Metals

Metals review

Leslie Feist – an artistic person

The famous Canadian singer Leslie Feist has always been close with music. She is not one of those artists, who managed to achieve listeners’ acknowledgment in an incredibly short period of time. Leslie was mastering her skills gradually, step by step and she was gaining the priceless experience. Feist’ first serious stage was the Canadian punk-band Placebo, where she was a vocalist. The groups proved to be strong and it even won the opportunity to open the festival featuring the legendary the Ramones. However later Leslie had problems with vocal cords, so she had to take a break. Then she studied to play the bass-guitar in the project Noah's Arkweld, and then the rhythm guitar in the band By Divine Right. Thereby Leslie was turning from a vocalist into a real multiinstrumentalist. Feist performed as a member of various bands; however she managed to fulfill her potential properly and to present the original material only on her solo records. Leslie’s first album Monarch (Lay Your Jewelled Head Down) was not a loud breakthrough, but her following long play titled Let It Die got the Platinum status in Canada. Later her third album The Reminder was nominated for Grammy Award. It feels that Feist’s every new work proves to be stronger, than its predecessor. Well, now it’s the singer’s new creation’s turn.

Twelve overtones of Metals

So, the official release of Metals finally took place. That long-awaited album immediately got into the spotlight and attracted attention of connoisseurs of thoughtful and original music. If we take into account the success of the singer’s previous works, such kind of attention is not a surprising at all. The record’s opening act is a composition The Bad In Each Other, which has an incredibly interesting drums part and soft, drawling sound. It is followed by not less melodiousness track called Graveyard that continues the minor theme. The song How Come You Never Go There got notes of blues, and it is worth mentioning that this style got its place in the sun in the whole album concept. Some more blues from Leslie listeners will get in the song Undiscovered First. It is interesting that Feist’s vocals sound really well in absolutely different and distant from each other compositions, from indie-rock to blues experiments. Slow and very melodiousness tracks create a special atmosphere, which is calming and a little bit sad at the same time. However the long play presents not only somnolent songs: the energy of vivacious A Commotion differs greatly from other compositions. And still, the love has always been and it still remains Leslie’s main theme of creativity. That is where the incredible sensuality comes from – soft, tender ballads – that is where Feist is the best.

New edges of art

Feist established a reputation of a talented and distinctive singer. She is capable of collaborating perfectly in the group (just recall Broken Social Scene or By Divine Right) and she can work well in her solo projects. Leslie keeps on mastering her guitar skills, because that instrument became the musician’s irreplaceable companion. Anyways, it is difficult to imagine any other instrument, which would accompany Feist that well. Well, with her love to experiments and to something new, listeners would probably get the opportunity to get acquainted with Leslie’s new edges of art. She can handle various genres and directions in a fancy way, so why not continuing search for new variants of sound. And for now one can just relax, get comfortable and enjoy tender songs of Metals – traditionally strong album already took its notable place in the discography of the mysterious Canadian performer.