Feist is proof positive that female Canadian singers are not all dull as dishwater -- like, say, the animatronic and aging Ann Murray. Furthermore, she surrounds herself with many of the coolest Great Northerners, such as Ron Sexsmith, who helped her write “Brandy Alexander,” and Ben Mink (k.d. lang’s right hand man), who arranged “1234.” In her own unassuming way, Feist is an exciting new discovery.
With her long hair and dark eyes, Feist looks a little Cat Power. But she doesn’t share that cool chick’s affection for gutbucket, Memphis soul. Yet that’s not to say she isn’t soulful; she is, but in a more urban, brainy way. Call it restrained soul.
Best known for her work with Broken Social Scene, Feist is given the hip diva treatment on The Reminder. Many of these arrangements are beautifully understated. For instance, “The Park” is driven by basic acoustic guitar playing yet dignified horns also enter and exit now and again. And just to keep you from forgetting that this song takes place in a park, the track also includes persistent bird chirping sound effects.
She’s a tough one, that Feist, to brand stylistically. During “Intuition,” for example, I can’t decide if she sounds closer to Bjork or Joni Mitchell. And that’s a strange dichotomy because Bjork and Mitchell aren’t anything alike. Over a minimal acoustic guitar backing, Feist alternates between Bjork-ian vocal whoops and smoky Mitchell conversational asides. It’s the best of two very different worlds.
These mentions of Bjork and Mithell ought to tell you that an overt spirit of experimentation separates Feist from your typical pop diva. With “Honey Honey,” she explores a playful approach to layering vocals. So when the words “honey honey” are sung, they come out sounding like muted trumpets. The song’s lyrics are equally unconventional as well. “Me in my boat searching for he/Honey honey food for the bees,” she sings cryptically.
Although Feist plays the forlorn chanteuse much of the time, “Sealion” speeds up the pace considerably with a gospel choir handclap rhythm. It’s one that will surely startle you from slumping over in your pew. The song’s lyrics do not directly mirror the track’s aural approachability, however. “Sea lion woman she drink coffee/She drink tea and a rooster crows.” Whatever that means!?!? It reads like some kind of secret code blues song. A better mix of organic music with understandable lyrics is “1234,” which sports warm, Chicago soul horns and piano. There’s also some summertime banjo in it, too. Its opening line, “1234 tell me that you love me more” is about as straightforward as youthful romantic longing gets. Like a smitten high school girl, Feist later blurts out: “Old teenage hopes are alive at your door.”
These “1234” teenage dreams are followed and contrasted by the adult realities of “Brandy Alexander.” In it, a troublemaking man is compared unfavorably to an adult beverage. Feist sings it beautifully and easily, over a sparse, finger-snapping rhythm. She knows this man’s not all good, but he’s not all bad, either. Yet she nevertheless admits her “addiction to the worst of him.”
Feist sings a duet with Eirik Glambek Boe (of Kings Of Convenience) on “How My Heart Behaves,” a rare instance where the whole musical focus is not solely on the woman herself. Its lyric uses a physical analogy to describe how an emotional heart reacts to trouble. “A cold heart will burst/If mistrusted first/And a calm heart will break/When given a shake.”
This intelligent piece of female pop is a welcome guest to any CD collection. And in this age of the celebrity-obsessed TMZ.com, with its Britney Spears and the like, Feist is the intelligent antidote.
Feist
