Soviet Kitsch

Soviet Kitsch is the major label debut and third album by American singer/songwriter Regina Spektor. It was originally released on Shoplifter Records 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
Regina Spektor
ReleasedMay 2, 2003 (Shoplifter Records)
August 17, 2004 (reissue)
StudioTMF (New York City)
The Garden (London)
GenreArt pop[1]
Length38:49
LabelSire
Producer
Regina Spektor chronology
Songs
(2002)		 Soviet Kitsch
(2003)		 Live at Bull Moose
(2005)
Singles from Soviet Kitsch
  1. "Carbon Monoxide"
    Released: 2003
  2. "Your Honor / The Flowers"
    Released: 2004
  3. "Us"
    Released: 2006

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic72/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The A.V. Clubfavorable[4]
Blender[5]
Pitchfork6.8/10[6]
PopMatters7/10[7]
Prefix Magazine7/10[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
StylusB−[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]

  1. "Ode to Divorce" – 3:42
  2. "Poor Little Rich Boy" – 2:27
  3. "Carbon Monoxide" – 4:59
  4. "The Flowers" – 3:54
  5. "Us" – 4:52
  6. "Sailor Song" – 3:15
  7. "* * *" – 0:44
  8. "Your Honor" – 2:10
  9. "Ghost of Corporate Future" – 3:21
  10. "Chemo Limo" – 6:04
  11. "Somedays" – 3:21
Deluxe version bonus track
  1. "Scarecrow and Fungus" – 2:29
Standard vinyl release
  1. "Scarecrow and Fungus" – 2:29
  2. "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
  1. Christgau, Robert (February 21, 2006). "Old-Fashioned Amenities". The Village Voice. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  2. "Soviet Kitsch by Regina Spektor". Metacritic. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  3. Allmusic review
  4. "Regina Spektor: Soviet Kitsch". The A.V. Club. 5 April 2005. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  5. "Blender review". Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
  6. "Regina Spektor: Soviet Kitsch Album Review - Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  7. "Music Reviews, Features, Essays, News, Columns, Blogs, MP3s and Videos - PopMatters". Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  8. "Album Review: Regina Spektor - Soviet Kitsch". Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  9. Rolling Stone review
  10. Stylus review
  11. "Women in music". Q. No. 262. May 2008. p. 105.
  12. "The Top 100 Greatest Albums Of The Decade". NME. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
  13. Visakowitz, Susan (21 January 2007). "Singer/songwriter Regina Spektor doing it her way". Reuters. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  14. "Regina Spektor - Soviet Kitsch". Discogs. 17 August 2004. Retrieved 5 October 2016.


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