NOTE, BOBBYSIX HAS MOVED. PLEASE VISIT OUR NEW SITE INSTEAD, WHERE YOU WILL FIND SO MUCH AWESOME CONTENT THAT YOUR EYES WON'T KNOW WHERE TO LOOK FIRST: SOMETHINGYOUSAID.COM
Andy James gives a listen to the debut album from the latest NME darlings, Howler:
It’s hard not to feel a little sympathy for Howler - the Minneapolis five-piece had barely tuned their guitars before being touted as the future heirs to the indie throne. A salivating NME was all over them like a dog on heat, and from the New York Times to the corners of the blogosphere the praise piled in.
Fast-forward 12 months and an inevitable ‘next big thing’ backlash has already kicked in. The accusation they’re a knock-off Strokes was inevitable - frontman Jordan Gatesmith’s slurred vocals are delivered with trademark Julian Casablancas-style disaffection. Wailing (Making Out) in particular sounds like a hand-me-down salvaged from 2001.
Elsewhere, Howler’s sound is slightly scuzzier and more abrasive than the vintage that saw New York’s finest explode onto the scene a decade ago - and there are a handful of other influences at play here too. The surf guitar on Back of Your Neck is more reminiscent of the Pixies, and Too Much Blood has a West Coast stoner feel - not dissimilar to San Francisco’s Girls.
While America Give Up undoubtedly lacks originality, it’s just about saved by a scattering of sharp, infectious singles. Breakthrough hit Told You Once is a brilliant three-minute pop song, and elsewhere they display a knack for pulling a killer hook or two out the bag - not least on Back to the Grave with its simple but irresistibly catchy “ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh” chorus.
Is this it? Howler are not totally without promise and, while their debut was never going to live up to the hype, they’ve done enough to avoid the great indie landfill for now.
Kimya Dawson's seventh album might not be quite what you expect. After kicking off with familiar-sounding four-track-recorded, thumb-strummed acoustic folk, Thunder Thighs veers off in all manner of different directions. Involving the likes of the Olympia Free Choir, Nikolai Fraiture of The Strokes, Dawson's five-year-old daughter Panda and rapper Aesop Rock, the record takes a trip through a host of genres.
Miami Advice mixes a choral singalong with hip-hop, while The Mare and The Bear could have been lifted from the songwriter's kids' album, Alphabutt. Elsewhere, the sweary rap of Zero or Zillion takes a dig at musical snobbery and reprises the exuberance and anarchy of her Moldy Peaches days.
It's not all fun and games though. The wonderful thing about the ever-honest Dawson is that she ducks no subject and, as one would expect from her, there are some stark, tough moments here. Indeed, the ten-minute Walk Like Thunder sees her at her most vulnerable as she deals with her near-overdose ten years ago and the death of two friends to illness. It is incredibly moving.
The general theme of Thunder Thighs revolves around the importance of being kind, tolerant and considerate to others. However, Dawson's words are not preachy in the slightest and if you don't find yourself nodding in agreement with her philosophies, then you really need to have a good long look in the mirror.
Such is the eclectic nature of Thunder Thighs that, even though the 16 tracks here are all new, the record plays out like a Greatest Hits, meaning not only will it appeal to long-term fans but it's also the best place for the uninitiated to begin.
Review by Bobby Townsend. It first appeared in Sydney's Drum Media.
Read our exclusive, candid interview with model and actress Britany Nola, as well as checking out some more photos by visiting our new site: www.somethingyousaid.com
I had a disagreement with some fellow music critics once about the impact The Strokes had on the indie music world. It was largely over my claim that their arrival changed everything. It's easy to see why my peers scoffed at such a suggestion. Over the last few years, The New York quintet have hardly set the world alight with patchy second and third albums, slurred live shows and uninspiring side-projects, but I stand by my claim. At the turn of the Millennium, The Strokes really mattered. Like, really mattered. Back then, Limp Bizkit were considered the height of talent. They were bleak times. Then The Strokes arrived on the indie scene like a slap in the face. A brilliant, jangley-guitared slap in the face. Is This It remains the best record so far this Century and if you don't agree with me then you are wrong. Not only was it 30 insanely amazing minutes of the punchiest garage rock songs since godknowswhen, but it also allowed the likes of The Libertines and The White Stripes to follow in the band's slipstream and into the consciousness of the indie fraternity.
Since then though, it's been a mixed bag. The second record offered a couple of outstanding singles that only served to illustrate just how disappointing the rest of the album was and the next record was similar in that it had a few brilliant songs but was still a long way short of recapturing the magic of their debut.
Now, after a lengthy break to allow for side-projects and wotnot, comes Angles. Was it worth the wait? Unfortunately the answer to that question is emphatically in the negative. To be honest, after five years, unless they had come up with the next Pet Sounds, it was always going to be a let down.
Angles is an album that tries to paper over the cracks of a band that clearly aren't into it anymore by being fun, upbeat and at times experimental. However, every sound that emerges from the speakers does so dripping in insincerity. It's not a bad record - in fact, it's an above average one - but there is nothing believable about it. On first listen it's very clear that these songs were not created because Messrs Casablancas and Co simply couldn't bear for the world not to hear them. Sure, there is plenty of energy and a few stirring moments, but it's all merely a smokescreen to disguise the fact that Angles is clearly weighed down by a miserable sense of obligation. If Is This It was the sound of The Strokes changing everything, then Angles is them as a tired old wedding covers band - offering enough to allow for moderate enjoyment, but the kind of enjoyment that no-one will remember too much about when the party's over. At its best, it wanders somewhere vaguely near the landscape of their first recordings. Under Cover of Darkness, for instance, is strong because it has its roots in that classic Strokes sound. The more experimental efforts don't come across so well though. Machu Picchu is an example of this, opening the album on some kind of ill-advised reggae tip.
Simply, once I put the last full-stop at the end of this review, I doubt I'll revisit this record often. If I want to listen to The Strokes, I'll give their debut a spin. Even all these years since its release, it still sounds fresher than their new offering. Sadly, if Angles does anything, it suggests that it is time for this once important, vibrant and exciting band to finally reach their own full-stop.
I know I'm a couple of months late with this. Don't blame me, blame Toshiba for selling me a faulty computer which took forever to repair. Anywhere, here is my end of decade review:
TOP TWENTY ALBUMS OF THE LAST DECADE
1. Is This It - THE STROKES At a time when the likes of Limp Bizkit were considered the height of talent in indie circles, thank God The Strokes came along and changed everything.
2. Hearts and Unicorns - GIANT DRAG Post-grunge guitar genius that still sounds as fresh now as when it was released in 2005. In Annie Hardy, Giant Drag have one of the most unique, witty and talented frontwomen around.
3. I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning - BRIGHT EYES Conor Oberst's best album. The quality doesn't dip for the slightest second.
4. The New Fellas - THE CRIBS Brilliant sideswipe at London's 'scene'. Raw indie pop tunes so catchy you'll be singing along the first time you hear them.
5. The Moldy Peaches - THE MOLDY PEACHES A triumph for songwriting, imagination and charm over fancy production. A defining moment in anti-folk.
6. Rings Around The World - SUPER FURRY ANIMALS Visionary to the point that it makes more sense now than when it was released in 2001. One of the Welsh band's greatest achievements.
7. Garfield - ADAM GREEN The lo-fi, largely acoustic debut from one half of the Moldy Peaches proved what a diverse, weird and wonderful songwriter Adam Green is.
8. Funeral - ARCADE FIRE Beautifully grand and epic.
9. Alas, I Cannot Swim - LAURA MARLING This record is not only impressive because it belies her tender years or because it is her debut offering. Far from it; the genuinely exquisite Alas, I Cannot Swim would be a marvellous achievement for anyone, regardless of whether they were 18 or 80.
10. Up The Bracket - THE LIBERTINES The album that - before it all went wrong - proved Doherty and Barat to be great poets, capturing the dirty London bohemia perfectly.
11. Myths Of The Near Future - KLAXONS With Myths Of The Near Future, Klaxons defiantly transcended the hype and created a truly dazzling album. Rave? Hardly. Apocalyptic pop? Possibly. Bloody brilliant? Absolutely.
12. The Felice Brothers - THE FELICE BROTHERS Old-fashioned yarns of jailhouses, alcohol, drugs, woozy romance and family ties.
13. Man Comes Around - JOHNNY CASH Heartbreaking.
14. Regina Spektor - Begin To Hope Her first step towards the mainstream consciousness, while still remaining joyfully left of centre. 15. Real Gone - TOM WAITS Tom Waits beatboxes in a wardrobe (or at least that's what it sounds like), bangs blocks of wood together and comes up with a dazzlingly original album.
16. White Blood Cells - THE WHITE STRIPES So many standout tunes, and the whole thing was probably recorded in about half an hour on a budget of four quid.
17. Panic Prevention - JAMIE T Bouncing capriciously between indie, dancehall, punk and rap, Jamie T’s unrelenting tales of London life give a nod to Joe Strummer, and are told with an equal amount of wit and aggression.
18. Who Needs Actions When You Got Words - PLAN B Acoustic rap? Surely not? Well, actually, it's really awesome, as Ben Drew washes his dirty laundry in public through lyrics delivered with venom. Whether his upcoming reincarnation as some kind of soul crooner is as good remains to be seen. 18. Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots - FLAMING LIPS Like the soundtrack to a robot's hazy dream.
20.Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not - ARCTIC MONKEYS Urban storytelling well beyond their years.
TOP TWENTY SONGS OF THE LAST DECADE
1. Do You Realize?? - THE FLAMING LIPS
2. Sampson - REGINA SPEKTOR
3. Hard To Explain - THE STROKES
4. Dreaming Of You - THE CORAL
5. Anyone Else But You - THE MOLDY PEACHES
6. Time For Heroes - THE LIBERTINES
7. Be Safe - THE CRIBS
8. Maps - YEAH YEAH YEAHS
9. No Cars Go - ARCADE FIRE
10. Hurt - JOHNNY CASH
11. Hey Ya! - OUTKAST
12. Toxic - BRITNEY SPEARS
13. Golden Skans - KLAXONS
14. Road to Joy - BRIGHT EYES
15. Presidential Suite - SUPER FURRY ANIMALS
16. Take Me Out - FRANZ FERDINAND
17. Ballad Of Lou The Welterweight - THE FELICE BROTHERS
18. Fake Tales Of San Francisco - ARCTIC MONKEYS
19. Commercial Breakdown - THE SUNSHINE UNDERGROUND
20. Time Is Running Out - MUSE
TOP TWENTY FILMS OF THE DECADE 1. Juno
2. Shaun Of The Dead
3. The Royal Tenenbaums 4. Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain 5. Little Miss Sunshine 6. Young at Heart 7. Anvil! The Story Of Anvil 8. Lost in Translation
9. Mar Adentro 10. Memento
11. Ghost World
12. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
13. Sideways 14. Garden State
15. Being John Malkovich
16. Borat 17. The Orphanage 18. Grizzly Man
19. Donnie Darko 20. City Of God (slight glitch in the system in the above list: 3. is The Royal Tenenbaums, 8 is Lost In Translation)
QUOTE OF THE DECADE Take a bow, former Queens Park Rangers manager Ian Hollway, for this gem following his team's rather lacklustre victory against Chesterfield:
"To put it in gentleman's terms, if you've been out for a night and you're looking for a young lady and you pull one, you've done what you set out to do. We didn't look our best today but we've pulled. Some weeks the lady is good looking and some weeks they're not. Our performance today would have been not the best looking bird but at least we got her in the taxi. She may not have been the best looking lady we ended up taking home but it was still very pleasant and very nice, so thanks very much and let's have coffee."
It's that time of year again where I revisit everything musical from 2009 and point my thumbs up or down. Here is my judgement on what was hot and what was not:
TOP TEN ALBUMS
1. Lungs - FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE You might think this is a surprising choice, but I was really impressed by the ambition and energy of Lungs with its piano, strings, harps, handclaps and massive drums, and the way Welch’s voice jumps seamlessly from a sultry whisper to an awesome, lung-busting chorus and back again. Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up), is the best example of her stunning vocal. Her delivery at the crescendo of this unapologetically grand pop anthem doesn’t so much ask for your attention as pick you up and fling you across the room. This album’s inventive juxtaposition of dark, gothic lyrics and rousing tunes blows away any burden of expectation with a flourish.
2. Em Are - I JEFFREY LEWIS It doesn't lose anything from being more polished than his ramshackle early efforts, and his storytelling is still up there with the best.
3. Conditions - THE TEMPER TRAP Considering how hard it was going to be to match their mesmeric live show, this debut is great, and filled with anthemic tunes.
4. The First Dance - BRIDEZILLA The First Dance is an album of intelligence, depth and genuine beauty, and Bridezilla’s ability to create intriguing and unique music to this high standard at such a tender age suggests that they have the wherewithal to go on to be one of Australia’s most cherished musical exports.
5. Dark Days/Light Years - SUPER FURRY ANIMALS Bouncing between beautiful, melodic pop and delightful insanity, Dark Days/Light Years is SFA’s best record since 2001’s Rings Around The World and is perfectly representative of a prolific body of work that makes them one of the most inventive and intriguing bands that Britain has ever produced.
6. It Walks Like Love - LOENE CARMEN A truly outstanding record, and Loene Carmen's finest piece of work to date.
7. Waxing Gibbous - MALCOLM MIDDLETON Paradoxically sad and uplifting, this is an intelligent, fragile and really lovely record that finds beauty in the bleakest places.
8. Dance Mother - TELEPATHE Because of the avant-garde approach to song structures and sound, initially it all seems a little disorientating but everything soon starts to make sense. Equally atmospheric, serious, intelligent, confusing and challenging, Dance Mother is a visionary and intriguing album, and how often can you say that nowadays?
9. Far - REGINA SPEKTOR Regina Spektor remains a wonderfully weird treasure, even if her edges seem to be getting smoother.
10. Kings & Queens - JAMIE T All the fun, madness and Englishness of a night’s binge-drinking. Only with Kings & Queens you don’t suffer a hangover and you want to do the whole thing all over again as soon as you’re finished.
TOP TEN SONGS
1. Sweet Disposition - THE TEMPER TRAP
2. Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) - FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE
3. Broken Broken Broken Heart - JEFFREY LEWIS
4. Daniel - BAT FOR LASHES
5. The Fear - LILY ALLEN
6. Emily's Heart - JAMIE T
7. And The Boys - ANGUS & JULIA STONE
8. Lying Around - CASSETTE KIDS
9. Ballad Of Fuck All - MALCOLM MIDDLETON
10. Inaugural Trams - SUPER FURRY ANIMALS
TOP TEN ARTISTS OF THE YEAR
1. The Temper Trap 2. Friendly Fires 3. Kitty, Daisy & Lewis 4. Florence and the Machine 5. Jeffrey Lewis 6. Bridezilla 7. The Cribs 8. Kirin J. Callinan 9. Yeah Yeah Yeahs 10. Sarah Blasko
TOP TEN GIGS
1. Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, Manning Bar, Sydney
It’s not an exaggeration to say it was one of the most amazing gigs I've ever seen and to attempt to sum it up with mere words seems strangely futile. Superlatives have yet to be invented for how great this was, but the guy in front of me said it succinctly enough in a text message that he sent mid-gig. It simply read: “This is the coolest thing I have ever seen.”
1. (Joint first place because I couldn't decide between the two), Camille, Sydney Recital Hall The crowd, who started the night reserved and reluctant to embrace the singalongs, demanded three encores, which included Ta Douleur and a cover of Yes We Can Can. I'd be happy if Camille was still encoring now, as the experimental 90-minute show was moving, funny, intriguing, mesmerising and a triumph for innovation and vivid imagination. Absolutely mind-blowing.
3. Jeffrey Lewis, La Maronquinerie, Paris Not only can he pen evocative lines, but he knows exactly how to put on a live show. The gig had pensive moments, laugh-out-loud humour and sweat-drenched punk magnificence.
4. Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Latitude Festival It's safe to say he blew every other performance at Latitude 2009 out of the water. The sound that emanated from the stage from the first moment to the last was an absolute aural attack
5. Kimya Dawson, Komedia, Brighton Typical of Kimya, she played until the venue basically kicked her off stage long after the curfew had passed. 6. The Streets, The Forum, Entertainment Quarter, Sydney Regardless of the general lack of diversity or of how relevant The Streets remain in 2009, the night was really all about Skinner’s interaction with the crowd. He made the gig fun. Proper fun.
7. Jamie T, The Metro, Sydney If You Got The Money almost ripped the roof off and every word of Sheila was roared back at the stage. By the evening’s finale, Sticks ‘n’ Stones, the crowd was going absolutely mental.
8. Bridezilla, The Hopetoun, Sydney It seemed obvious to everyone in attendance that Bridezilla's time is almost here.
9. The Temper Trap, Magnet, Berlin A typically tighter-than-a-duck's-bumhole performance.
10. The Pretenders, Latitude Festival Chrissie Hynde owned the entire field. I'll Stand By You and Bob Dylan's Forever Young were particularly memorable.
TOP FIVE PODCASTS 1. The Ricky Gervais Audiobooks 2. The Adam and Joe Podcast 3. Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo’s Film Review Podcast 4. The Guardian Football Weekly 5. The Jon Richardson Podcast
TOP TEN FILMS
1. Anvil! The Story Of Anvil
As well as being laugh-out-loud funny, this film made me cry more than once and was as touching a love story (obviously in a slightly unconventional sense) as I've ever seen.
2. Let The Right One In A beautiful and fragile story that raised the bar for vampire movies.
3. Moon It drew an extraordinary performance from Sam Rockwell and dealt with its themes of mortality and false reality really intelligently and subtly.
4. District 9 For a political (its message is incredibly thinly-veiled) sci-fi thriller with a brain in its head, then District 9 takes some beating. Funny, thought-provoking and with audience loyalties constantly shifting, this film had me gawping at the screen in wonder.
5. Paranormal Activity Unbearably tense throughout and clever in its use of normality to produce well-contextualised fear.
6. Where The Wild Things Are I don't think it could have evoked children's excitement, imagination, confusion and fear any better.
7. Zombieland In the vein of Shaun of The Dead, Zombieland is a genuinely funny movie, made with a love for the genre that ensures it never becomes a pastiche. Real fun stuff and one of the surprise hits of the year.
8. Gran Torino Clint Eastwood's film-making continues to be intelligent and methodical.
9. Star Trek Cracking sci-fi action which won me over even though I grew up very much on the Star Wars side of the fence.
10. Of Time And The City Marvellous documentary about growing up in Liverpool.
THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES AWARD (MOST OVER-HYPED) Lady GaGa. Not fit to lace Madonna's corset.
QUOTE OF THE YEAR “To those who did not believe in us - and ladies forgive me - they can suck it and keep on sucking it.” Diego Maradona isn’t especially magnanimous towards his critics after Argentina eventually scraped through to the world cup finals.
PREDICTION FOR 2010 Angus & Julia Stone's new album to be universally adored.
HIGHLIGHT(S) OF THE YEAR I thought that singing an acoustic version of Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise onstage at The Latitude Festival with The Late Greats was pretty much the highlight of my entire life until, just ten days from the end of the year, I got to hang out with Superhans from Peep Show at a friend's birthday party. Best night ever.
With no new output forthcoming from The Strokes yet, fans are having to settle for the numerous side-projects, the most anticipated of which is surely the debut solo offering from frontman and creative driving-force, Julian Casablancas.
Opening song, Out of the Blue, illustrates a dichotomy that occurs throughout the record, as cynical lyrics disguise what is actually a musically celebratory and largely radio-friendly album. “Somewhere along the way, my hopefulness turned to sadness/ Somewhere along the way, my sadness turned to bitterness,” Casablancas grumbles in his deliciously languid slur. But, just when the tone seems to have been set, he leaps into a rousing, joyous chorus. Phrazes… often references the 80s. The synth-drenched Left & Right in the Dark even threatens to burst into Ultravox’s Dancing With Tears in My Eyes before reigning itself in and ending like something from Is This It.
With eight tracks totalling 40 minutes, the album could have done with some fat-trimming, and one senses there may have been a handful of three-minute pop classics here had Casablancas shown more self-discipline. This is a minor quibble though, and there are enough surprising left-turns to keep things interesting, like the laid-back soul of 4 Chords of the Apocalypse and the country influenced Ludlow St.
While such departures validate Casablancas’ side-project as worthwhile and necessary, the songs that fall closer to that distinctive Strokes sound are actually the highlights. So, no matter how good Phrazes For The Young might be - and it is good - it ultimately leaves the listener longing for a new Strokes album. Still, as a stopgap, this’ll do nicely.
ALBERT HAMMOND JR TALKS TO ROB TOWNSEND ABOUT HIS NEW ALBUM, HIS UPCOMING TOUR AND HIS OTHER BAND’S IMPACT ON THE MUSIC WORLD
Albert Hammond, Jr. is a talented guy. As well as being in one of the most lauded bands of the last decade, The Strokes’ guitarist is making a name for himself as a singer/songwriter, and this week releases his second solo album, ¿Cómo Te Llama?
However, far from his solo work being down to any long-standing desire to go it alone, Hammond, Jr. admits it came about almost by accident after he wrote a couple of songs he liked. “I felt I had reached a point where if I didn’t record them in a way that would let me let go of them, I would never move on. Friends started to really like what I was doing, so I kept doing more until I was like: ‘Oh, I have a record. Cool. Maybe I can put it out in England or something.’ I wasn’t planning on touring or doing any press but it kind of built up and before I knew it I was on the road and the album was out everywhere.”
That album was Yours To Keep and now, a couple of years on, ¿Cómo Te Llama? follows, showing growth and increased ambition to his sound. The guitar-led, perky pop melodies are still there, but this time they are bolder and more powerful. Another difference is that this album was more of a collaborative effort, with Hammond, Jr. including his band in the songwriting process at a much earlier stage. “I really like the concept of trying to explain what you hear in your head to someone else and seeing how they bring it back to you. People can add more by how they play it or by thinking of tones you might not have thought of. Even if the collaboration is as small as a tone, in my world that’s huge because it keeps everything fresh and exciting.”
The New York-based musician has long been iconic as a member of The Strokes, who changed the course of indie music for the better when they released their debut album in 2001. Having witnessed their seminal performance at that year’s Reading Festival, I ask Hammond, Jr. whether at the time he had any idea of the impact his band was having. While he says in retrospect it was an amazing experience, he admits that, back then, he wasn’t thinking about his role in altering how bands would sound and look. “When you’re doing it, you almost don’t realise that your dream is coming true. It’s all just day-by-day; you don’t really see an arc. We were happy and it’s awesome when you are a part of things changing, but if you’d have asked me that question back then, I don’t think I would have said anything about changing anything. I’d have probably asked you how I could meet a girl I liked or if you had any coke,” he laughs.
With The Strokes still going strong, Hammond, Jr. describes his dichotomous musical life as: “Positioning myself between two things that give me great joy,” and says it’s not difficult to balance his time and mindset between the two projects. Typical of the laid-back charm and appealing optimism he displays throughout our conversation, the American says: “I try to find the way it can be done as opposed to the way it can’t. I can still write songs for my third record and be playing with The Strokes. It’s like that Spinal Tap thing [where keyboardist Viv Savage is asked to deputise for an absent Nigel Tufnell]: ‘Oh yeah, I can do that. I've got two hands.’”
When I reviewed Hammond, Jr’s performance at England’s Latitude Festival last year, he seemed a very natural frontman, but he tells me he found it strange stepping up to the role. “The hardest part was probably to be on my third or fourth show and being reviewed as if I’d been around for years. Most people get a year or two, if not more, to find their way and I was already being looked at before I really even understood what I was doing.”
Having played live all over the world for much of last year, Albert Hammond, Jr. is now increasingly confident fronting his band. He begins a hectic worldwide gigging schedule in Australia in a few weeks and hints that he hopes to bookend months of touring by playing Big Day Out next January. “They didn’t ask me last year,” he frowns. When I enquire whether he is excited about his visit to Sydney in August, his enthusiasm is palpable. “Ah yeah. Are you kidding? I really wanted to come over with the first album but you guys are far away.”
Check our more recent interview with Regina here. Check the review of Regina's show at Sydney Opera House here.
If you read any review of Regina Spektor, you will inevitably stumble across the words ‘kooky’ and ‘quirky’. While it is true that the Russian-born singer does favour weird and wonderful lyrics and themes, and enjoys experimenting with all manner of sounds, she is also a songwriter of incredible quality (if anyone this year has written a song more beautiful than her new album’s standout ballad Samson, I have yet to hear it), which leads one to wonder if she gets frustrated with constantly being written off as an oddball. “That’s a really interesting question,” she says. “I used to get a lot more frustrated, but then I thought ‘it doesn’t matter’. To me, really standard things are quirky, everybody has their own taste.” She pauses for a moment’s thought, before continuing. “Maybe it’s because I’m female. The Beatles made I Am The Walrus and Bob Dylan sang about how ‘everybody must get stoned’. Lots of men have fun but when they do it people say they’re ‘being adventurous’ or ‘pushing the envelope’. Kate Bush and Bjork are described as kooky, whereas Trent Reznor isn’t.” It seems though, that Spektor isn’t the kind of person to ruminate on such matters, and she brushes it off by saying: “I don’t mind so much, it’s the only way some people can think to describe something different. I think I’m a pretty sane person. Maybe someday I’ll make a really serious album. And people will probably still call it quirky.”
Regina Spektor’s personality is as charming as her music. The flame-haired singer-songwriter speaks in the softest, sweetest New York accent, making her sound like a gangster’s moll from the 1930s. A one-time collaboration with her buddies The Strokes aside, the Australian public would be forgiven for not knowing a huge amount about Spektor. This is perhaps because she isn’t the biggest fan of doing interviews to promote herself. “I find it hard when someone clearly hasn’t listened to your music and is just reeling off things from your biography,” she admits. So when I tell her that I am something of a fan, the shy songstress is genuinely delighted, and instantly opens up about her latest album, Begin To Hope.
The album, which is her fourth collection of dreamy, fun and intriguing piano-based songs, has seen her take a different approach to piecing together her work. Previously, her long-players were rattled off in the space of just a few days, but for this recording, she holed herself up in a New York studio for two months to create an even more experimental record. “It was really wonderful. It felt great to have time to work on the songs. The big fear was that is was going to be something that was more fun to make than to listen to. Imagine someone is cooking, and they really enjoy the process of putting in lots of peppers and colours, but there is always the danger of overcooking it.”
The universal acclaim that Begin To Hope has received suggests that nothing was overcooked in Spektor’s kitchen, and she clearly enjoyed being able to spend time considering her work. “Some things are easy to scrap, some things are hard to scrap. It’s nice to be able to come back and listen to it fresh the next morning.” So, will she approach her next recording in this way or will it be a return to the old style of doing things? Well, neither, as it happens. “I’ll do it a third way. I always want to do different things. You never want to get stuck in a rut.”
On top of her beautiful albums, Spektor’s live show is an absolute treat, which perfectly combines fun and intimacy. “I love playing live very, very, very much. I’m also really fucking lucky though. The people who come to my shows are really cool to each other and cool to me.” Her tours have yet to take her to Australia, but there is the desire within her to visit soon. “I really want to. Hopefully in 2007. I’ve heard really great things about Australia from bands like The Strokes and Dresden Dolls and from crew members that I’ve worked with. Everyone who goes there seems to love it.”
One senses that, if the fanfare surrounding Begin To Hope is any guide, it won’t take Australia too long to fall in love with her as well.
