Serial Slingshot

Mary Ann Meets The Gravediggers And Other Short Stories

She’s Jewish. She’s Russian. She can friggin’ play that piano. Regina Spektor is known by any fan of the anti-folk genre.

Her sassy allure was unleashed with her previous work: 2001’s “11:11”, 2002’s “Songs”, and 2004’s “Soviet Kitsch”. Her next move was to release a compilation available only to the UK: January of 2006 brought “Mary Ann Meets The Gravediggers And Other Short Stories”.

If none of this is sounding familiar, just take this advice: If you’re an Amos, Morrissette, DiFranco, or Newsom fan, you will like Spektor. She changes her vocal style constantly, and it’s interesting, to say the least. I happen to think it’s awesome that she can convey her stories (And oh, what stories they are!) in such a creative way. A lot of it catches you off-guard… The first time I listened to one of her albums, for example, I had to keep asking myself “…Did she really just do that?” and hold down the back button to hear it again several times. She does some fun ad-libbing, makes some crazy noises with her throat, and deliberately goes off-key, which is not always friendly to the ears at all times, but it’s all a part of the general effect that she wants to create.

Songs like “Oedipus” and “Consequence of Sound” will have your getting your groove on in no time, while “Us” and “Chemo Limo” will have you choked up… Just listen. It’s really beautiful.

15 Songs over 57 minutes

# posted by Giselle @ 6:23 PM