Oh, all the discussion! Oh, all the complaining! Regina Spektor's third studio album (and fifth album overall) far is finally out (well, technically out on June 23rd, but it is officially streaming in a number of places, including her MySpace and NPR, so it's fair game), and Reginaholics are all a-buzz with opinions. Just to add some more white noise, here are mine.
Unfortunately, I think a lot of us cannot and will not ever be able to objectively listen to this album. For instance, eight of the thirteen songs on the album are songs that she has performed live in her shows, some dating back to 2003. So for all those diehard Regina fans who've listened to that one existing recording of 'Genius Next Door' from 2003, this clear, recorded version will, and has, come as a surprise, and it seems quite a lot of people simply cannot reconcile themselves with the produced versions of songs that they've listened to live for the last six years. To them I say, boo-hoo. Suck it up. The album far is a gorgeous melange of music that brings together Regina's stylistic variations seen separately in 11:11, Songs, Soviet Kitsch and Begin to Hope, while having extended her experiments in the studio to create a richer tapestry of sounds.
The album has a powerful opening with 'The Calculation', an upbeat song that brings together the best of Regina. With quirky lyrics ("So we made our own computer/Out of macaroni pieces/And it did our thinking while we lived our lives/It counted up our feelings/And divided them up even/And it called that calculation perfect love"), this is quintessential Regina. Which, of course, a lot of purists are refusing to see because of the "over production" to the song, which I simply disagree with, because these people seem to forget that Regina has always wanted her songs to be produced this way; the only difference was that she didn't have the means to do so for the first three albums (let's not forget that Liz Phair did the same with disastrous results; are we really willing to relegate Regina to those ranks already?)
The other "new" songs on the album all have a lot to offer. 'Eet' is a simple idea, a beautiful melody, and Regina's vocals are absolutely searingly beautiful in this one. 'Laughing With', the first single of the album (scroll below for video), has received a lot of criticism for being too "preachy" (she uses the word God 38 times in the song, I believe). Unfortunately, these liberals have gone the other extreme and have become really close-minded, because at no point in the song did it feel like the song was pushing any opinion about God (and I'm as unbelieving as they come). It's not even a song about God, it's a song about human weaknesses and fear. Personally, I believe it's a great choice for Regina for a first single (though my favourite of the new tracks is undoubtedly 'The Calculation').
'Two Birds' is reminiscent of earlier, simpler songs of Regina (for some reason I think of 'Aching to Pupate', though I agree the latter trumps the former). 'Machine' is the song that comes as something of a surprise; on the one hand, it has Regina playing around with her voice more than she has on any other song on this album, on the other, there are so many things happening in the song at the same time that it has an overwhelming effect. This is possibly the only song I'm still on the fence about.
Of the old, revamped songs, I think the ones that have stayed true to the live performances, and are my personal favourites, are 'Human of the Year' and 'Genius Next Door'. These are, and have always been, two of Regina's best songs, and I'm glad that their brilliance remains unchanged on the album. 'Dance Anthem of the 80s' is also fantastic, except I miss the original ending (see what I meant about a biased opinion? Any of us who've obsessed about this song since the live version are going to listen to it differently than those who will be listening to it for the first time on the album. In a way, I'm a little jealous of them).
Admittedly, 'Blue Lips' and 'Folding Chair' is crazily different from their live versions, but after the initial shock, I have really come to love these versions (especially 'Blue Lips'; check out the performance of the song on Jools Holland for sheer beauty personified). There's been some complaining about how 'The Wallet', 'One More Time With Feeling' and 'Man of a Thousand Faces' have been changed too much from the live versions, and while this is true to an extent, these songs never really clicked with me before, and I find these versions absolutely breathtaking, so they get my positive vote. Although my least favourite track on the album is 'Man of a Thousand Faces' and I have a ridiculous reason for it: I am yet to get over the fact that this song means the total death of 'Begin to Hope' (the song, not the album) which uses the same beginning hook. I cannot listen to 'Man of a Thousand Faces' without terribly missing that lost gem of a song every time it begins. But that's just silly me.
This is definitely one of Regina Spektor's best albums. I'm one of those insane fans that cannot choose favourites beyond a point, so though Songs is my favourite album for very personal reasons, beyond that I think all her albums are at par with each other, and I definitely think that Regina has only grown with her music, while sticking to her quirky beginnings. This album is a must-have (I hope my big sister is reading this!).
Unfortunately, I think a lot of us cannot and will not ever be able to objectively listen to this album. For instance, eight of the thirteen songs on the album are songs that she has performed live in her shows, some dating back to 2003. So for all those diehard Regina fans who've listened to that one existing recording of 'Genius Next Door' from 2003, this clear, recorded version will, and has, come as a surprise, and it seems quite a lot of people simply cannot reconcile themselves with the produced versions of songs that they've listened to live for the last six years. To them I say, boo-hoo. Suck it up. The album far is a gorgeous melange of music that brings together Regina's stylistic variations seen separately in 11:11, Songs, Soviet Kitsch and Begin to Hope, while having extended her experiments in the studio to create a richer tapestry of sounds.
The album has a powerful opening with 'The Calculation', an upbeat song that brings together the best of Regina. With quirky lyrics ("So we made our own computer/Out of macaroni pieces/And it did our thinking while we lived our lives/It counted up our feelings/And divided them up even/And it called that calculation perfect love"), this is quintessential Regina. Which, of course, a lot of purists are refusing to see because of the "over production" to the song, which I simply disagree with, because these people seem to forget that Regina has always wanted her songs to be produced this way; the only difference was that she didn't have the means to do so for the first three albums (let's not forget that Liz Phair did the same with disastrous results; are we really willing to relegate Regina to those ranks already?)
The other "new" songs on the album all have a lot to offer. 'Eet' is a simple idea, a beautiful melody, and Regina's vocals are absolutely searingly beautiful in this one. 'Laughing With', the first single of the album (scroll below for video), has received a lot of criticism for being too "preachy" (she uses the word God 38 times in the song, I believe). Unfortunately, these liberals have gone the other extreme and have become really close-minded, because at no point in the song did it feel like the song was pushing any opinion about God (and I'm as unbelieving as they come). It's not even a song about God, it's a song about human weaknesses and fear. Personally, I believe it's a great choice for Regina for a first single (though my favourite of the new tracks is undoubtedly 'The Calculation').
'Two Birds' is reminiscent of earlier, simpler songs of Regina (for some reason I think of 'Aching to Pupate', though I agree the latter trumps the former). 'Machine' is the song that comes as something of a surprise; on the one hand, it has Regina playing around with her voice more than she has on any other song on this album, on the other, there are so many things happening in the song at the same time that it has an overwhelming effect. This is possibly the only song I'm still on the fence about.
Of the old, revamped songs, I think the ones that have stayed true to the live performances, and are my personal favourites, are 'Human of the Year' and 'Genius Next Door'. These are, and have always been, two of Regina's best songs, and I'm glad that their brilliance remains unchanged on the album. 'Dance Anthem of the 80s' is also fantastic, except I miss the original ending (see what I meant about a biased opinion? Any of us who've obsessed about this song since the live version are going to listen to it differently than those who will be listening to it for the first time on the album. In a way, I'm a little jealous of them).
Admittedly, 'Blue Lips' and 'Folding Chair' is crazily different from their live versions, but after the initial shock, I have really come to love these versions (especially 'Blue Lips'; check out the performance of the song on Jools Holland for sheer beauty personified). There's been some complaining about how 'The Wallet', 'One More Time With Feeling' and 'Man of a Thousand Faces' have been changed too much from the live versions, and while this is true to an extent, these songs never really clicked with me before, and I find these versions absolutely breathtaking, so they get my positive vote. Although my least favourite track on the album is 'Man of a Thousand Faces' and I have a ridiculous reason for it: I am yet to get over the fact that this song means the total death of 'Begin to Hope' (the song, not the album) which uses the same beginning hook. I cannot listen to 'Man of a Thousand Faces' without terribly missing that lost gem of a song every time it begins. But that's just silly me.
This is definitely one of Regina Spektor's best albums. I'm one of those insane fans that cannot choose favourites beyond a point, so though Songs is my favourite album for very personal reasons, beyond that I think all her albums are at par with each other, and I definitely think that Regina has only grown with her music, while sticking to her quirky beginnings. This album is a must-have (I hope my big sister is reading this!).
Preview:
'Laughing With'
'Dance Anthem of the 80s'
Regina Spektor- Far is out June 23rd in the US. Her album is up for streaming on Myspace and NPR.org
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3 comments:
Eek! I'm so excited about this new album, and I haven't had a chance to listen to anything off it so far. It makes me so happy that you enjoyed it, and I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy when it's out in stores!
You should definitely get it when it comes out, it's a keeper for sure. :D
like Regina, its still hard for me to believe the album is not named "fart" :P
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