As I finish up listening to Regina Spektor’s most recent album What We Saw From the Cheap Seats, all I can say is — I’m confused. The album, theatrical and experimental in nature, is a difficult thing to get any sort of grasp on. I also can’t really tell if I like it. For the duration of most songs, I was aware that I was not particularly enjoying them, but instead of turning it off I found myself with the unshakeable need to know what would happen next. From short sweet sing-songy ballads such as “Jessica” to sporadic screamy numbers like “Oh Marcello” (which is borderline unbearable), Spektor certainly achieves quite the musical er…range.
It kind of seems like Spektor, comfortable in the knowledge of her fans’ commitment at this point, is ready to mess with their heads a little bit. Having been a Regina Spektor fan for quite some time, here is one girl that has definitely been pushed out of her comfort zone. It is one thing to change styles throughout the album, but most of the individual songs have a serious need for a Ritalin prescription. “Small Town Moon,” one of the better numbers on the album, has this exact problem. The song begins as something reminiscent of the sound from her On the Radio album, but explodes from melodic into shouting, with confusing clapping and whooping mixed in.
Maybe it’s due to my theater background, but for me the best tracks on the album are the pseudo-Broadway ballad sounding songs such as “How” or especially “Open.” Overall, this album will primarily appeal to diehard Spektor fans willing to put up with her quirkiness — which she seems to have prioritized over craftsmanship. Not for everyone, but I have no doubt that What We Saw From the Cheap Seats will have its niche, if for no other reason than it is produced by such an ordinarily strong artist.