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Regina Spektor
Far
Sire
out June 23rd
[77]
[Rating Scale]
[rating:77/100]
After you listen to this album, you will arrive at 1 of the 2 following conclusions:
1. this album really good
2. this album is really really good
You can keep adding “really”s if you want because not only is this album superb on its first pass, but it also does the amazing job of growing on you. You will find yourself skipping to your favorite track, and the next day find another song to call your favorite and another and another. With each passing day, you realize, appreciate and choose another song, to discover that this pleasant album accommodates your mood, lyrical wants, and musical desires.
Maybe it was the first track ‘The Calculation’ that hooked me? Maybe it was the fact that most of these songs were road-tested, performed live until perfection? Or was it the seriousness of ‘Laughing With’ that had me sitting on edge since its release a couple months ago?
Far, Ms. Spektor’s 5th, does, has, and exudes everything you would want from an album. Balance, simplicity, complexity, calming, energizing, flow from beginning to end, flow on random, playlist ability, self-renewing favorite singles, and best of all Regina’s unique voice singing poignant lyrics over her signature piano progressions, expressed in everyway shape and form.
My current favorites include the eclectic ‘Folding Chair’ and the super creative ‘Dance Anthem of the 80s’. ‘Folding Chair’ sounds as if it were pulled straight out of a small carribean, reggae town — don’t let the first few seconds fool you; you might think that a power ballad is coming, but you are immediately thrown into this reggae piano progression and beat that instantly uplifts your mood as you find yourself hitting repeat to just to hear it again and again. Simple, summer, and love song are the 3 descriptors that come to mind when enjoying this hopeful summer anthem.
‘Dance Anthem of the 80s’? Don’t be surprised if you hear a remix (or maybe even the original) spun in the depths of a small club this summer. As soon as I heard the transition from the first verse into the chorus, I imagined a warm summer day at sundown with so many dancing to the pure fun of this tune. The song itself, so creatively done, reminds me of something that one of the underground DJs would spin in NYC — but instead comes with the amazing, unqiue delivery of Spektor’s soulful voice and a piano based core.
Now, I’m probably biased. It has been so long since I’ve been able to play an album straight through and enjoy every single song, I am probably making it sound as it is one of the best albums of all time. While I am fully aware that this album has nothing against the classic albums of all time, I will be the first to say I told you so when you realize that you still have this album in your CD player months or years down the road. God knows that Ms. Spektor’s latest effort is not too Far from being a permanent mainstay in my personal playlist rotation, so why not yours?
To enter to win a copy of Regina Spektor’s Far, leave a comment with your thoughts on the tracks you’ve just sampled, or (if you’ve listened to it) the album. Make sure you leave your name/email address in the provided fields! Entries will be accepted until June 30th
Richard Yoon is contributor here at Pretty Much Amazing. While he’s not runnin’ around the hospital or listening to music, he is blogging over at Music is My Hot Hot Sex.
Tags: Regina Spektor
I still can’t get enough of “Blue Lips,” but I finally got around to listening to the album in its entirety last night. I’ve only listened to it once so far so I don’t have a FINAL opinion but I can say that I was definitely not disappointed. I’m just not sure how I feel about the dolphin sounds she makes in one of the songs. But I’m kind of biased like you in that I’ll probably like anything she releases. She’s too cute. [:
HOLLA!: Ana/AnaKhachatrian@gmail.com
I have to say.
Amazing review.
I came to the 2nd conclusion.
And The Calculation is THE song to start the album with.
Thank you, PMA!
Tweet me up.
-@philodino
Oh, and my email for the giveaway: rbmwow@gmail.com
i dont understand why this album has a 77 with such a good review…
@Ramon: Well, according to the review scale from the post.. a 77 is on the higher end of the “Very good album!” range. I think the review suggests that this album is indeed a very good album! lol.
Anyway, great review, I agree with it wholeheartedly. I love Ms. Spektor.
This album is absolutely beautiful! Thank you for not bashing it like a lot of the other blogs I read. <3
thanks for the comments.. and glad everyone liked the album too!
Great review!
I’m really enjoying “Folding Chair” the most. I can’t listen to it without having a smile on my face and feeling good. And don’t forget the dolphin noises! I picked up on the reggae feel of the song after reading your review. I think the guitar adds the most to the reggae vibe of the song.
Keep it up!
p s: Did anyone read the pitchfork review? They gave the album a 4.8 stating that she’s too naive and cutesy and that she needs to grow up. That’s like telling Marilyn Manson to stop being creepy! That’s who she is and that’s her style. To each his own I guess.
Top review, Richard. People should definitely give Far a go because they’ll be pleasantly surprised.
My favourite tracks are Eet, Folding Chair and Laughing With (however that may change over the course of this week).
cool review. i love the overall feel of the album, perfect for summer!
favorites so far- the calculation, folding chair.
tim.xin@gmail.com
I’m still humming Dance Anthem of The 80’s (my first “Far” crush) though I have to admit that Folding Chair is growing stronger on me everyday.
You’re totally right this album accommodates your mood, lyrical wants, and musical desires.
gabilucerob@hotmail.com
Good review man, I agree with the rating — very good album, indeed!
My favorite songs are Folding Chair, Dance Anthem of The 80’s, and the EPIC Machine. Machine is one of the best songs I’ve heard all year.
PS: Pitchfork can go die
i started to stream the album while doing other things and literally dropped everything when i heard genius. i heard her sing it live years ago and thought it was the most beautiful thing since radiohead or sufjan. that coupled with machine and the dance anthem of the 80’s makes me want to own this album immediately.
Feels good to read a review that is exactly how you feel. Love what you say about how you get hooked on this song or that song and then skip and are in the mood for a different one. Just for ex: Dance Anthem.. and Genius… can’t be any different from each other, but can you REALLY pick out which you like more. I can’t. Or, like your listening to Calculation for 2 days and then you switch to Human of the Year and not listen to Calculation for awhile, only to go back to it again. The entire album is like that. In fact, her whole music catalog is like that. The 2 ways to react to this album is just like you say. Only positive. I would like to add a third after she even, like you say, grows on you. – ‘This album is great!’ Then retest that 77.
I’ve been listening to this album for a few days now and all the things I had in mind, you wrote them down. It’s been really, really long time since I’ve enjoyed an album from the beginning to end, with each and every song. This is definitely my most favorite album of latest times…
So far I’ve only heard ‘Laughing With’ and ‘Blue Lips’ (I want to wait to hear the rest of the album in its entirety). I was somewhat underwhelmed by ‘Laughing With’, just because I was a latecomer to Regina Spektor, so I had such a stellar back catalogue to catch up on– ‘Consequence of Sounds’, ‘Your Honor’, ‘Us’, ‘Braille’…I was always stunned by the newness of it, like these songs had spung fully formed and glinting from the snow. To me, ‘Laughing With’ sounds like a retread- an achingly pretty one, yes, but it still felt watered down somehow.
BUT your review and some youtube therapy have got me totally hyped for the album all the same. Reginaaaaa.
Regina sounds amazing! Her voice is ethereal and the melodies are catchy without having obvious hooks. Love it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jCrZ7YZPLU
REMIX of Dance Anthem!