative.

My commute to work felt less like I was tolerating transit and more like I was a misunderstood character in a fantasy movie.
Fans of Spektor’s strange vocals and explosive lyrics will feel right at home with Remember Us to Life. It will surely become a winter favourite for imaginative listeners.