Review: Far – Pony
Jonah Matranga returns to his steady and reliable first rock ride, after a stirring interlude of solo material and the ingratitude that the music industry showed, towards his emo titlting project, Gratitude. Now seeking to resurrect their spirit of the early 1990’s, Far have mustered a late 70s/early 80s rock riff splattered number ‘Pony’, to grab attention in the build up to the release of their forthcoming fifth studio album.
Matranga’s vocals take on a distorted Prince cavorting with Marilyn Mason, Freddie Mercury and Marc Bolan flavour, a far cry from his hearty solo forays. Provocative backing cooing and seedy lyrics shows that this Sacramento born quartet has discovered renewed fuzz and vigour.
An acoustic version of this glam tainted offering, gives those who appreciated the personal and intimate touch of Matranga’s solo material, plenty of time for nostalgic dwelling. Patted percussion interludes and trickling acoustic touches provides the poignancy to contrast with the boldness and frivolity of the A-side. The simplicity of the lyrics lets down this approach slightly, but the two songs combined do show that Far still has more than enough in their locker to be able look to the future.
Regina Spektor – Far
I’ve never spent much time listening to Regina Spektor, so this won’t be much of a retrospective piece. Nor have I had the worst of luck lately, so this can’t be a very bitter piece. It’s for those reasons that this review is so glowing, or is it that Regina Spektor’s new album Far on Sire is really just that good, heeding no reason for “looking backs” or “fuck you’s.”
The album is chock full of shrill coos, fake New York accents, and well-written piano pieces. Some are happier, some are sadder; but they’re all pretty fucking good. Or at least they fall somewhere near neutral – “Blue Lips” – so as not to take away from the others. Choruses on “Eet” and “Human of the Year” showcase Spektor’s perfectly awkward high-pitch pipes while songs like “Folding Chair” let you know how carefree (reckless?) Regina is with her songwriting (“I’ve got a perfect body/Because my eyelashes catch my sweat.”), accompanied by poppy piano-drum duets.
And it should be noted that nothing on the album sounds like “Machine.”Whether it’s a sunny afternoon or a rainy 7am before your daily indentured servitude, Far is an album worth hearing, even if it doesn’t make it into your top-ten albums of all time list (which, if you have, you may be trying too hard). Spektor doesn’t seem intent on breaking barriers or amassing an army of fans, and this is what makes her delightfully middle-of-the-road songs just above OK.