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
  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

Releases

YearLabelFormatCatalog no.Country
2004SireCD48833US
CD/DVD48890US
ShoplifterCD005UK
2005SireLP48953US
2007WEACD9362493522UK
2016SireRed LP549811-1US

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.