Regina Spektor - Far (2009)

Grades:
Overall: B+
Music: B
Vocals: A
Lyrics: A
Creativity: B+
Catchiness: B-

"Blue, the most human color," Regina Spektor croons on "Blue Lips," one of the most gorgeous tracks off of her 5th studio album, Far. The pianist crafts soft, likeable tracks, gentler than ever, and it easy to see why she chose the color blue. Her piano and her nostalgic vocals could describe the color for a blind man, and he would finally understand what color was.

Spektor is generally considered to be part of New York City's "anti-folk" movement, and the Russian Jewish-American is at her best when she plays the sardonic, self-aware songs typical of the genre. Single "Laughing With," which I previously gave an A-, is a highlight of the album, as are wacky "Machine" and the soft "Two Birds," which tells the story of "two birds on a wire/ one tries to fly away" as a metaphor for a couple. At moments Miss Spektor comes across as the female Ben Folds, and at others she could be Tori Amos. As repetition is meant to emphasize a point, I'd like to say again that she's better at the Ben Folds moments. When she gets more serious, like on the arpeggiating "Genius Next Door" or "Man Of A Thousand Faces," she loses something.

But there are plenty of amusing, light-hearted pieces to go around. "Human Of The Year" tells a fictional Karl Projektorinski that he's won "human of the year," while "Dance Anthems Of The 80's" masks a serious message ("The boys and girls watch each other eat/ When they really just wanna watch each other sleep") behind a bouncy piano and sound effects. This is one singer-songwriter that's not afraid to be herself, and she is plenty good enough as she is. Her random nonsense singing may deceive the listener into thinking her lyrics are weak, but the truth is that she's one of the most versatile writers I've seen in awhile. Not to break any sort of taboo, but she almost reminds me of a young female Bob Dylan. Let's see what she can do in her 30's - this is one artist I'll be watching her whole career. And you should too.

For eccentric yet personable pieces, one of the better singer/songwriters of the decade, fun piano tunes. Try "Blue Lips," "Laughing With," or "Dance Anthem Of The 80's."

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