Vivid pictures in songs about life

Regina Spektor is truly on to a beautiful thing with her album Far.

While seeming quite bonkers at times, such as mimicking a dolphin on Folding Chair, using oompah tuba notes as bass on Two Birds, or simply by using her unique vocal inflections, perhaps her kookiness belies someone who’s very much in touch with the mixed-up world we live in.

Spektor manages to paint some vivid musical pictures in her songs of everyday life, poignant at times such as in her contemplations of God on Laughing With, and at other times charming in its simplicity as in her tale of finding a wallet in the aptly named Wallet.

Musically, Far underplays Spektor’s piano abilities, though it maximises her vocal range, leaving her sounding somewhere in between Avril Lavigne and Suzanne Vega. There’s much to like on this latest release, and it’s certain to either raise a smile or eyebrows – it matters not which.