A month or two ago Regina Spektor released her new album Far. Now I up until this I wasn't a fan of hers. In fact I had never really listened to any of her music, just pegged her into the female singer/songwriter group, whose music is commonly played on Grey's Anatomy and really isn't that engaging or interesting. I am sure that view is probably shared by most of the males on this forum 
(Not meant to be a dig against any of the males, but generally only girls listen to this style of music )
In any case after hearing a few songs in the shop where I work I decided on a whim to try it out on Spotify, and over a number of listens I have actually really grown to like it. Its not a groundbreaking album, not an epic album that will move you to tears or to righteous fury (more on these kind of albums at another time ), but it is a nice quirky, interesting listen. Generally I feel happy while listening to it, and while the relatively simply piano is comforting, her vocals retain enough distinctive style that the songs do not drift into the background as musak, but instead retain your interest.
Here anyway are a couple of my highlights from the album. The first (getting us off to a good start), is my personal favourite- Machine.
[youtube]thQd1KYCgKU[/youtube]
The song has a little more bite than some of the others on album, and I especially like the chorus with her off kilter singing, and the constant never running stream of her piano.
The main single to promote the album was Laughing with- the song most people are likely to have heard off the album if any.
[youtube]rov3pV9PsRI&feature=related[/youtube]
Generally I don't like songs to have overt religious messages (not really sure why- probably because I think religion is such a personal thing)- but I do like the meaning behind this song, and the essential truth that it provides.
Finally, I will leave you with Genius Next Door the other song which really stands out to me.
[youtube]4ITvucG6hjM[/youtube]
I like the downbeat dreamlike quality of this song, and the fairytale like overtones. There is something a little dark here, more of a Grimms tale than our sanitized versions.
In any case I hope you enjoyed those. I maybe didn't give too good a representation of the album, or at least how I described it earlier, by picking out all the strange dark songs, but those were they ones I liked best. So yeah, hopefully some of you like me will be converted to this album
(Not meant to be a dig against any of the males, but generally only girls listen to this style of music )In any case after hearing a few songs in the shop where I work I decided on a whim to try it out on Spotify, and over a number of listens I have actually really grown to like it. Its not a groundbreaking album, not an epic album that will move you to tears or to righteous fury (more on these kind of albums at another time
), but it is a nice quirky, interesting listen. Generally I feel happy while listening to it, and while the relatively simply piano is comforting, her vocals retain enough distinctive style that the songs do not drift into the background as musak, but instead retain your interest.Here anyway are a couple of my highlights from the album. The first (getting us off to a good start), is my personal favourite- Machine.
[youtube]thQd1KYCgKU[/youtube]
The song has a little more bite than some of the others on album, and I especially like the chorus with her off kilter singing, and the constant never running stream of her piano.
The main single to promote the album was Laughing with- the song most people are likely to have heard off the album if any.
[youtube]rov3pV9PsRI&feature=related[/youtube]
Generally I don't like songs to have overt religious messages (not really sure why- probably because I think religion is such a personal thing)- but I do like the meaning behind this song, and the essential truth that it provides.
Finally, I will leave you with Genius Next Door the other song which really stands out to me.
[youtube]4ITvucG6hjM[/youtube]
I like the downbeat dreamlike quality of this song, and the fairytale like overtones. There is something a little dark here, more of a Grimms tale than our sanitized versions.
In any case I hope you enjoyed those. I maybe didn't give too good a representation of the album, or at least how I described it earlier, by picking out all the strange dark songs, but those were they ones I liked best. So yeah, hopefully some of you like me will be converted to this album
