Regina Spektor - Far

Regina Spektor has done it again with another grade-A meat of an album. Far, Spektor’s fifth release, brings a grand array of piano melodies, quirky sound effects and an eclectic, rubbery vocal range that falls no shorter than a classic, mismatched Regina.

Ballads like “Man of a Thousand Faces” and “Genius Next Door” showcase Spektor’s ability to wrap her vocals and piano skill into a tightrope that not many musicians today could even think of balancing on.

With help from producers like Mike Elizondo (Fiona Apple) and ELO founder Jeff Lynne, Spektor was able to create another fizzy pop album with just as much stretch and flow.

Even within tracks themselves Spektor juxtaposes words and their contexts to create irony. “Laughing With” is a perfect example, with Spektor creating a religious commentary on both the humor and the seriousness relating to God. “God can be so hilarious/Ha Ha/No one laughs at God in a hospital/No one laughs at God in a war/No one’s laughing at God when they’ve lost all they got and they don’t know what for.”

Spektor really pushes Far to the next level, however, with bouncy, animated tracks like “The Calculation,” “Folding Chair” and “Dance Anthem of the ’80s.” Spektor has succeeded once again in her ability to make such light, witty pieces become strong tracks that stick as worthwhile, meaningful listening experiences with the listener—something she has made her past work famous for.

From ticking clocks in “Machine” to dolphin impersonations in “Folding Chair,” Spektor’s Far brings us yet another collection of artistic experimentation and expression that only Spektor could be accounted for.

Label: Sire Records
Release Date: 06/19/09

-Matthew Anderson