Regina Spektor - "Soviet Kitsch" (Warner/Sire, 2004) - * * * * 1/2

It is a rare experience, but there are special moments when an album takes over the mind, making a listener question everything he or she once believed about a genre.

Regina Spektor's album wouldn't appear to be this species of musical beast. The cover art is a ghastly misrepresentation of what's inside; I thought I was picking up a punk rock album when I saw her picture on the cover, a flask of liquor touching her lips, her eyes winking at me from under a hat she must have purchased from Scott Weiland. The title "Soviet Kitsch" further suggests that the music within isn't of much consequence.

Don’t believe that for an instant. Ignoring this album would be the biggest mistake a music fan could make.

I put this album in my stereo Friday afternoon, searching for a way to escape the dreary rain falling outside my window. Upon first listen the music seemed adventurous and creative. Yet without any reigns on Spektor's free-wheeling style it was hard to comprehend where the album was supposed to go. The second song, "Poor Little Rich Boy" was a real stumbling-block. The song opens with a simple piano line coupled with the sound of a drumstick clicking off a metal snare rim. Then Spektor's voice comes in and she keeps shifting the meter, at some points trying to cram four lines of lyrics into two measures of music. The song ends with her endlessly repeating the phrase "you're so goddamned young!" as the drumstick clicking ratchets up in intensity. It is a bizarre track, but after a few listens I started to appreciate Spektor's idiosyncratic style.

Spektor builds her songs on an elegantly crafted piano foundation, which showcases her classical training. Blending elements of her childhood (she came to America from Russia at the age of nine) with her Bronx influences, she sketches characters that are so "real" it is impossible to hear a song the same way twice. With "Chemo Limo" she gives a voice to a cancer patient who dreams of scrapping her chemo treatments and using the money to spend time with her children and "go out in style". The words are powerful in their honesty: "No thank you no thank you no thank you no thank you," she sings. "I ain't gonna die like this! I can afford chemo like I can afford a limo and besides, this shit is making me tired, you know."

Spektor also lets her sense of humor run rampant on "Your Honor," which opens with a bang: "I kissed your lips and I tasted blood! I asked you what'd happened and you said there'd been a fight. You said, 'I've been fighting for your honor, but you wouldn't understand,' so I said, 'hold on, your honor, I'll get ice for your hand.'" The tension in the song is aided by the presence of British hard-rockers Kill Kenada; it is, in fact, the only song on the album using a full band.
The album closes, however, with my favorite song: "Somedays." It sounds both familiar and new. I kept hitting repeat to hear just this song over and over. "Some days aren't yours at all," she sings. "They come and go as if they're someone else's days. They come and leave you behind somebody else's face, and it's harsher than yours. It's colder than yours." Her voice rises into a near wail as she repeats "I've gone away, don't call me, don't write." The sincerity in her performance is heart-wrenching.

"Soviet Kitsch" is an album that takes some effort to fully appreciate. Like Tori Amos, Regina Spektor has the ability to write amazingly evocative piano pieces. But also like Amos, she finds ways to add lyrics that are multi-layered and sometimes impenetrable. But let the album play a few times, and you'll be in my situation. I've removed all the other CDs from my stereo, something keeps making me want to hear the album just one more time. And each time I hear something new that makes me want to go out and pass out copies of the album to everyone I meet on the street. Regina Spektor used to be a New York City underground secret. While she won't ever be mainstream in any sense of the word, she's written the best album you're not listening to.

LISTEN TO THE MUSIC
Regina Spektor - "Carbon Monoxide"
Regina Spektor - "Sailor Song"
Regina Spektor - "Chemo Limo"
Regina Spektor - "Somedays"

CONCERT REVIEW:WCRD Battle Bash 2005

I spent five hours Saturday night as one of four judges for the WCRD Battle Bash. And let me tell you all, it was worth the time, to hear some of the best music this region has to offer. The competition was fierce, and I came out of it all with a lot of column-fodder. Be prepared. You're going to be hearing more about some of these bands later!

A Failed Escape (www.afailedescape.com)
Hailing from Twelve Mile, Ind., just west of Logansport, A Failed Escape may be the most original band I've seen since coming to Ball State. Their stage show is something you have to witness. They won the battle bash by 19 points, thanks to a performance that combined the musical rantings of escaped mental patients with the most bizarre physical spectacle to ever grace the Tally's stage. That aside, I was concerned their music wouldn't hold up without the live antics, but that was unfounded. One of their best live songs, "Cheapshot Artist (Disco)", sounds even more effective on their demo recording, emphasising just how clever their ability is to parody two genres at once (blending punk with disco). The rest of their demo disc, which paves the way for their forthcoming album Impotent Donkey, has something for everyone, whether you're a fan of country, punk or anything else. Above all else, these demos prove that there's room in the music world for a band with talent and originality.

Zoospore (www.myspace.com/zoospore)
Chicago's Zoospore was my favorite to win it all before I heard A Failed Escape. Their ability to play everything from post-grunge to all-out rock had me comparing them to Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and REM. Everything that made them a successful live band comes through on their demo disc, including songs like "Falling", which was one of my favorites on both their demo and their live performance. It reminded me of Vs. era Pearl Jam mixed with elements of what made the Stone Temple Pilots great. They may not be the most original band on the planet, but Zoospore's ability to draw from a large group of influences and yet create music that sounds new is something that is going to serve them well. And on their track "Rewrite", which may be their true signature track, shows that talent coming through in spades. I can't wait to see this band come back to Muncie for another round.

Insomnia (http://ajbeam.iweb.bsu.edu)
Muncie's own Insomnia may have taken home second place in the battle on Saturday, but they got the best complement I heard from any of the judges early in the night. One of the judges commented before they started that he had heard the band quote "sucked". They had only been playing for two or three minutes when he turned to the guy next to him and said he'd been completely incorrect. The fact is, if Insomnia "sucks" then I need to stop listening to music completely. This group had it all going for them musically on songs like "My World" and "Chaser", which show their ability to craft solid songs with great hooks. And when it came to performing live Saturday night, they had the crowd in the palm of their hands. I wasn't able to get a copy of their CD, so I don't know if the group has a full album or just a series of demos, but if they don't have a full album they need one. Call them the best band in Muncie you've probably never heard.

Everthus The Deadbeats - "Nothing, I Want Nothing"(Independent, 2005) - * * * 1/2

If you're looking for something with local flavor, this four-song EP comes highly recommended. Blending an art-rock sound with elements of progressive blues and funk, Everthus The Deadbeats may well be the most original band working the Muncie scene! "Belly Achin' Dummy" has a light Beatles sound, while "Human Paraquat" sounds like Ween mixed with the bizarre eclecticism of former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham (I couldn't help but love the background "oohs" and "aahs" that were so reminescent of his classic track "Big Love"). But you won't need to get that far to find something to like about this band: the opening track, "I've Got A Lot Of Faith In This Product", should hook you with its funky keyboard intro and earn you as a fan with the sardonic vocals. I can't wait to hear a full album from this group!

To hear music from Everthus The Deadbeats, visit www.myspace.com/everthusthedeadbeats.

Kasabian - "Kasabian"(RCA, 2005) - * * * *

Kasabian - "Kasabian" (RCA, 2005) * * * *
I picked up Kasabian's debut album on RCA knowing nothing abuot the band. While listening to the album for the first time, I scrolled through numerous articles about the band and their musical background, and kept coming back to one fork in the road: in the UK, this band is respected; in the US, and in the pages of Rolling Stone in particular, the band is reviled.

I had to wonder why, considering the first four tracks on the album were among the catchiest I'd heard since going through an electronica phase in high school. You should forget anything you've read about about Kasabian's self-titled album until you get a chance to hear the album. Ignore the Brits, ignore RS's Barry Walters. Even ignore me, if you think I'm going to get in the way of your finding out for yourself whether this album works. Then you can come back and see if you agree with me.

Okay, if you're still reading, I'll assume you've heard the album. If not, may God have mercy on your soul. Because if you brush this group off as self-indulgent or creatively challenged, you're going to miss out on the electro-dance rock since the Chemical Brothers' album "Dig Your Own Hole". This group brings a massive set of influences to a rolling boil, everything from Modest Mouse to the Stone Roses, or from Happy Mondays to Primal Scream.

Sure, you could get hung up on the fact that the band has gone to some trouble to create a mystique. Just their name alone conjures up references to Charles Manson and his getaway driver who also bore the name. But put that aside, that and their heavy-handed politics, and get down to what is important (and this deserves 48-point type):

THE BEAT.

That’s right. Put this album in your stereo, plug in some headphones, crank up the volume and try not to groove to tracks like "Processed Beats", "Reason Is Treason" or "Lost Souls Forever". I couldn't even last that long; I was dancing around the second floor of my apartment in the middle of the opening track, "Club Foot", with the speakers screaming: "I tell you I want you / I'll tell you I need you / I … the blood ain't on my face / Just wanted you near me!" Don't ask me why, or even what the hell they're talking about. All I know is that the beat took control and I knew I'd found a band I could get behind.

Sometimes that's all you need. It's hard for me to say, as I'm a lyric man myself. But if you get a hand on a copy of "Kasabian" and can get past their politics and all the conflicting commentary you'll read about them, and just focus on the music, you'll be fine. And you'll be able to appreciate what should be called the first great album of 2005.