In the annals of “You’re an asshole but I love you anyway and I’d rather feel this pain than be without you” songs, Joni Mitchell’s “A Case Of You” is the gold standard. It positions alcohol as the perfect metaphor for a turbulent romance—intoxicating, sexy and ultimately sickening. Fans of Mitchell’s brilliant, heartbreaking ode will eagerly drink up The Reminder, the much-anticipated second album from Canadian singer/songwriter Leslie Feist.
Practically every track features a narrator that’s frantically bailing water from a sinking ship, clutching to hopes and promises as the water fills her lungs. “My moon and me/Not as good as we’ve been/It’s the dirtiest clean I know,” she sings over the darkly jaunty piano of “My Moon My Man.” The Reminder is full of this simple, tragic language; even the occasional forays into oxymoronic wordplay don’t lose this sense of directness (besides “the dirtiest clean,” there’s “The truth lies” and “So much past inside my present”). The result is a very self-obsessed record that manages to avoid sounding whiny or maudlin. It helps that Feist sings every note in her simple whisper of a voice, never resorting to the over-emotive yodel—a crutch that the most obnoxious female singers love to pull out.
But the most obvious reason why this is more than just a self-pitying, rainy day kind of album—and a different listening experience than “A Case Of You”—is the robust eclecticism of the music. While we’re not talking orchestras and choirs here, The Reminder benefits from a richness of production that Feist’s 2004 debut Let It Die lacked (and that album is astounding nonetheless). By adding a new instrument here and an atmospheric element there, the production team of Gonzalez, Feist and Renaud Letang give each song a resonance of its own.
After opening the album in much the same way as its predecessor—“So Sorry” possesses the same Bacharachian beauty as the Let It Die opener “Gatekeeper”—the record shifts to the contagious, Pretenders-esque pop of “I Feel It All.” One of the album’s instantly lovable tunes, it’s marked by a simple touch that single-handedly sets it apart: a three-note glockenspiel run. All of the album’s standouts have one of these precious little surprises, like the nature sounds running under the stunning ballad “The Park” or the aching cello accents on “Limit To Your Love.” And if there’s any justice in the music industry, “1 2 3 4,” with its unabashedly cutesy lyrical hooks and honey-sweet melody, should be a smash hit single.
While Let It Die put Feist on the map, her new album reminds us of a map of Canada, drawn on the back of a cartoon coaster. While none of its songs are as timeless and ingenious as “A Case Of You” (and few are), the song’s influence absolutely permeates The Reminder. After you’ve had a few listens, I doubt you’ll still be on your feet.
Appeared in the May 16, 2007, issue of Artvoice.