eleventh.transmission
REVIEWS
MUSIC
Regina Spektor - Begin to Hope
by Derek Gour
Mix one part Tori Amos, one part Sarah McLachlan, two parts classic piano training, one part amazing voice,
and a pinch of a Russian import growing up in the Bronx. Sit on the sofa, and savour Regina Spektor. She is
the unlikely queen of the New York anti-folk scene, and her fourth album, Begin to Hope, is her second major
label release.
Begin To Hope is formatted to attract a mainstream audience to a indie artist. It begins with the most pop-
friendly songs and gradually slips into more familiar Regina Spektor territory. There are multiple versions of
the album: the basic twelve-track release, the seventeen-track bonus CD, and the iTunes album that offers
nineteen songs.
The opening track, "Fidelity", is a radio-friendly tune that provided the album's first single. It's an accessible
introduction to Regina Spektor, and the song's hook foreshadows the increasingly anti-folk antics which will
follow, especially on the bonus tracks. In the refrain, "and it breaks my heart", she playfully repeats the word
'heart'. It's an odd song hook, because while it's catchy, most people aren't talented enough to repeat it in the
shower.
This kind of unorthodox vocal technique is signature Spektor. The bonus tracks are sprinkled with verses
composed entirely of vocal buzzing noises, and beatbox-style flourishes in the middle of ballads. While this
comes off odd on the first listen, it becomes endearing as the album buries itself in your subconscious.
More than her vocal antics, it is the quality of her voice and her abilities on the piano that are winning her
legions of loyal fans. Her voice is confident and seductive, though not overtly sexy.
"Samson" is the finest ballad on the album, while "Fidelity", "On the Radio", and "Hotel Song" keep the pace
sprightly. "Hotel Song" emanates retro-chic with its bass line which sounds like it was made on the ninety-
dollar Yamaha keyboard your parents bought when you were nine. Spektor sounds most like Tori Amos on
"20 Years of Snow", while "Lady" comes across as a solid alt-jazz tune. Among the bonus tracks, "Baobobs",
and "Music Box" stand out as deft combinations of quirky lyrics and musical talent.
Weak tracks are hard to find here: "Better" is an ungainly follow-up to "Fidelity", and the bonus track "Uh-
merica" takes a while to grow on you.
Begin To Hope will stand the test of time, since the songs get better with each listen. Even with nineteen
tracks on the iTunes album, few of the songs qualify as fillers. Some tracks and videos are available on
Regina Spektor's MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/reginaspektor)
BOOKS
Fred Wah - Diamond Grill
by Liane Muir
Cooking a Diamond Grill
As a dish, Diamond Grill might not suit everyone’s taste. For those with allergies to Poetry or Lack of Closure,
this book may give you hives. Those of you on a romance or humour only diet, eat small and often. But for
those with a complex palate, Diamond Grill will satisfy.
Looking at the ingredients for this book, it would appear that the stock is a mixture of anecdotes and food.
Put these two ingredients in a pot and let them stew for many years.
Emotion is one of the key ingredients to the success of this dish. Diamond Grill centres around a lot of Anger.
Yet, on tasting Diamond Grill, I was surprised that the Anger lingered on my tongue as an aftertaste. It wasn’t
overwhelming. So Anger must be well blended in to the broth. Add it early on in the cooking process to give it
plenty of time to infuse so that we taste the flavour but cant see any bits. The recipe book calls for 2 cups of
ANGER and mix well to blend into every nook and cranny of anecdotes.
For those of us with more delicate tummies not wishing to produce an angry book of alliterated anecdotes,
you will be pleased to note that humour is also evident in Diamond Grill, but more in chunks. Recipe book
calls for ¼ cup of diced humour. This allows it to pop up every now and then, but miss a spoonful or two, so
that when you do taste it, it’s a refreshing change.
The next element might make many of you miserable. The addition of an abundance of alliterations. I think
this flavour is favourable as it flatters the poetic language. Poetry? Don’t panic, we’ll approach that problem
pragmatically in a pinch. Recipe calls for 2 cups of coarsely cut alliterations and let them cook down slowly .
Next, a ¼ cup of finely chopped characters. The characters pop in and out of this dish, teasing us with
palatable insights to a younger Fred Wah. The characterization, particularly of the narrator and his father is
compelling. The Restaurant itself is a character, housing and relishing the human personalities, displaying
them in all their zest. The charcterization of the narrator and Fred Wah senior grabs hold of the anecdotes
and their lovely glossy appearance will delight the eye if not the belly.
The next ingredient, racialization, some might argue should be put in earlier to let it really stew. I disagree. It
has such a strong bite to it. If it is put in to the mix too early, it becomes the dish. I don’t think the whole book
is about racialization, put in too much and the reader will be left with a very bitter aftertaste which will take over
the whole book.
Next, an easy ingredient to find in any of our mental pantries, memories. They don’t have to be whole or make
sense. You’d be amazed how much flavour can come from a vague three or four line memory. Volumes of
flavour. The recipe book calls for ¾ cup finely ground memories.
Two more quite strong ingredients that are best left until nearer the end, as we don’t want them to overpower
the book. The first is poetry. This is an acquired taste, but for Diamond Grill, a significant vital ingredient. Note,
if you keep the poetry in large obvious chunks, it enables certain individuals to sift them out and hide them
under their side plates, if they just cant stomach it.
Just before serving, add 2 tablespoons of Code-Switching (if you cant find it in the store, ask for Pidgin or
Chinook Jargon.) This ingredient enhances the humour. Add a little bunch of clichés, but not too many, just
use the heads, disregard the stalks. Lastly, for some extra spice, a couple of dashes of symbolism, but don’t
use the dark kind, the light stuff compliments the anger well.
And that’s it. Leave to stew for as many years as possible, it gets better with age. As it stands, it’s a fairly
hearty meal on its own. Even those with no penchant for poetry will still find themselves wrapped inside the
rich aroma of the juicy characters, full-bodied memories and succulent anecdotes.
MUSIC
Regina Spektor - Begin to Hope
by Derek Gour
Mix one part Tori Amos, one part Sarah McLachlan, two parts classic piano training, one part amazing voice,
and a pinch of a Russian import growing up in the Bronx. Sit on the sofa, and savour Regina Spektor. She is
the unlikely queen of the New York anti-folk scene, and her fourth album, Begin to Hope, is her second major
label release.
Begin To Hope is formatted to attract a mainstream audience to a indie artist. It begins with the most pop-
friendly songs and gradually slips into more familiar Regina Spektor territory. There are multiple versions of
the album: the basic twelve-track release, the seventeen-track bonus CD, and the iTunes album that offers
nineteen songs.
The opening track, "Fidelity", is a radio-friendly tune that provided the album's first single. It's an accessible
introduction to Regina Spektor, and the song's hook foreshadows the increasingly anti-folk antics which will
follow, especially on the bonus tracks. In the refrain, "and it breaks my heart", she playfully repeats the word
'heart'. It's an odd song hook, because while it's catchy, most people aren't talented enough to repeat it in the
shower.
This kind of unorthodox vocal technique is signature Spektor. The bonus tracks are sprinkled with verses
composed entirely of vocal buzzing noises, and beatbox-style flourishes in the middle of ballads. While this
comes off odd on the first listen, it becomes endearing as the album buries itself in your subconscious.
More than her vocal antics, it is the quality of her voice and her abilities on the piano that are winning her
legions of loyal fans. Her voice is confident and seductive, though not overtly sexy.
"Samson" is the finest ballad on the album, while "Fidelity", "On the Radio", and "Hotel Song" keep the pace
sprightly. "Hotel Song" emanates retro-chic with its bass line which sounds like it was made on the ninety-
dollar Yamaha keyboard your parents bought when you were nine. Spektor sounds most like Tori Amos on
"20 Years of Snow", while "Lady" comes across as a solid alt-jazz tune. Among the bonus tracks, "Baobobs",
and "Music Box" stand out as deft combinations of quirky lyrics and musical talent.
Weak tracks are hard to find here: "Better" is an ungainly follow-up to "Fidelity", and the bonus track "Uh-
merica" takes a while to grow on you.
Begin To Hope will stand the test of time, since the songs get better with each listen. Even with nineteen
tracks on the iTunes album, few of the songs qualify as fillers. Some tracks and videos are available on
Regina Spektor's MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/reginaspektor)
BOOKS
Fred Wah - Diamond Grill
by Liane Muir
Cooking a Diamond Grill
As a dish, Diamond Grill might not suit everyone’s taste. For those with allergies to Poetry or Lack of Closure,
this book may give you hives. Those of you on a romance or humour only diet, eat small and often. But for
those with a complex palate, Diamond Grill will satisfy.
Looking at the ingredients for this book, it would appear that the stock is a mixture of anecdotes and food.
Put these two ingredients in a pot and let them stew for many years.
Emotion is one of the key ingredients to the success of this dish. Diamond Grill centres around a lot of Anger.
Yet, on tasting Diamond Grill, I was surprised that the Anger lingered on my tongue as an aftertaste. It wasn’t
overwhelming. So Anger must be well blended in to the broth. Add it early on in the cooking process to give it
plenty of time to infuse so that we taste the flavour but cant see any bits. The recipe book calls for 2 cups of
ANGER and mix well to blend into every nook and cranny of anecdotes.
For those of us with more delicate tummies not wishing to produce an angry book of alliterated anecdotes,
you will be pleased to note that humour is also evident in Diamond Grill, but more in chunks. Recipe book
calls for ¼ cup of diced humour. This allows it to pop up every now and then, but miss a spoonful or two, so
that when you do taste it, it’s a refreshing change.
The next element might make many of you miserable. The addition of an abundance of alliterations. I think
this flavour is favourable as it flatters the poetic language. Poetry? Don’t panic, we’ll approach that problem
pragmatically in a pinch. Recipe calls for 2 cups of coarsely cut alliterations and let them cook down slowly .
Next, a ¼ cup of finely chopped characters. The characters pop in and out of this dish, teasing us with
palatable insights to a younger Fred Wah. The characterization, particularly of the narrator and his father is
compelling. The Restaurant itself is a character, housing and relishing the human personalities, displaying
them in all their zest. The charcterization of the narrator and Fred Wah senior grabs hold of the anecdotes
and their lovely glossy appearance will delight the eye if not the belly.
The next ingredient, racialization, some might argue should be put in earlier to let it really stew. I disagree. It
has such a strong bite to it. If it is put in to the mix too early, it becomes the dish. I don’t think the whole book
is about racialization, put in too much and the reader will be left with a very bitter aftertaste which will take over
the whole book.
Next, an easy ingredient to find in any of our mental pantries, memories. They don’t have to be whole or make
sense. You’d be amazed how much flavour can come from a vague three or four line memory. Volumes of
flavour. The recipe book calls for ¾ cup finely ground memories.
Two more quite strong ingredients that are best left until nearer the end, as we don’t want them to overpower
the book. The first is poetry. This is an acquired taste, but for Diamond Grill, a significant vital ingredient. Note,
if you keep the poetry in large obvious chunks, it enables certain individuals to sift them out and hide them
under their side plates, if they just cant stomach it.
Just before serving, add 2 tablespoons of Code-Switching (if you cant find it in the store, ask for Pidgin or
Chinook Jargon.) This ingredient enhances the humour. Add a little bunch of clichés, but not too many, just
use the heads, disregard the stalks. Lastly, for some extra spice, a couple of dashes of symbolism, but don’t
use the dark kind, the light stuff compliments the anger well.
And that’s it. Leave to stew for as many years as possible, it gets better with age. As it stands, it’s a fairly
hearty meal on its own. Even those with no penchant for poetry will still find themselves wrapped inside the
rich aroma of the juicy characters, full-bodied memories and succulent anecdotes.
Arts, Culture, Media, Activism
| December 2006 - Issue 9 |
All work copyright
the respective
owner. Nothing
may be reproduced
without consent.
the respective
owner. Nothing
may be reproduced
without consent.