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Maybe it’s because I rarely listen to live radio these days given the Pandora and LastFM alternatives, but it seems like no one’s making much noise about Regina Spektor’s new album Far, released back in June 2009. It’s a shame because it’s really worth listening to if you have the time.

As always, Spektor’s a delight with her quirky dolphin-esque singing and clever “funny ’cause it’s true” lyrical style. If you’re not familiar with her music from past releases Soviet Kitsch and Begin To Hope, Spektor’s voice is everything you think you’d hate: high-pitched, Russian-tinged, and painfully awkward. But something about it sounds like an aural version of the gangling yet beautiful girl you knew in Jr. High School. Her voice reminds me of the way Winnie Cooper from The Wonder Years looked.

On Far, Spektor delivers more of what fans love, artfully exploring religion and spirituality in the playful manner we’ve come to expect. The first single “Laughing With” is about the irony of taking God seriously in the midst of dire circumstances like unexpected plane turbulence or hospital stays, while ridiculing him at cocktail parties or when wishes go unfulfilled.

Relevant magazine recently spoke with Spektor, a self-proclaimed “picky Jew,” to discuss the album and why she thinks God and faith should be the discussed within art. She said, “I just think everything belongs in music. [...] I don’t think there are things that are off-limits. Just like I don’t believe there are things that are off-limits to conversation. I think a lot of bad stuff comes out of people censoring themselves or trying to present an image of themselves or trying to be completely neutral or not even arguing.”

Despite her strong feelings on integrating faith and art, Spektor remains fairly neutral herself when it comes to her personal religion. Though she accepts many of the teachings from her Judeo-Christian tradition, she rejects the things that don’t match up to her own beliefs or logic. “When I read the Bible, a lot of the time it’s been almost like a miniature ‘duck, duck, goose’ in my head. I said: ‘Yes, yes, yes, no. Yes, yes, yes, no.’”

To read more about Spektor’s thoughts on faith, pick up the September/October 2009 issue of Relevant magazine. For a sample of her music, click on the video below to hear her latest single from Far.