Customer Reviews

The Reminder [Deluxe Edition]

5 star:		(106)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

The new album "The Reminder" by Canadian gal Leslie Feist is receiving mixed critical reviews, but some are calling it the best pop music album so far this year. I ordered it, and my take on it is also mixed, in this sense: Feist is a great songwriter, and this album is exhibit one. Not all of the songs are great, but many of them achieve greatness. Feist's previous album also contained great songs (and some less compelling material), but only about half of them were Feist originals. Here, almost everything is Feist-penned.

Remember the "1234" Busby Berkely-inspired video of Feist from Youtube, that people seemed to enjoy so much? If you haven't seen it, check it out -- it is pure joy wrapped in a 3 minute package. That song is also a minor musical masterpiece, with guitar, banjo, a chorus of voices, quiet bits, loud joyful bits -- put together in a way that things are always changing enough to keep the ear from being bored at any time.

When I think of the Beatles work, or XTC, or James Taylor, Sting, Paul Simon, I think of music that is put together in a very entertaining and craftsmanlike way. A primitive like Bob Dylan (don't get me wrong, I love a lot of what Bob has done, but it is musically primitive) will take a simple three chord verse, then repeat it over and over with different lyrics. The greatest songwriters make music that builds, crescendos, then rolls back, with themes and variations, and little musical bridges (or "middle eights," as the Beatles used to call them). Feist is writing music like that, at least some of the time.

Oh, there are a few quieter numbers that almost approach dirges. I'm not much fond of those. Much of their fault lies in the underproduction -- one of them sounds as if it was recorded in Feist's garden, with her simply strumming her guitar and singing (later joined briefly by brass instruments and perhaps saxophone, but not much else). More complexity and attention to detail in the arrangements could have brought much more out of those quiet songs.

I'm not a great analyser of lyrics. Here they are vague enough to be universal. To me they don't always make sense, but that doesn't bother me. "goo goo ga joob" Does that make any sense? No. It doesn't mean it isn't a great lyric. The main thing is that Feist's lyrics are not embarrassing -- they don't take away from the music. And some of her wordplay and vocal phrasing is quite clever.

So my final rating is
Songwriting: 4.5 out of 5
Production: varies from 3 to 5 out of 5, depending on the track.

As a Canadian living in the US, I'm always trying to convince people of why Canadian indie rock is so great. Not a tough sell with Feist's The Reminder, featuring the artist in top form. Both this album and her first album, Let It Die, demonstrate Feist's ability to effortlessly sound like anything she wants to, whether it's 70s disco or folksy pop song. Regardless, she infuses all her music with a sounds that's uniquely Feist-y and difficult to pin down.

PS: First review of this album on Amazon! Woot!

Admittedly, I have become a sucker for CDs under $12. I had heard one song from this album on "Grey's Anatomy" and then saw the CD for $10. This is one of the best CD purchases I have made in the last year, and keep in mind that I purchase about 50 CDs a year. It is perfect in composition and I have yet to find a song that I skip over. Instead, I have about 5 songs that I find myself going back to over and over! Do yourself a favor and invest in this CD.

I heard Feist's first album "Let It Die" just a few months before "The Reminder" came out. Let It Die was a masterpiece that established Feist as a legitimate and talented artist outside of her work with Broken Social Scene. The Reminder is a further step in that direction, and in my opinion, one of the best albums of 2007. Artfully crafted with a wide variety of instruments and musical arrangements, this album covers a vast array of topics such as childhood innocence, the fleeting feelings of love and loss, and modern womanhood. The tracks are all delivered with Feist's wistful, honeylike voice and pleasant, catchy musical arrangements that are truly unique among modern indie songstresses.

Feist currently occupies a musical domain that is entirely her own. She was a major member of the Canadian independent music collective Broken Social Scene, and has lived in France for the past several years. Formerly a punk singer in her teenage years, and now a Candian-French indie rock chanteuse. There's no perfect way to describe Feist; her unique style is best understood by listening to her albums. This has been one of the top sellers on Amazon for several months now. In ten years, I am certain that this will be considered one of the most relevant albums of this time period. Feist is changing the way people think about pop music. One of the top tags for this product is Bjork, and Feist has that same pioneering spirit, although she expresses it in a form much more accessible to listeners. Just buy this album - it'll be ten dollars well spent.

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.

Until a month ago, I had never heard of Feist, never been drawn to indie music, that I knew of, and was fairly bored by recent musical offerings. I guess I heard Feist on the radio first: "1234" it was. It is a very catchy tune which incorporates unusual changes and has a banjo! I then saw the video on YouTube and thought it was enchanting. Terrific choreography; charming young woman.

What seems rare to me about Feist in general is that she seems not to be infected by the cynicysm so prevalent in our culture. Her songs have layers of depth, her arrangements are surprising and interesting and then there is her voice. Feist manages to have more facinating nuances in her mouth than any other singer I know. And it is not simply the virtuosity displayed by many R&B or Soul singers who seem never to be content just to sing a line but must run it through a version of scales just to impress us with their vocal pyrotechnics.
What Feist does is magical. Her voice and phrasing are luscious and fresh.

My one fear is that Feist's originality will be infected by American culture and success. Far be it from me to tell an artist what to do, (and I really belive Fesit is an artist) but I hope she maintains some distance, stays in France and Canada, for example, and takes lots of time apart and permits herself to maintain health and perspective. My fears for her lead me to begin with the title, "Do not listen to Feist!" (OK, listen but don't tell too many of your friends). I get the sense from her work that it was created in a place seperate from the standard expectations of the studio and I just would hate to mess it up for her.

In sum, "The Reminder" and her previous work, "Let it Die" are the most intelligent and creative Cds I have bought in a decade.

I did not even know that this was the same singer on that iPod commercial until I bought the cd. That song aside (a decent song ruined by Apple overuse), this is one h@%% of a cd. In a day and age when it is impossible to hear two songs in a row on a cd, it is very refreshing to pop this baby in and experience a wide range of moods as the themes harmoniously flow from track to track. There is nothing more for me to say, buy the cd - excellent voice, writing and melodies. Also, if you are a big fan of this cd, I also recommend the unknown but similarly talented Sasha Dobson (Modern Romance CD).

After seeing the new Ipod Nano commercial numerous times on TV, the jingle song 1234 grew on me. Upon visiting the Apple web site, I discovered it was Feist, and the single from the new album. I sampled each song on here, and was pleasantly pleased. This is the first album I have listened to from Feist, but won't be the last. The tunes are catchy, as the case has it with 1234, and Steve Jobs must agree to have it featured as the Nano selling song. I'm sure to have Apple's endorsement will pay dividends for Feist, as many people will do what I have done as they have 1234 going through their heads.

I missed Feist's previous albums, but after having become addicted to Broken Social Scene, I couldn't let this one pass. I was not dissapointed!

The more I listen to "The Reminder", the more I love it. Indeed, some moments in the album remind a lot of BSS ("I Feel It All" and "Past Is Present" being two good examples), but there's a whole lot more to enjoy in here. There's folk as much as there is rock. There is quiet whispering as much as there is passionate singing coming from the beautiful voice of Leslie Feist, making this a great contender in the run for the best albums of 2007.

If you enjoy Feist, make sure to check out Knives Don't Have Your Back by Emily Haines, What the Sea Wants the Sea Will Have by Sarah Blasko and Bring Me the Workhorse by My Brightest Diamond.

I'm becoming more of an Indie fan all the time. It's well written and well produced albums such as The Reminder that progress that new musical affair.

The tracks jump off The Remainder with punchy, happy harmony and rythym, memorable hooks and seering clear vocals. Several of them have already appeared in television sitcoms and commercials for technical gadgets.

Some music can truly change your mood. Real music makes your hair stand on end and gives you the feeling of an electrical charge. I am charged by Feist. I wouldn't have said that five years ago, but I would be remiss to give this collection of happiness anything less than my highest recommendation.