Album Essentials: Feist "The Reminder"
By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor
Released in 2007, the third album from Canadian singer-songwriter Leslie Feist went a long way to solidify not only her artistry but also her fan base. Having released her debut album, Monarch, in 1999, she soon had listeners take notice of her signature, somewhat haunting vocal style, mixed with deceptively simple songs.
She was taking the pop song and twisting it into her own shape, combining a variety of elements and making them her own. Let It Die followed in 2004, launching her even higher and winning her two Canadian Juno Awards for 'Best New Artist' and 'Best Alternative Rock Album.' Somewhere in between those first two albums, she joined forces with Canadian indie rockers Broken Social Scene, with whom she played for several years, both live and in the studio.
The Reminder arrived in the spring of 2007, entering the US Billboard charts at No. 16. It brought her yet another round of Juno Awards for 'Best Pop Album of 2007' and 'Best Album of 2007,' as well as a Grammy nomination for 'Best Pop Album.' "One record really just dovetailed into the next," she said in a 2013 interview. "I recorded The Reminder while I was on tour for Let It Die, and then just sort of continued touring, but with a different record."
Unlike her previous works, The Reminder featured all songs written or co-written by Feist. The previous album included covers of songs by Ron Sexsmith, the Bee Gees, Françoise Hardy, and others, as well as Feist originals. On The Reminder,she made a conscious effort to keep it all coming from within. "I think I knew I didn't want to sing any covers," she said in an interview for the album. "I had a hard time singing other people's lyrics, more than melodies. Melodies are sort of like a waterslide; if it's someone else's melody, it can just be like you're along for the ride, and it's really fun."
As her songwriting developed, she took note and ran with it. "As I got older, the people I was playing with, we all started to get a little more proficient, and melodies became more interesting," she noted, adding that her lyrics developed in their own way as well. "I go a lot to using nature symbolism—things like storms, volcanoes, lightning, thunder, and earthquakes, the massive movements of the earth—to relate to emotions." The songs had more layers upon first listen, with even more uncovered with every spin. Songs like ‘My Moon, My Man’ and ‘1-2-3-4’ stood out as unique alongside others of the era.
Though Feist continues to make music, having released three albums in the 17 years since The Reminder, it is that album that people still talk about as her golden moment. Check it out here on The Summit FM Album Essentials.