album #15

begin to hope (regina spektor)

The official music of five Novembers ago. Regina Spektor was a major celebrity crush of mine back then, largely off the videos for "Fidelity" and "Us." The former is on this particular album, and it's a beauty. Adorable, sweet, sad, wonderful. The tender anthem "Better" is another favorite from this album; I'm rediscovering "Samson," a lovely, sad song, maybe the most lyrically beautiful of any track here, and a song I avoided for years because of residual connotations. "Hotel Song" is another favorite, catchy, a little bit mischevious, sexy in an agelessly youthful, playful way. It's not one of my total favorite songs, but "Apres Moi" interests me from the angle of, 'this is what Soviet Russia felt like, this is how a Dictator speaks.'

I wonder how much context, how much impact, it adds to a love song when the singer is someone you find personally attractive. It certainly makes me swoon in that, "oh I wish it was directly to me" way, a sensation I don't necessarily feel for most lyrical subjects from most singers. And what's my favorite love song, among artists I wouldn't desire? A quick scan of my itunes reminds me that, all of my favorite female musicians are amazingly attractive. Labels obviously take better care and take better interest in an attractive artist. But the audience is not a perfect P.C. victim of that choice- speaking for myself at least, the listener likes to listen to attractive people. The only time I've ever listened to a beautiful musician and gotten turned off by it is Au Revoir Simone, a band that has released one song I loved and otherwise seems to write a lot of condescending breakup songs along the lines of "I hope you'll be okay without me, sweetie."

But I don't want her personal beauty to be the only thing I have to say about this album- it's entirely sweet and lovely, and she's my favorite piano balladeer. This is a good one, a Winter classic.