The essence of "Soviet Kitsch" can be embodied by the song "Poor Little Rich Boy." It's raw and feels almost ad-libbed on the fly. Spektor sings, plays the piano with her left hand, and hits a chair with a drum stick with her left. All at once, do not pass GO, do not collect $200. The idea is very Tom Waits, but you could never catch Waits recording something that sounds this innocent.
The lazy comparison to Regina Spektor (though not totally unwarranted) would be Tori Amos. A female who writes piano-dominated songs that can be dark or light in tone. But there is a lot more to Spektor than simply Tori Amos part two. When I first put the album in I was reminded of a Joanna Newsom, sans the harp, because of the different way she enounces words and the tones of her voice while singing them. While Spektor isn't as extreme as Newsom, I could still fans of the harpist finding a sort of kindred spirit in Spektor. There is a lot of the youthful innocence and off-beat joy in "Soviet Kitsch" that is relatable to Nellie McKay, who writes songs with an almost anthem-like quality.
On first listen the songs of "Soviet Kitsch" mesh together and are hard to differentiate between. Repeated plays draw out each song's own intricate life and sheds life on Spektor's strength, which to me is her ability to manipulate her voice to capture the emotion of any given song and lyric, while giving the album a solid flow and identity.
The album's biggest mistake is tracks seven and eight. Track seven is what would be called a skit on any hip-hop album. The song is just a whispered conversation between Spektor and a little girl (credited as Bear Spektor) about track eight, "Your Honor." Track eight is the only song on the album which rocks out. It features the band Kill Kenada and, as a stand alone track, is really good. Unfortunately, it feels out of place in the middle of the rest of the album. A better position for it would have been as the final track to close out the disc.
I do recommend you check out "Soviet Kitsch," especially for fans of the previously mentioned artists.
3/4
