Let It Die

Feist | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 26, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Interscope Records
• ASIN: B0008KLVW8
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (121 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,927 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #5 in Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Lo-Fi
  • #59 in Music > Indie Music > Rock > General

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Canadian singer Leslie Feist has served as a guest vocalist for Norwegian folkies Kings of Convenience, Toronto power-pop troupe Broken Social Scene, and - under the frightening moniker "Bitch Lap-Lap" - the hairy female rapper Peaches. But her unruly resume hardly prepares you for the emotionally rich, softy sensual music on her major label debut. Moving from tortured torch songs such as "Lonely Lonely" to pulsating originals like "Mushaboom," it also contains stunning remakes of Ron Sexsmith's "Secret Heart" and the Bee Gees' "Inside and Out," tunes Feist not only makes her own but effectively uses to dissect her romantic desolation. "Don't you wish we could forget that kiss?" she smolders on the title track. Not in this lifetime. --Aidin Vaziri

Product Description

Feist is a Canadian songstress, hailing from Toronto. Her first album 'Let It Die', is produced by Renaud Letang & Gonzales. Feist has been Gonzales' fellow for years. Part of the Canadian collective band, Broken Social Scene, Gonzales convinced her to come to Paris to record this first album. The journey started in an out of time, out of norm atmosphere, whose lush grooves are offset by a thoroughly enjoyable live performance, with members of the Germany via Toronto Kitty-Yo crew such as Peaches, Gonzales, & Taylor Savvy. Features 11 tracks including the singles 'Mushroom' & 'One Evening'. Universal.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 71 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply brilliant. Understated. Sexy. Haunting. Best CD of 05 May 19, 2005

By G. Mitchell

Format:Audio CD

I heard the import singles and now have the domestic full CD (even though the import version contains two bonus tracks NOT on the cheaper U.S. version)...simply put, this is simply BRILLIANT. While not really her "debut" (Feist has been in several Canadian bands like Broken Social Scene, self-released her own Monarch CD a few years ago, and popped up with roomie Peaches on some projects), it's a definite keeper. It's so rare to hear a CD nowadays that, from the moment you hear the opening chords and voice, you are immediately hooked, pulled in, and instantly addicted til the last note. Not a bad apple in the bunch, but standouts are her amazing, gutsy, sexy cover of Bee Gee's INSIDE & OUT (who woulda thunk?), ONE EVENING, MUSHABOOM (getting spins on KCRW now), and her understated cover of Ron Sexsmith's classic overlooked SECRET HEART. With spare, expert production from pal GONZALEZ (who has put out some interesting electro/faux-rap efforts on his own), it's all about HER VOICE: breathy, rich, ethereal, sensual with confident yet carefree phrasing and tone. The kind of voice you hear once and never ever forget. I know that if Interscope puts some serious marketing muscle and money beyond Feist's CD it can be a contender for a Grammy sweep - it's THAT good. Handsdown the BEST album of 2005, bar none. (Here's hoping for the remixes soon! Ewan Pearson & Mocky, do you feel me?)

51 of 54 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Let it live May 30, 2005

By E. A Solinas HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

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.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular. April 26, 2005

By Sabrina

Format:Audio CD

Feist is a complete original, although she pays inadvertant homage to so many others: Dusty Springfield, Sade, Jane Siberry, even Billie Holliday. Her covers are impeccably chosen, including songs by Ron Sexsmith, Blossom Dearie and, oddly enough, the Bee Gees (she does an incredible version of their old '70s disco chestnut "Inside and Out"). But it's her own songs that really grab you, especially the title song, which is one of the most wistfully sad songs I've ever heard, and the eighties-ish "One Evening," which sounds like something Sade or George Michael might have cooked up.

For the record, the extended UK CD is even better, because it includes Feist's own lovely, lovelorn "Amourissima" and a fabulous cover of the Francoise Hardy song "L'Amour Ne Dure Pas Toujours," which both confirm that Feist knows her way around a chanson. In short, Leslie Feist is extremely wonderful.