The Reminder

Feist

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 1, 2007)
• Original Release Date: May 1, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Cherry Tree
• ASIN: B000NPE7YC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (166 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #370 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  #2 in	Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Lo-Fi
  #3 in	Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Electronic Pop
  #3 in	Music > Indie Music > Dance & DJ > Electronica

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Feist is the solo project of Canada's Leslie Feist, a prolific artist who has also played in one capacity or another with Broken Social Scene, Kings of Convenience and half a dozen other bands. The Reminder, her third release, comes from the same well of quiet, appealing songwriting, and delicate vocalizations that made 2004's Let It Die such a sweet treat. This one is a bit more hushed and ballad heavy, closer to Cat Power than Peaches (with whom Feist has also worked with in the past) but maintains an indie-minded blend of confessional pop, jazzy folk, and lo-fi torch songs. The comparatively upbeat single "My Moon My Man" splits her voice off into unexpected harmonies, just dissonant enough to stick in your head. It's hard to predict where her melodies are going to end up; "Brandy Alexander" starts with a simple snap-pulse, and gradually unfolds into a cathartic chorus of sweeping vocal overlays. Throughout, the record profits from a simple, unfussy aesthetic that keeps the production minimal and the emphasis squarely on Feist's cracking, wistful vibrato. Everything sounds deliberate, but not obsessed over, like an e-mailed wedding invitation. It's a low-pressure vibe, welcoming and content to linger. And linger you will. --Matthew Cooke

Product Description
Limited edition import digi-pack pressing of her sophomore album. Includes the single, 'My Man My Moon'. Universal. 2007.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Leslie comes into her own as a songwriter, June 13, 2007

By	Eric J. Anderson (Ankeny, Iowa) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 1234 song is wonderful, February 18, 2008

By	Jonathan Greenlee - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

IT is soo refreshing to hear a clear clean voice like her's. And the 1234 song is beyond charming!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I had no idea how great it'd be!, May 31, 2007

By	Jerry Durham "vulturadecultura" (TX United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.