Albums to watch

What We Saw From The Cheap Seats

Regina Spektor

What We Saw From The Cheap Seats

Sixth album of piano pop and alt.folk from the NY-based, Russian-born singer-songwriter

ADM rating[?]

6.9

Label
Warner Bros
UK Release date
28/05/2012
US Release date
29/05/2012
  1. 10.0 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    Regina is a musician who is never content to sit still. In part, that is why What We Saw From The Cheap Seats is a downright scary album. An artist who could already seemingly do no wrong went and became even more perfect
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  2. 9.1 |   A.V. Club

    Isn’t a major departure for Spektor, but it’s generally more comfortable in its eccentricity
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  3. 8.3 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    Darker than her earlier albums, and undeniably more interesting, What We Saw From The Cheap Seats catapults Regina Spektor onto a new plateau of maturity and elegance
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  4. 8.0 |   Tone Deaf

    Another hodgepodge of everything that enters her brain, gets chewed around a bit, and rearranged in true Spektor-ian style. A real step up
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  5. 8.0 |   NME

    Only the hardest of hearts could fail to be melted by such simple ballads of unforced emotion and true romance
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  6. 8.0 |   BBC

    Really, the truth about Regina Spektor is that quirky isn't the half of it

  7. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    Pulls off the impressive trick of stylistically bouncing about all over the place while retaining a very identifiable vision all of its own
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  8. 8.0 |   Rave Magazine

    A collection of 11 mostly-sweet, mostly-piano-driven tunes, highlighting in equal measure her instantly recognisable voice and deft pop sensibilities
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  9. 8.0 |   Slant Magazine

    Beneath the yelps, gasps, and exaggerated accents, she's a romantic, and What We Saw is her most deeply felt, resonant work to date
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  10. 7.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Could’ve been Spektor’s magnum opus, but the flashes of brilliance here are enough to keep us hoping for her next release.
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  11. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    Her latest, even tighter and more flamboyant than 2009's Far, may be her best
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  12. 6.3 |   Pitchfork

    Though it rarely makes good on the promise of her earlier songs, Cheap Seats is polarizing, and by now most listeners will have already decided whether or not they can stomach Spektor's peculiar kind of vérité, glass-half-full optimism
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  13. 6.0 |   State

    A perfectly respectable collection of songs, but Christmas stocking fillers rather than the pièce de résistance
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  14. 6.0 |   Paste Magazine

    Heavy on overlong ballads, and when she adds that trademark whimsy to the mix, it’s nearly unbearabl
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  15. 6.0 |   The Scotsman

    Charming though her schtick generally is, it might be time for this talented and idiosyncratic songwriter to try out different modes
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  16. 6.0 |   The Irish Times

    Spektor blends what you might like with what you might not expect. It’s a cute trick that works well
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  17. 6.0 |   The Independent

    Just when you think Regina Spektor is coasting into a song's shallower waters, she'll catch an outsized wave – like the gulping sound in "Open" – which yanks it back into the choppier swell
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  18. 6.0 |   Independent on Sunday

    The usual Spektorish mixed bag of literate genius and "look at me" showboating
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  19. 6.0 |   The Observer

    She's still a pop maverick worth cherishing, but you wish she'd tone down the quirkiness just a little
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  20. 6.0 |   The Arts Desk

    An album that's made for modern-day shuffle, as fuel for 2012's most heartfelt mixtapes, rather than to be listened to as a satisfying whole
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  21. 6.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    Whether or not Regina Spektor has her own masterpiece left in her I’m not so sure, but it’s good to have her around, tugging on those heart strings and shedding some light on the darker corners of life
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  22. 4.0 |   Q

    She may be running on fumes. Print edition only


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Regina Spektor: What We Saw From The Cheap Seats

  • Download full album for just £9.49
  • 1. Small Town Moon £0.99
  • 2. Oh Marcello £0.99
  • 3. Don't Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas) £0.99
  • 4. Firewood £0.99
  • 5. Patron Saint £0.99
  • 6. How £0.99
  • 7. All The Rowboats £0.99
  • 8. Ballad Of A Politician £0.99
  • 9. Open £0.99
  • 10. The Party £0.99
  • 11. Jessica £0.99
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