Feist - The Reminder

In a time where individualism and sloppy teen-cesspool marketing are highly valued, it’s refreshing to hear someone who still hangs on to ‘old world’ sentimentality in the reverence of remembering the past. With heirloom-like pictures and images (including multiple thought bubbles of herself) riddled throughout the liner notes of her new album, it is evident that Leslie Feist wants someone to be “reminded” of her presence. Venturing out from her debut release Let It Die, Feist is still showing her strong jazzy vocal roots on beds of solid folk-rock rhythms and “guitarism.”

With her shocking vocal range, that bounces and lazes through a musical myriad, Feist has stripped down another layer and exposed more of her inner core on this album, letting the listener know that love is on her mind. Mixing both music and heavy symbolic references, Feist has taken the relationship route on this disc. It also becomes quite obvious (especially with the cabaret-esque piano-driven track “My Moon, My Man”) that she only wants to send “The Reminder” to a very specific someone. Whether that is Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene (as circulated rumors might indicate) or some other man of mystery, we will probably never know. To her dignified credit, though, she reveals her heart-wrenched messages in a way that is neither annoying nor overdone like so many modern artists tend to do.

“I Feel It All” is one of the best tracks on the album, shooting strong, chunky acoustic guitar strokes that dig right into the spine. The powerful song describes an inability to keep feelings inside and how that may be her hubris - “Ooh, I’ll be the one who’ll break my heart, I’ll be the one to hold the gun.” A new rendition of the song made famous by Nina Simone in the ’60s, “Sea Lion Woman” is also a point of major interest (making the listener feel like they are surrounded by a gospel choir of the deep South) and comes complete with steady, fast-paced handclaps and a rockabilly guitar sound.

It’s hard for any sophomoric album to be released without any semblance of stress and pressure. The first major album by any artist is always a little easier in the sense that one is birthed into the music marketplace with freshness and without any pre-conception or expectation.

I think it’s safe to say that even though Feist soft-released an album before Let It Die (Monarch (Lay Your Jewelled Head Down) that is now out of print), The Reminder shows she has definitely progressed on both a personal and musical level within a few years. As someone who nearly burnt our her vocal chords in a Calgary punk band in the nineties (and who was later known for performing with a sock puppet onstage, backing up the rapper Peaches), Leslie Feist has always had her own desire to make her own style of music and is now seeing those dreams into fruition. Personally, I wasn’t as much of a fan of Let It Die as everyone else was - I felt the hype it received from many critics and friends outweighed its overall balance. The Reminder, though, wowed me from the silent sobriety of the first song “So Sorry” - blending acoustic guitar and a mild piano track with a somber apology.

The only reservation I have with this album is Feist’s constant desire to distort her vocal tracks. With an undeniably beautiful voice, it is hard to understand why she always wants to mask it with various filters, making it sound like she’s either signing in a tunnel or through a rotary telephone line. I’m not saying it doesn’t sound cool - it just seems a little “studio tricky” for an album that contains some very simplistic sound genius (i.e. the song “In The Park” has her completely outside, performing in a bird-filled outdoor setting, crooning her melodic guts out with only an acoustic guitar). The best songs of this album shine through when Leslie lets the natural presence of her voice stand on its own. Leslie, however, is a total package - a brilliant lyricist with amazing musicianship and depth. If you’re feeling sentimental, pick up The Reminder and let it spin.