Soviet Kitsch Explained

Soviet Kitsch
Type:	studio
Artist:	Regina Spektor
Cover:	Soviet Kitsch by Regina Spektor.jpg
Released:	May 2, 2003 (Shoplifter Records) August 17, 2004 (reissue)
Studio:	TMF (New York City) The Garden (London)
Genre:	Art pop^[1]
Length:	38:49
Label:	Sire
Prev Title:	Songs
Prev Year:	2002
Next Title:	Mary Ann Meets the Gravediggers and Other Short Stories
Next Year:	2006

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."

Reception

"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."^[2]

In 2009, the album was included in NMEs list of 100 greatest albums of the decade.^[3]

Commercial performance

As of 2007 the album has sold 54,000 copies in the United States.^[4]

Track listing

All songs written by Regina Spektor.^[5]

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

12. "Scarecrow and Fungus" – 2:29

Standard vinyl release

12. "Scarecrow and Fungus" – 2:29
13. "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

Notes and References

1. Web site: Christgau. Robert. Robert Christgau. February 21, 2006. Old-Fashioned Amenities. The Village Voice. November 6, 2016.
2. Women in music. Q. May 2008. 262. 105.
3. Web site: The Top 100 Greatest Albums Of The Decade. NME. July 21, 2012.
4. Web site: Singer/songwriter Regina Spektor doing it her way. Reuters. Susan. Visakowitz. 21 January 2007. 1 December 2018.
5. Web site: Regina Spektor - Soviet Kitsch. . 17 August 2004 . 5 October 2016.