Regina Spektor

Far

(Sire)

Record Review by Kevan Peterson

Far opens with the track “Calculation,” which feels quite calculated in its unadulterated catchiness.  Regina Spektor pops simple chords on the piano and sprouts whimsical lyrics like weeds in a garden.  “Eet,” the album's second track, loses some of the catchiness of it’s predecessor but holds its own among the sea of piano pop infiltrating the airwaves and record stores over the last decade, since Tori Amos made it cool to rock out with ivory.

Regina Spektor has always held a bit of quirkiness over her key-pounding peers, even though Far finds her at her most commercial.  The album falls into a bit of a lull with “Blue Lips,” a song that does not demand much attention from the listener with throwaway lyrics like, “blue, the color of our planet from far, far away,” presumably meant to evoke an emotional “our planet is dying” sentimentality, as it is compared to blue lips, but comes off sounding more “kindergarten” than “save a garden.”

“Folding Chair” falls back into the poppy catchiness that Spektor does best, delving into non lyrical “ooo’s and ah’s.” that make you want to sing along.  “Machine” incorporates digital distortions and loops to evoke the feeling of something mechanical.  It seems at this point that many of the songs are quite literally named, which makes the listener half expect that “Laughing With,” the album's first single, would feature Spektor laughing out loud, offering you the chance to laugh with her.  However, the track comes off as the bastard child of Joan Osborne’s “One of Us,” and Alanis Morissette’s “Ironic,” with lyrics like “No one laughs at God when (insert devastating event).”

“Human of the Year” is a farcical exploration of an award that could and perhaps should be given to someone of exemplary caliber, but of course none of us are perfect.  The second half of the album breezes through a number of solid tracks but if you are familiar with Spektor's early work, many of the rough edges that were so integrated into her music, especially on Soviet Kitsch, are gone.  There is a glimpse of her previous sound on “Dance Anthem of The 80’s,” before the newer, glossier Regina returns on “Genius Next Door.”

Overall, the album delivers a solid set of songs that may find themselves more relegated to the background of a study session then the forefront of a party.  In that sense, perhaps even the album is appropriately titled - as it is best heard from Far away.