Regina Spektor - Far

Three long years since her breakthrough long-player, Begin To Hope, Regina Spektor returns with an album that utilises no fewer than four producers. Across the thirteen piano-led tracks, the Russian-born New Yorker uses the production talents of Mike Elizondo, Jacknife Lee, David Kahne and ELO’s Jeff Lynne to fashion a polished continuation of where she left off last time.

Far sees the singer/songwriter accompanied by a full band, and the shimmering production does sometimes send things veering towards the middle of the road, but her unique personality remains strong throughout. Even though there is nothing here to match the best of Begin To Hope, there are still some really strong moments. Playing like a darker (and infinitely better) version of Joan Osborne’s What If God Was One Of Us, the sharp Laughing With stands out. “No-one’s laughing at God when it’s gotten real late and their kid’s not back from the party yet,” she sings.

A possible problem with Far is that it might be too polished for fans of her envelope-pushing earlier work while remaining too quirky for mainstream audiences. However, the inalienable truth is that, regardless of whether she is offering radio-friendly choruses (The Calculation) or doing dolphin impressions (Folding Chair), Spektor is an exceptional storyteller. Her lyrics manage to be everyday and fantastical all at once. Her vivid tales about a lost wallet, religion, a conversation between two birds and the result of a ‘human of the year’ competition are like beautifully intricate paintings. Regina Spektor remains a wonderfully weird treasure, even if her edges seem to be getting smoother.