11-8-11 - "Machine" ~ Regina Spektor

Been a while since I posted some Regina Spektor.  This one falls somewhere near the middle of the Spektor Weirdness Scale - it has some odd vocal utterances and disturbing imagery, but isn't nearly as strange as certain other tracks ("Oedipus", "Aching to Pupate", I'm looking at you.)  I think my favorite thing about Spektor is she's absolutely unafraid to try new things, be herself, and just have fun with her songs.


The song starts with a driving piano rhythm, explodes with mechanical sounds, and features a sick string breakdown for the bridge.  The subject matter here is pretty heavy; I'll leave the details for you to work out on your own but the gist seems to be an homage to / railing against the technological age, or maybe some kind of futuristic dystopian world...

Several clutch live performances are online; here's one from House of Blues (Boston) to start you off:

(look for "Live in London", "Live Paris Bataclan", and "Bonnaroo 2010" for some other sweet ones - better video than this version but this one has that intimate venue feel)

And here's the album version, coupled with one of the most fitting fan videos I've ever seen.  The scenes are from Joss Whedon's "Firefly" and "Dollhouse" shows, and although I haven't watched Dollhouse, Firefly was great.

"I collect my moments

into a correspondence

with a mightier power

who just lacks my perspective

and who lacks my organics

and who covets my defects

and I'm downloaded daily

I am part of a composite..."