Those lucky sods who happened across Leslie Feist’s second record, Let It Die, will no doubt be lighting bonfires just now to welcome the advent of its eagerly-awaited follow-up.
The Canadian singer’s last LP was a thing of sly and delicate beauty – a feather-light mood piece, which saw her pose convincingly (in turn, and sometimes all at once) as the moody chanteuse, the hippy chick and the flouncing disco dolly. She even covered the Bee Gees. What wasn’t there to love?
How great it is then to report that The Remainder is not only a worthy follow-up, but further proof of what her fans have suspected: that Feist is one of the most welcome songwriting talents to emerge in recent years.
Hooking up again with Chilly Gonzales, the erstwhile Broken Social Scene-er loses no time showcasing her capacity to balance giddy pop thrills (‘1234’), with more sombre, dimly-lit chokers (‘So Sorry’). It takes quite a performer to remind you of Sandy Shaw and Beth Gibbons during the course of one record, but Feist skips across genres and emotions with thrilling abandon.
A youthful stint with a hardcore punk band almost cost the young Leslie her vocal chords, and ‘The Limit To My Love’ and ‘The Park’ show that she’s managed to nail hushed delicacy by way of compensation. They’re thoroughly beautiful. As is her take on Nina Simone’s ‘Sea Lion Woman’.
In fact – from tip to toe, this record is an absolute, spring-time treat.
The Reminder is unforgettable.