Feist - The Reminder
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Free Music Notes for The Reminder
Free Music Review: Beautiful reminder that pure music does exist...
Hit: 5 Stars
I was turned onto Leslie Feist by a good friend of mine who read about her in his Jazz magazine. `Reminder' was the first album I heard by this wonderful singer and after listening to her previous efforts as well I must say that this is most definitely her most polished and impressive album.
Feist has such a beautifully restrained voice, very silky smooth and intoxicating. Listening to `Reminder' is more like embracing a mood for her music flows so wonderfully from track to track that the listener is captivated by the emotions Leslie is portraying. If you want to just sit back and relax to some orgasmic musical material then `Reminder' is the very album you're looking for. I think the best way to describe Feist at her best is `pure' for her music is just that, pure, raw, effortless music, no gimmicks or hindrances, just music wonderfully constructed for our listening pleasure.
I think just about everyone has heard `My Moon My Man' by now. If you have a television you have for the track has been adapted by Verizon for their ads. The pulsating drum and bass lines are brilliantly orchestrated and coupled with Feist's breathy chorus lines makes for an utterly perfect single. Chances are pretty good that if you've heard `My Moon My Man' then you've also heard `One Two Three Four', another bouncy single playing on television sets across America. It's not as infectious a single as `My Moon My Man' but it's still admirable and fun to say the least.
Leslie carries this bouncy, Jazzy/Pop feel through tracks like `I Feel It All' which has a very steady pounding drum line that makes you want to chant along with her. `Past In Present' also follows in that pattern but adds a layer of Folk to its musical arrangement. Still it has Leslie's signature spirit which makes for fresh and sun entertainment. The one fluke in this musical adventure is `Sea Lion Woman', a song that leans over into a tribal feel and just comes off out of place and kind of kills the buzz you get from listening to this album. It's sad since this misstep aside `Reminder' is downright perfection.
And when I speak of perfection the tracks that come to mind are the breathtakingly beautiful ballads that litter this album exposing the raw and effortless quality of Feist's vocals. The opener `So Sorry' is a great example of this, opening the album with a very elegant Folk ballad that's playful in its seriousness. The two for one hit that is `The Park' and `The Water' though is what really defines all that Feist really is. The two tracks melt into one another beautifully and create a majestic musical experience. Leslie's voice cracks in all the right places helping to expose the emotional depth to her soulful poetry. One of the best tracks here, `Brandy Alexander', just pops in the listeners eardrums fantastically, making a lasting impression, as do tracks like `Honey Honey' that rely heavily on breathy overlays on the vocal arrangement, adding layers of creativity to her album.
`Intuition' is a vocal showcase, with her lyrics crystal clear behind the muted musical arrangement and this works wonders. `The Limit To Your Love' is a beautiful Jazzy ballad that sets a fantastic mood for the listener. The closing number though, `How My Heart Behaves', is one of the most memorable tracks on the album. A beautifully restrained duet, `How My Heart Behaves' is just effortless in its perfection. Feist's vocals are haunting and eloquent, leaving the listener in a welcomed trance.
In the end `Reminder' is beautiful, elegant, intoxicating and expressive, a true standout in this year of musical delights and surely one of the top five albums of the year in any category. Leslie Feist is finally breaking out into the publics eye, and this album alone is set to make her a household name, and rightfully so.
Free Music Review: Though I know I love most of him
Hit: 5 Stars
Feist helped bring back heartfelt, subtle pop in her second album, "Let it Die." And in "The Reminder," this talented singer not only polishes up her sound, she expands it to include more colourful, expansive, complicated melodies that draw from jazz, pop, folk, a bit of funk, and some pretty little ballads.
The first song is an echo of her last album's style -- a gentle guitar ballad, about someone who doesn't want to fight or break up. Feist murmurs through it, "I'm sorry, two words/I always think after you're gone... We're slaves to our own forces/We're afraid of our emotions/No one, knows where the shore is."
But then she switches over to a poppier tune, delightfully jangly little guitarpop edged with toy piano. "I Feel It All" is only the first of her musical explorations: lo-fi folk, tightly wound piano jazz, delicate keyboard ballads, and some kooky electrofunk.
But Feist also includes some of what she's strongest at , namely subtle pop songs like "Limit To Your Love," full of gentle piano, harp and guitar. And sometimes she goes WAYYYYY into her experimentation zone, like "Honey Honey," which sounds like a more melodious Joanna Newsom, or "Sea Lion Woman," a deliciously mad funky avant-electronic tune. I can hear other electropop "artists" grinding their teeth at this one.
It's hard to eve find a flaw in "Reminder" -- if there's anything to criticize, it's that it doesn't sound very cohesive. But in all other respects, Feist has only grown as a musician. She takes the synth-piano-guitar triad from her previous album, and lets it bloom with greater passion and beauty, not to mention complexity.
And she allows each instrument to shine in at least one song apiece, whether it's the thumpy piano, the tinkly toy one (it sounds like wind chimes), acoustic guitar, or epic ripples of synth. There's even some blaring trumpets and rattly rambourine in some songs. And she tries out virtually all kinds of good pop music, flavoured with everything from rock to jazz to avantelectro.
Feist's voice is as adventurous as the music -- it's a pretty voice on its own, but she takes some vocal risks as well. She croons, purrs off-key, warbles a little, and even harmonizes with her own voice. And the songs she sings are simply lovely -- they're beautifully written ("Stranded in the fog of woods/Looking like the winter bird"), and full of emotion. Sometimes it's as simple as telling a lover that there's a limit to his love for her, but still "I'll go, I'll go, I'll go/Out on the road/because there is no limit... limit to my love."
Feist's third "Reminder" is an exquisite little pop gem, and though one or two of the songs don't fit, each one is a little beauty. Definitely a must-listen.
Free Music Review: Feist's 'The Reminder' Is An Instant Classic
Hit: 5 Stars
Feist's latest collection of songs, 'The Reminder,' makes a gorgeous contribution to 2007's currently lackluster soundscape and proves a worthy sophomore successor to her stunning 2004 breakthrough, 'Let It Die.' Gifted with (and, I suspect, slyly aware of possessing) one of the most expressive voices in pop music today, occasionally evoking traces of Billie Holiday, Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell, Maria Muldaur and even Melanie at her delicate, playful best, Feist is blessed with an exquisite knack for unpredictable melodies and smart hooks, the ability to turn a clever phrase and an irresistably sexy persona blending the insouciant pout of Julie Christie with the formidably confident appeal of Chrissie Hynde, all captured in a package of impeccable arrangements and thoughtful production.
Although the album art suggests an early post-modern romantic minimalism and the mix includes more primitive electronic noodling snaking through the tracks, this collection, unlike her previous work, feels less like a perfect, forgotten pop-soul artifact from 1980, with fresher textures and more ambitious stabs at different styles than those featured on 'Let It Die.' There is a stronger, more aggressive verve to the songs that attempt to rock, such as "I Feel It All" (all breathless, driving passion and ringing fills)," "Past In Present" (tweaking both vintage guitar rock and girl-group influences to best Sheryl Crow at her own derivative game) and even reviving the traditional Nina Simone vehicle, "Sea Lion Woman" (here featuring a catchy, early new-wave vibe and stellar siren guitar wail at the breaks). For ballad lovers, there's yet another parcel of original tender heartbreakers, including "The Park" and "This Is How My Heart Behaves," plus a handful of brilliant potential chart singles, such as the simple but sizzling "My Moon, My Man," the tremulous, beautifully arranged "Limit To Your Love," and "1-2-3-4," essentially a joyful, Burt Bacharach-styled campfire sing-along for nostalgic adults. (Don't miss the charming video on YouTube.)
If there are any modest failings to the album, it's perhaps that one or two of her more precious efforts, although lovely, feel almost contextually unnecessary and the song sequencing occasionally delivers tunes with common arrangement motifs that begin to suggest just a touch of redundancy, but there are more than enough diverse, instantly memorable classics to make 'The Reminder' a must for any collection. In this plastic era of disposable personalities passing as music idols, likely among the least talented, most prefabricated crop popular music has seen since just prior to the Beatles, Feist is proving a viable threat to the current establishment. More power to her, I say.
Free Music Review: Timeless is The Reminder
Hit: 5 Stars
I listened to samples of this album a few times after my friend introduced me to Feist(pronounced like heist) two weeks ago. After checking it out, I was lukewarm about it, thinking it was probably worth about 3 stars. But being an all around music lover, I bought it anyway. After listening to it another couple of times at home, I quickly realized that this is one of those albums who's secret power is that ability to grow on you at an accelerated rate-if you only give it the chance to. You see I've given it 5 stars now. That's due to captivating songs like "I Feel It All", "Sealion", "Past in Present", "1234" and of course, "Brandy Alexander". I see that I've now listened to it 13 times since I bought it 4 days ago. I liked it so much that I picked up Feist's first solo album, Let It Die, yesterday. Both are nice, but its this one that deserves most high of praise.
"So Sorry" is the quiet, intreverted opening that you'd expect from this artist's shy voice. But don't let it label the remainder of the album's style for you. There's alot of pop here, for instance in the next track "I Feel It All" enveloped in it's comfortable Indie Rock style. The way alot of Indie music should be. But the fascinating thing about Feist and particularly this album is it's ability to please many different types of listeners all at once. You've got Indie Alternative and a quiet, smooth jazzy rock reminiscent of Norah Jones in some of the tamer tracks, as well as the kind of slow building bite that "1234" offers.
Now this is a perfect example of the impact you simply will not hear in the sample tracks. When i sampled this song, I sort of tossed it aside with the rest of what I deemed as 'filler'. Oh what a fool I was. After taking the album home I now realize that "1234" is probably the best song that The Reminder has to offer. The slow build from a few simple guitar and banjo(yes, banjo) chordes to a climax of backup horns is so spectacular that you have to hear it again, which is one of the reasons that I have listened to this album 13 times since Thursday. And what could be a better follow up to this song than "Brandy Alexander", smooth and easy, and slightly motown. Wonderfully accomodating for Feist's one in a million voice, and so simple too.
If you only buy a few albums every year then you need to make this one a priority for sure. It's the best thing I've heard in '07 and tough to surpass. If you discover a beauty here like I did, then you might consider checking out Let It Die, the only other thing near The Reminder's style and quality.
Album's come and go, but timeless is The Reminder.
Free Music Review: A Welcome Reminder
Hit: 5 Stars
If we're lucky, an artist comes along every once in a while and perfectly captures our thoughts and emotions, wrapping them up in a way that helps us see the beauty and wisdom of our experiences. For me - and, I suspect, for anyone who has struggled with a relationship - the latest artist to do this is Feist. Her latest release struck such a deep chord for me that certain songs make me wonder if she could possibly have been reading my mind while writing the album. Yet the ability to touch on such universal themes in such a personal way is what makes an artist really stand out - and this Feist does, quietly yet distinctly.
With The Reminder, Feist has put together a collection of thirteen songs that delve into the subjects of love, loss, and life, carrying a smooth, mellow sound while maintaining an emotional intensity that never fails to connect. The album features slow, romantic tracks that bristle with emotion, interspersed with a sprinkling of more fun, upbeat pieces. "I Feel It All" may be my favorite with its lively energy, while "1 2 3 4" is playfully cadenced and "My Moon My Man" has a jazzy feel with a bass line that you can't help but bounce along to. The songs that resonate most strongly for me, however, are the slower, more thoughtful pieces. "So Sorry" is a passionate song of regret in which Feist sings, "We don't need to say goodbye/We don't need to fight and cry/Oh we, we could hold each other tight/Tonight." "The Park" is equally poignant, capturing hope and longing with lyrics like "It's not him who'd come across the sea to surprise you/Not him who'd know where in London to find you." These and others, like "Limit to Your Love" and "Intuition", are heartbreaking in their melancholy, and the timbre in Feist's voice at times makes her sound as though near tears. Yet the beauty is that, despite their sadness, these songs are somehow uplifting, reassuring, even inspirational.
Feist demonstrates the strength of her voice, her talent as a musician, and her insight into the human psyche with this album. The Reminder deserves to be listened to while curled up on your couch, perhaps a cup of tea in your hand or a loved one by your side, and contemplated wholeheartedly.