Tracks
Regina Spektor: "Oedipus"
(2006)
By Conrad Amenta | 17 January 2008
It could be that the year’s most potent examination of the male mind was just released by a Russian-by-way-of-Brooklyn anti-folk songstress. Spektor's a minimalist, so there’s only a piano here, but its spare notes are populated by entire cities of tragic little boys, their character flowing confidently from Spektor’s mouth.
“Oedipus” is an intellectual’s love affair with the mother figure, and it takes guts for Spektor to put herself in the shoes of the enamored son, let alone write a pop song about it. In less than five minutes, she takes us from the first guilty touch to the morning she “woke up and thought Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus.” Finally, the song hits its third ominous division and declares, “Long live the king,” again and again, and it’s chilling the first time you hear it apex.
Spektor’s music has always flirted and poked fun at the more infantile aspects of the male psyche. “Oedipus,” as its namesake implies, sees her delving deeper with intense, and inspired, results.
“Oedipus” is an intellectual’s love affair with the mother figure, and it takes guts for Spektor to put herself in the shoes of the enamored son, let alone write a pop song about it. In less than five minutes, she takes us from the first guilty touch to the morning she “woke up and thought Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus.” Finally, the song hits its third ominous division and declares, “Long live the king,” again and again, and it’s chilling the first time you hear it apex.
Spektor’s music has always flirted and poked fun at the more infantile aspects of the male psyche. “Oedipus,” as its namesake implies, sees her delving deeper with intense, and inspired, results.