Album Review: Regina Spektor - Far
Hope. If what Emily Dickinson said is true, then for many of us, this little bird with feathers has been perched on our shoulder since 2006: when we first began to hope for Regina Spektor’s next album. After much longing by fans and a heavy promo run, Far is finally near, and Spektor stays true to form, balancing her conscientious analysis of humanity with deliberate but gentle storytelling. The words matter. And thankfully, she still delivers them to us with the occasional coy glance and mad chops on the piano.
A good number of these songs are tracks she’s been playing live for years. So far, her label, Warner Brothers, has given us two singles and three videos (”Laughing With“, “Eet” and “Dance Anthem of the 80s“) which built buzz and excitement. But bees can sting. The “comment” sections of these outlets are ignited by some fans feeling fiery about the themes of religion and faith in the album’s lyrics.
Spektor wasn’t afraid to go there on Begin to Hope, drawing from Bible (or more likely the Tanakh for the Jewish-heritage Spektor) narratives. In “Samson”, she beautifully re-imagined of the story of Samson and Delilah. She seems even more willing to go there in Far. “Laughing With” is matter-of-fact: “No one laughs at God on the day they realize that the last sight they’ll ever see is a pair of hateful eyes”. Then she takes us to the garden of Eden in “Blue Lips” where Adam and Eve get credit for the entire mess we’ve inherited: “They started out beneath the knowledge tree. Then they chopped it down to make white picket fences”.
These allusions offend some who feel her beliefs are being imposed upon them (reminder to these folks: you can turn off the music any time you like). Now, maybe it’s just a few of you, but sweet Regina seems anything but imposing. So let’s speculate her only agenda is tell the truth as she sees it. We get the feeling she’s watching this world through some extra special lenses. Nothing is too ordinary or forgettable and that’s why we love her. Master storyteller C.S. Lewis said, “if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring two pence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.” You see, a simple-truth telling Spektor doesn’t have to try to be original. She just is.
Spektor’s been known to say her songs are rarely autobiographical. This seems to jive with Far. Although she’s not necessarily telling a story about herself or telling you what you should believe, she might just be narrating a story about you. Perhaps you’ve been the couple in “The Calculation”, who realized love isn’t as formulaic as you thought; or maybe you’re the gal in “Folding Chair”, who lights up at the dream to “get a silver bullet trailer and have a baby boy” or one of the boys and girls of the poppy, kitschy-cool “Dance Anthem” who “watch each other eat, when they really just wanna watch each other sleep”.
Let’s face it. Though we are diverse and eclectic, our humanity is common in our most simple longings: to be loved, to give love, to make a difference for someone or the world, to be noticed. Spektor floats effortlessly through these deep themes and lightens them with her cheery da-da-das and playful hooks and rhythms. “Eet” both haunts and empowers with the minor keys and tempo changes. Then she goes dark, in Orwellian shadows of The Matrix, on “Machine” before telling the story of Carl, the unwitting “Human of the Year” who achieves the ultimate honor… or, wait, does he? “One More Time With Feeling” coaches us through this worldly stage, where all of us are players in a genius use of acting vernacular. Over and over again the imagery she chooses is tactile: art made of macaroni noodles, a crumpled receipt for a pair of leather boots, safety pinned children’s clothes. It’s here in the ordinary, she awakens our remaining senses and gently brings you out of the figurative into reality.
Production on the album is tighter and cleaner than albums past. There is surely a contingent upset Regina is not banging a drumstick on a chair in studio. But before you go thinking our very own Consequence Princess (yes, this site is named for one of her songs!) has forsaken her quirkiness, check out “Folding Chair” where she morphs her voice into a “dolphin song”. Where she actually sounds, all the more charmingly, like a barking seal. When’s the last time you met a sweet Russian songstress who attempts a sea-mammal impersonation? Quirky remains!
With Far, Ms. Spektor further solidifies her spot as the songstress of choice for those of us who desperately want to love Bjork but secretly just don’t always get her. We get Ms. Spektor and she gets us. As the Proverb says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” You’ll feel alive as you listen to this one.
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I expected there to be some savvy commenters on this album and you guys didn’t disappoint! Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts!
After a few weeks more with the album, I do think I am a twinge more disappointed in the production. It’s a tough call though. Seems anytime you love a live-only track before it goes into the studio and comes out on an album (rather than vice-a-versa), it’s going to be a difficult transition. The song can sound over-produced simply because it’s been produced.
And you can go two ways with that: debit the album’s artistry or a credit the artist’s live ability. In Spektor’s case, I’d say she’s just so excellent live, even stripped down to a piano and strings, sometimes the music from your living room speaker leaves you wanting more. I’d say that’s a fine “problem” to have, particularly in an industry where many depend on the studios to make them sound good.
That said, this album as a whole does seem packaged more palatably to McDonald’s (do people really still eat there after Super Size Me?!?) America.
Regarding the Lewis dialogue, fan or not, the endurance and popularity of his work might be evidence to claim he’s done something creative. However, I don’t think he was referring to himself with the thought about writing; it was more of a (very good) theory on creativity in art and literature as a whole.
Happy 4th of July to all!
haha, it’s hilarious to me that someone has it in them to say that the person who created Narnia is unorginal. Lewis is great.
and this album is incredible! I love Regina and this is probably my favorite album of hers. Maybe some would argue some songs are over-done, but really I think they’re fine…better than fine…amazing.
Ah you said it all!
http://shobhnaiyer.blogspot.com/2009/06/oh-all-discussion-oh-all-complaining.html
just because aslan has been compared to jesus and there are biblical inferences and undertones doesn’t mean the whole of the lion, the witch and the wardrobe IS the story of the bible. the bible is a pretty big book. and with several thousands of years of written history, is anything original? isn’t every tragic love story just romeo and juliet? isn’t any under-dog story just david and goliath? if people could only write something brand new there would be nothing left to write about. c.s. lewis’s treatment of his story is very far from the way the bible was viewed. plus he wrote a whole set of books other than that one. maybe he was trying to make us think differently about jesus. it’s hardly unoriginal.
getting on to regina. i agree that folding chair and blue lips sound over-produced compared to previous live versions, but eet and laughing with are the perfect balance of old regina and new regina. this review matches my feelings pretty well. i love earlier tracks like oedipus, braille, and then soviet kitsch stuff. some of regina’s songs i never got on with - your honour, edit, 20 years of snow. some people will love these songs. i think this new album is more to my taste than begin to hope was, but not as good as soviet kitsch overall, although some songs seem beautiful. all in all, well worth waiting for.
I completely agree with you, rdelsid! I’ve also had the live version of Folding Chair on my iPod for forever, and the version on the record simply does it no justice. Way too over produced it almost washes out Regina’s sublime vocals. I feel that Regina is just one of those artist that are better live. I love it when it’s just simple and sparse - just her and her piano. and drum stick.
the most popular restaurant in america is McDonald’s. what does this say about the culture?
regina will be reaching more people to share her music with the production as it is, despite the obvious flaws, and lackadaisical moments of production quality resulting from some of the more seemingly lazy or possibly malevolent producers who worked the album (”folding chair”, “blue lips”), contrasted by some very beautiful moments of production (”laughing with”, “eet” esp., and i have yet to experience the whole thing but i imagine the contrasting continual balancing is there, maybe on purpose after all?), anyways it will still appeal to more people.
“one more time with feeling” goes to show how production can change the whole entire mood of a song.
the featuring shows still represent the pureness which is regina, and so those who appreciate regina’s 1 girl show ability will still be appeased.
plus the content of the album is very poignant in that the songs paint a picture of perspective shifting insights into creating a more beautiful life. many of us are just as blessed but to recognize and work at it is what the underlying theme seems to be, in addition to the thoughtful immersion regina makes into the many deep puddles of interesting intellectual concepts and energies which make up this world. as genuine lover of regina’s presentation, i give the album an A+ despite or in combination with the questionable production depending on it’s source.
i read much of the bible and tltwtw, and am having trouble making all of the connections, maybe you could elaborate, or are you just being ironic?
To be honest, I’ve had a live recording of Folding Chair on my iPod for about a year, and i love the song, but the version on the album is so over produced it’s extremely disappointing. Her best songs are when other instruments are added sparingly to enhance the mood she’s created, but with the album versions of Blue Lips and Folding chair she’s practically in a band now. With every song they’ve released early except for dance anthem of the 80’s there’s drums and guitar. If any of you have ever heard Blue Lips live, you’ll see it’s just her and a modified string quartet, and it sounds a million times better. I’m afraid her other songs will end up being way over produced like some of these early ones, which will be so sad because the reason why many of us love her is because of the beauty she creates with just herself and the piano. The songs themselves aren’t bad, don’t get me wrong. Esp the lyrics are great and beautiful and profound, but having all of these different producers who worked with famous rock stars gives me the impression that they aren’t sticking to the concept that we listen to her because it’s just her and the piano.
Not to nitpick, but any quote dealing with originality coming from C.S. Lewis is pretty rich.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the story of the Bible with a lion instead of Jesus.
Lewis was one of the most unoriginal authors ever.
Sep 18th, 2009 at 10:05 am
[...] months after the release of her latest full-length, Far, the singer/songwriter has moved on to her next venture. According to Playbill (via TwentyFourBit), [...]