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Our Review of Feist's The Reminder
Leslie Feist, a thriving member of the Canadian indie rock scene, has just released her long-awaited album The Reminder. Full of her breathy vocals, strong hooks and bit of honky tonk, this album is sure to find its way into your top picks for the year. Feist, a member of Broken Social Scene, has a voice that brings to mind classic chanteuses of the past, while her cunning lyrics are thoroughly modern. With The Reminder, the follow-up to 2004’s Let it Die, Feist clears up any doubts about her talent.
Beginning with the soft and reflective “So Sorry,” Feist wears her heart on her sleeve as she strums her acoustic guitar and plaintively apologizes for love gone wrong, still hoping for reconciliation. In contrast to “So Sorry” is track two, “I Feel it All,” a pulsing guitar and tambourine number with a neo-twang lilt—sure to get your toes tapping.
“My Moon My Man,” one of the album’s strongest and catchiest tracks, follows, pulling the listener in with a driving piano beat and high-hat flourishes. Feist’s incomparably sultry and enticing voice will linger in your ears long after the song is over, but luckily you’re only three songs in and there’s plenty more where that came from.
A soft break comes in the form of “The Park” and “The Water,” two songs that highlight Feist’s vocals, one with sparsely sad guitar chords, the other with a fluffy piano cushion. “Sea Lion Woman,” with its hand claps and synthesizer embellishments, puts rhythm in your hips and recalls Nina Simone’s “See-Line Woman,” spicing up the album in anticipation of track seven, “Past in Present”.
Much like “I Feel it All,” “Past in Present” has a country tinge. Add that to Feist’s slightly rough, distorted voice and you’ll feel like driving through the West.
The next track is another soft romantic tune. “The Limit to Your Love” seems to be a missive to a lover, as Feist is heartbroken and tired. Despite this, the orchestrations and string section make the listener forget it’s a song of disappointment.
In a surprising twist, Feist brings the upbeat and hopeful sounding “1234”. Another strong track, and one of her first album singles, “1234” features banjo and tambourines to give the listener a little pickup as Feist delivers a cheerful and reminiscent song about lost youth. Next up is the jazzy piano track “Brandy Alexander”. A strong yet soft hook, “Brandy Alexander” recounts dangerously tempting love like a smooth cocktail.
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To purchase Feist's The Reminder, click here.
In keeping with the tropes of love, loss, regret and wishful thinking, “Intuition” turns the tables on Feist when she asks herself, mirrored in the chorus of voices behind her, “Did I miss out on you?”
The vocal backdrop for the bluesy and soulful “Honey Honey” is a repetitive coo that sounds like the whistled of a far-off train. A harp interlude confirms the dreamy and faraway spirit of the song as the listener is carried away in Feist’s musical imagination. In keeping with the misty feel of “Honey Honey,” Feist ends the album with the similarly sleepy sounding “How My Heart Behaves”—a perfect track to fall asleep to on a hazy afternoon, as the sounds of the summer fade.
When all is said and done, this remains one of my favorite albums this year. It’s mellow enough to listen to any time and it’s lyrically complex enough to get caught in your thoughts. Feist’s lovely and soothing voice, coupled with her lyrical prowess, makes The Reminder an album you won’t soon forget.
- Alexis, Entertainment Reviewer for PanicShoppers.com.
Feist's The Reminder
Artists: Leslie Feist
Label: Interscope Records
Release Date: 1 January 2007
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