Who is Feist

1234

1. 1234
2. Fightin' Away The Tears

UK CD single lifted from her 2007 album, The Reminder. Features '1234' plus the non-album, 'Fighting Away the Tears'. Universal.

Release Date: 07/30/2007

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The Reminder

1. So Sorry
2. I Feel It All
3. My Moon My Man
4. The Park
5. The Water
6. Sealion
7. Past In Present
8. The Limit To Your Love
9. 1234
10. Brandy Alexander
11. Intuition
12. Honey Honey
13. How My Heart Behaves

Sweet silky sweeps of melodious comfort introduce an exciting album in "So Sorry." Indie artist Feist seems to be returning to the heart of her music where her voice melts pleasantly with jangly flourishes and playfully insistent guitar. Her pacing captures your attention as a toy box of sounds almost makes this album feel more organic.

The album merges jazzy pop with folk sensibilities to produce a pleasant vibrancy that draws you subtly into an intoxicating experience. The interesting transition with sounds of someone running in a park blends "My Moon My Man" effortlessly with "Park." Here even sentimentality feels modern with an artistic warmth. The originality of the ideas slip into "Water" with a delicate sultry ambience that turns whispery. "Sea Lion" is much more adventurous and is more like cold water splashing in your face as it jolts you from your contemplative solitude. Feist then almost turns country in "Past in Present."

The album quiets and returns to contemplative lyrics as it turns sweetly sultry again and charming in "1234." Her silky voice turns breathy in "Brandy Alexander" and then strikingly clear in "Intuition." The harp is a surprise on "Honey Honey" and each song continues to amaze with creative appeal. The entire album feels like one line of the lyrics when she sings: "The harbor becomes the sea." This is an album of infinite possibilities with invitations into a memorable experience.

You may also enjoy Evening Ocean's "The Attraction." - Rebecca Johnson "SeasonedwithLove" (Washington State)

Release Date: 05/01/2007

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Let It Die

1. Gatekeeper
2. Mushaboom
3. Let It Die
4. One Evening
5. Leisure Suite
6. Lonely Lonely
7. When I Was A Young Girl
8. Secret Heart
9. Inside And Out
10. Tout Doucement
11. Now At Last

If Lesie Feist sounds familiar, it's because of her musical resume -- it ranges from Canadian indie-popsters Broken Social Scene to female rapper Peaches to the Kings of Convenience. That sort of resume also makes one wonder -- what will her solo debut, "Let It Die," sound like?

The answer: Stripped down, sensual pop music, with a touch of jazz and trip-hop around the edges. It kicks off with only the strums of an acoustic guitar, before Feist jumps in like an orphaned torch singer. "Well it's time to begin/as the summer sets in/It's the scene you set for new lovers," she croons.

From there on, Feist doesn't even slow down. She ventures into cheery, catchy pop like "Mushaboom," sensual slow ballads, rippling trippy songs, and smooth torch songs. There's even -- surprisingly -- a cover of the Bee Gees' "Inside And Out," which she gives a funky spin, and a delicately catchy cover of Ron Sexsmith's underrated "Secret Heart."

The flavour of Feist's music isn't the sort that sets off fireworks and sets you raving about how much fun it is. "Let It Die" is the sort of album that is periodically hailed as being the real deal -- no studio tricks, little musical polish, and a reliance on good songwriting and tunes rather than hooks. In other words, pure music.

The star of the music is Feist herself; her vocals are front-and-center, and she proves herself a rare kind of singer. No "American Idol" vocal explosions, no hyperdramatics. Instead, Feist flexes her vocals in all sorts of different ways -- breathy, husky, ethereal and coy, and and moving along with the music in perfect sync.

Not that Feist's good voice doesn't mean that the music isn't also good. Most of the instrumentation is based on piano and acoustic guitar, with snapping fingers, cowbells, a hint of synth and handclaps thrown in. It's very simple, and very pretty, whether trying out catchy pop or traditional-sounding folk. Only a few songs, like the clunky "Lonely Lonely," fail to be captivating.

Leslie Feist moves out of the shadow of the other bands and artists she's worked with, and establishes herself with the beautiful "Let It Die." A rare and good type of pop. - E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA)

Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 12/27/2009)

Open Season

1. One Evening Feist
2. Inside + Out Feist
3. Mushaboom Feist
4. Gatekeeper Feist
5. Lonely Lonely Feist
6. Mushaboom Feist
7. Snow Lion Readymade F.C.
8. Tout Doucement Feist
9. The Simple Story Feist
10. Lovertits Gonzales
11. Mushaboom Feist
12. Gatekeeper Feist
13. One Evening Feist
14. When I Was A Young Girl Feist
15. Mushaboom Feist

Folk-popster Leslie Feist garnered a lot more attention with her second solo album, "Let it Die." Now she follows it up with "Open Season," which is basically a lot of odds and ends -- remixes, B-sides, and alternate versions. Sure, not everything is absolutely perfect, but it's a good little album of bits and pieces.

It opens on a quiet note with a piano version of "One Evening," which is basically a pretty, downbeat little instrumental. Things start to kick off with the acoustic-driven "Inside and Out (Apostle of Hustle Unmix," which brings it down to gritty guitar-driven melodies. Okay, whatever, but not exactly my cup of tea.

But the remixes are good stuff -- "Mushaboom" gets done over and over, whether it's a perky pop melody, a heavier techno-laced one, an almost wordless mix by VV, or the peak of the album -- Postal Service's delicate trip-hop remix. There's also the murky "Lonely Lonely (Frisbee'd Mix)," a jazzy "Gatekeeper" remix, and a funky redone "When I Was a Young Girl."

There are also some songs that haven't been heard on her regular album: the dreamy "Snow Lion" with Readymade FC, the trippy French "Tout Doucement," the taut ballad "Simple Story" with Jane Birkin," and the naughty-edged "Lovertits" (well, what did you expect with that title?) with Gonzales.

Most albums of B-sides and remixes are pretty much half-and-half. Fortunately, Feist scores higher with an almost perfect array of remixes, and four excellent individual songs. Don't expect the same sound as "Let it Die," though -- the folkpop sound can only be found in a couple of songs here, like the full mix of "Gatekeeper" and the unmix of "Inside and Out."

Instead, we get all sorts of remixes -- jazz, funk, trip-hop, hard electro, and even "One Evening" pared down to a single piano melody. And the songs get a bit of a twist, with everything from skipping vocals to crunching snow to scratching vinyl. Sometimes you'd hardly even know they were the same song, except for the occasional cry of "Mushaboom!"

And fortunately Feist never gets lost in all this remixing, unmixing and reworking. Her clear, fresh voice cuts through all the beats and extra instruments. But she sounds best in the four original songs, with rippling piano, harp and some blippy sound effects. "Tout Doucement" is especially charming -- it sounds like a French cafe at happy hour.

"Open Season" won't give anyone reason to fire at Feist. Her odds and ends sound wonderfully polished, with only a few rough diamonds left over. - E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA)

Release Date: 07/18/2006

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Fightin' Away the Tears

1. Fightin`Away The Tears
2. After The Rain

It's too bad this song couldn't have been a bonus track on N American editions of Feist's great new CD--it deserves exposure here. -- Nancy Henwood (Montreal, BC CANADA)

Release Date: 05/01/2006

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Amazon Price: (as of 12/27/2009)
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