While driving from Ohio back to Nashville with my father the other weekend I was scanning through the many XM Radio stations when I decided to conform and allow Starbucks to control both my beverage intake as well as my listening behavior. See, this is a tough decision for me. The odds of hearing quality music on XM's station 75 is rather high, but yet it goes against every grain in my body to allow them to highlight (read: discover) music I myself did precious reading and research to track down, only to be prompted to buy a sampling of it for $18.99 upon my next store visit for what is already an overpriced mocha. Alas, I caved, and with good fortune. Right when I stopped the dial at Hear Music, an Artist's Choice interview was just starting up with the very talented, and as I would soon discover, very personable Leslie Feist. Known simply by her surname to adoring fans who have followed her career from Broken Social Scene and earlier, Feist (in part to promote her upcoming album The Reminder) spoke of the life events and artists that shaped her musicianship.
(c) Tim Leyes for The New York Times
Through this interview, Feist actively promoted her new album (indirectly) a good month and a half in advance of her next CD release. This is incredibly smart. I say indirectly because her presence on the radio alone is enough to prompt even her most casual fans to check and see if she has a new album on the way, simply because it feels as though it's time. I say indirectly also because she never (from what I recall) actively pitched or promoted the upcoming work, but rather let the focus hinge on her stories and career, inherent assets to push a new album without much self-proclamation.
Her second solo album Let it Die -- an album in which iTunes described her as re-inventing herself with every song -- was released three years ago in 2004. In the interim, she released Open Season, a collection consisting of mostly remixes including the notable Postal Service collaboration of "Mushaboom," as well as a rendition of "Tout Doucement" best described as fun, and a romantic yet subtle duet "The Simple Story" with Jane Birkin. Despite these gems, the album, whether it exists in your collection on a physical shelf or in a digital library, presumably does not get many spins all the way through, at least not in the way Open Season called you to do so.
Therein lies the beauty of doing an interview with Hear Music six weeks prior to the release of an album that most likely will be the album for Feist (at least until her next release). Most fans haven't seen her on tour since 2005 (she did not tour with BSS last October), last year's album was an attempt to circulate buzz off of some smart collaborations, and with recent breakthrough albums from artists like Regina Spektor, Feist simply has to deliver with The Reminder. One quick glance at her profile on Virb confirms she's not only up to the challenge but is willing to meet it with confidence, from her choice in the iconic direction of the album art (a design seemingly better served for a vintage album) to the arrangements on her first two singles, "My Moon My Man" and "1234."
Appropriately, the Hear Music commentary and the Virb profile serve as exactly what the album promises to do: remind us as to why her performances -- be it live or in the studio -- are so natural and infectious. Here's The Reminder: how a young woman touring with underground bands in Canada found her voice -- and timeless style -- and is back to charm audiences everywhere.
