Reviews
Ms Spektor’s 1st and 2nd albums, 11:11, and Songs respectively, were humble self-released numbers. 3rd album Soviet Kitsch also originally self-released managed to achieve a re-release with Sire Records. 4th Mary Ann Meets the Gravediggers and Other Short Stories proved her success in the U.K. touring with the likes of The Strokes and Kings of Leon. 5th Begin to Hope was her first studio album of original material for Sire, whilst Far, 6th and latest release features a now mature, professional songstress.
Perhaps with all this mostly pointless information in your head, it’s easier to understand how Far can be the first thing from the artist the majority of Britons have been pleasured by, and yet still appear so seasoned.
With 5 albums already under her fashionable belt, Regina’s sound has the experience and the confidence to shout about itself. Not nervous, nor timid or quiet. Far is by far the best of the bunch. (I don’t know this – I’ve not bothered to listen to the others, but this is a review about the latest album, so I’m going to say it’s the best.)
Perhaps more surprisingly, despite this being the 6th and ‘top’ of a fine group, she still manages to carry her tired, saggy ass (figuratively of course, apparently she has a rather nice body), up the winding staircase to her piano. Still managing to approach said piano with the same enthusiasm, excitement and natural love of what she does, all must have been utilised to produce 3 self-released albums.
One theory for this could be that she’s more at home In front of a piano than sat on a huge comfy sofa, watching Sex and the City and eating Ben & Jerry’s straight out of tub. She’s been in front of the damn things since before moving from her native Moscow to The Bronx aged nine. She’s had a lot to get through, to suffer for the sake of her music. Not least her family not even owning a piano! Thankfully all of it comes through in this sombre but cheerful collection of sings.
The collection keeps its strong, personal, anti-folk feel throughout. However manages to mix brooding, sorrowful love songs such as Human of the Year and One More Time With Feeling, with large, voiceful, almost musical numbers, Eet and Machine being good examples, as well as a veritable cornucopia of cheery, sprightly, summer numbers including Folding Chair, Dance Anthem of the 80s, Two Birds, and current hit Laughing With (the one about God being funny). Basically it’s an album of 15 songs, 8 of which I felt the burning desire to mention especially as highlights.
Buy it, download it, or at least Spotify playlist it now, and curse your self-neglect for all the time you’ve spent without.
Regina Speftor - Far - Brought to you by James Wormald -