A Different Kind of Fairytale
Even from the Burton-esque illustrations on the cover, you can tell that Regina Spektor isn't telling an average fairytale; the stories are more honest than the Brothers Grimm, but equally enchanting. Regina begins by finding a new perspective 'Oedipus', "I'm the King's 32nd son," she asserts, with an adorable honesty that really makes you believe that this quirky female could be the heir to the throne of vibrant folk.
Jaunty piano, with a crispness of voice that ebbs and flows through your mind, 'Love Affair' has a hint of the confident originality that Rufus Wainwright uses so well. 'Poor Little Rich Boy' has more of an indie stance with some brash and unique percussion that eventually quickens the pace into a brash fervour of American vocals. 'Sailor Song' certainly has a merry swagger about its vamping piano, but it still retains Regina's typically engaging and passionate vocals, "I was meant to sail the sea, why did you make me?"
'Mary Ann' has a classic jazz smoothness that seduces your ears with the simplistic but elegant combination of Regina's rich vocals and double bass; 'Daniel Cowman' careens with a lighter, more urgent jazz influence in the pressing piano and whimsical vocals. A stark contrast, 'Prisoners' is tentative and shivers like a nervous child, at points it evokes images of the sassy jailbird showgirls in Chicago while at others it just stammers with emotion.
It has to be admitted that some of the lyrics, such as "If my garden would have a fence then the rabbits couldn't just come in, and sit on the grass and eat all the flowers and shit," from the yearning epic 'Lacrimosa' which spills out into a beautiful Latin lament; are a little off the wall, but this makes the tunes even more endearing. In this way Regina casts herself as the perfect deluded heroine telling us a subjective story about the world.
'Pavlov's Daughter' comes out of nowhere with its schizophrenic hip hop intro before 'Us' brings the story to a close with a bright piano backing and shimmering violins that let you walk away feeling Spring has moved through your bones.
As if 'Mary Ann Meets The Gravediggers' isn't a lovely enough compilation of tracks from Spektor's enchanting albums, the bonus DVD features some wonderful artistic videos. Regina Spektor is certainly the champion of off the wall female indie that twists and winds its way through so many genres it leaves you dizzy.