The Feist Discography Rate: Same Trailer, Different Management.

It's been a long time coming but I’d like to finally welcome you to…





















Feist. Leslie Feist.

What is there to say about the Canadian Queen of Indie Music that hasn’t already been said? She’s incredibly talented, can write a catchy hook like it’s nothing, is the definition of cool, chill, and go-with-the-flow, brilliant guitar player, amazing live performer, basically she can do it all. I feel like she might have been written off by the members of the general public who didn’t really know her beforehand as a “twee Starbucks/coffeehouse artist who makes cute music” or something following The Reminder’s domination but when has the general public ever been known as the bastion of good taste and music knowledge? In reality, her songs are complex little creations and while some of them might come across as simple little pop numbers, they are much more than that. One of the many elements of Feist’s music that I particularly love are her lyrics because she has a knack for crafting such poetic phrases and imagery that feel so effortless and naturally blend with her instrumentation that it might take multiple listens or taking the time to read the lyrics to parse out their true beauty. She is a true master of taking “simplicity” and showing how artistically rich and complex it can actually be.

Despite what the general public might think, Feist has been rocking the music world well before her signature tune 1234 blew up thanks to a certain iPod Nano commercial. Feist actually began her music career back in 1991 with a punk band she founded called Placebo (No, not that Placebo), but she wouldn’t go on to release her first solo album, Monarch (Lay Your Jewelled Head Down) until 1999. Aside from the fact that the album saw a very limited release, it’s sound was quite different from the work Feist was doing at the time. It’s full of wide-eyed, groovy, charming little tunes and tender moments of emotional intimacy. It’s really very similar to the sound she would go on to master on her future releases and shows that even from the start Feist knew what she wanted to do. I’d say more but I want to let the album surprise those of you who haven't heard it before. Her skills as a live performer must have been pretty evident from the start as she and her bandmates won a local Battle of the Bands competition and were awarded the opening slot at the festival Infest 1993, featuring the Ramones. It was during this time in the frenetic, colorful, and rampaging punk scene while that Feist honed her skills as both a guitarist and vocalist and pushing herself to the limit. She actually suffered vocal cord damage and was forced to take a break from music in 1995 in order to recover. It was during these years in the 90s that she would meet many of the musicians who she would become her core group of friends and long-term collaborators. Feist would continue honing her skills throughout the decade, playing guitar in different bands and both touring and collaborating with her then-roommate Peaches.

Once the 2000s rolled around, things began to change drastically for Feist. In the summer of 2001, Feist self-produced a set of songs at home which she called The Red Demos, which have never been released commercially. She spent more than two years touring throughout Europe with Gonzales. In that same year, she joined a group of old friends in forming a new version of Toronto indie rock group Broken Social Scene, adding vocals to many tracks after being forbidden to play guitar by de facto bandleader Kevin Drew. She subsequently recorded You Forgot It in People with the band. She’d go on to record and/or tour with the collective and individual members at various points in the decade, with her most recent contribution being the title track of their 2017 album Hug of Thunder. Feist’s involvement with Broken Social Scene helped cement her as an icon of Canada’s Indie scene but it is the true “start” of her solo career that would establish her as a critics’ darling and bring her music to a wider audience.

While on tour in Europe with Gonzales, the pair began recording new versions of her home-recorded Red Demos, and thus her major label debut Let It Die was born. The album’s lead single Mushaboom would go on to become one of her signature songs and its use in a Lacoste commercial would serve as a little teaser for the massive success of the era that was to come. If it was the eclectic fusion of genres on Let It Die that put Feist on the radar of critics then it was the unique blend of bombastic and gleeful pop tunes and somber folk-indebted songs on her third album The Reminder that caught the eyes and ears of average music listeners. Despite what many people might think, 1234 wasn’t the album’s lead single, that honor belongs to the infectiously catchy and playfully sensual My Moon My Man. However, as you all must know, it was 1234’s iPod-fueled launch up the charts that made Feist a household name. The era saw three more singles be released, a deluxe reissue of the album, a huge tour, and Feist’s image and voice turning up in numerous places from magazines to tv shows to the long list of collaborations she added to her catalog.

So how does an artist like Feist follow up a massive era that also happened to spawn a documentary about the process it took to make it and left her feeling drained and “emotionally deaf?” She stops playing music altogether for two years, travels a bit, and eventually shuts herself up in Big Sur to record her next album, finally having found a new way to make music, inspired in part by the scenery of her recording location. Those recording became Metals, the album often deemed to be her most heavy and somber both lyrically and sonically. Despite what seemed to be a huge sonic shift for Feist, her knack for catchy melodies and brightness is still very much present on the album. More than anything, it just happened to take on a new role. A good chunk of her previous material that can be deemed as good-natured and sweet actually hides a more serious and darker message that becomes obvious once you focus on what the lyrics are actually saying. What Metals does is push that somberness to the forefront but Feist’s signature bright and catchy melodies still manage to shine through the melancholic exterior of the album. Metals went on to become arguably her most acclaimed album to date and her most successful album on the U.S. charts. In typical Feist fashion, the album was followed by a 2 year plus long tour that saw her travel the globe and pick up right where she left off.

We’d have to wait longer than normal for the next album but Feist filled the time by recording more collaborations with her music business friends including her old roommate Peaches and her fellow Broken Social Scene member, Kevin Drew. Feist eventually released the lead single and title track from her fifth album Pleasure in March 2017 and showed another reinvention of sorts. While Feist has always been playing guitar like nobody’s business, Pleasure put emphasis on her guitar work highlighting her lively and at times frenetic form of shredding. It also drew comparisons to another all-time fave of mine, PJ Harvey, and that is never a bad thing. The album followed a month later and proved to be just as rock-leaning, lively, and colorful as the title track while following in the footsteps of Metals through it’s exploration of serious subject matter like the tendency of the public to associate an artist with the stories their songs tell, the reevaluation of life that comes with the passage of time, and the meaning of the word pleasure. A second single, Century, came later on and in a shocking turn of events, Feist went on tour for the album. A tour, mind you, that is still going on.

Well, in true literature student fashion, I have given you an essay’s worth of background info on Feist despite telling myself to not go overboard ddddd. Oh well, it’s what Feist deserves. Now let’s take a look at the list of 87 songs that we will be rating. If I have included multiple versions of a song, please listen to each version and rate the one you prefer. A little piece of advice. If you are unsure about what score to give a song then check out a live performance of it. While it's true of any artist, I find that Feist's songs can take on a different character when she performs them and they open themselves up a bit more to be analyzed.

[N.B. Youtube playlists for each album are linked to the album titles and the one for the Extras is linked to the Extras header. Individual songs have links only if they are alternative versions of songs not found on their parent album that I want you to hear, not part of the playlist, or if the song is not available on the standard version of the album.

Monarch (Lay Your Jewelled Head Down) (1999)



1. It’s Cool To Love Your Family
2. The Onliest
3. La Sirena
4. One Year A.D.
5. Monarch
6. That’s What I Said, It’s Not What I Mean
7. Flight #303
8. Still True
9. The Mast
10. New Torch​

Let It Die (2004)

1. Gatekeeper | Gatekeeper One Room One Hour Mix
2. Mushaboom | Mushaboom (Red Demos Version)
3. Let It Die
4. One Evening
5. Leisure Suite | Leisure Suite (Red Demos Version)
6. Lonely Lonely
7. When I Was A Young Girl
8. Secret Heart
9. Inside And Out
10. Tout Doucement
11. Now At Last
12. Amourissima
13. L'amour Ne Dure Pas Toujours


The Reminder (2007)

1. So Sorry
2. I Feel It All
3. My Moon My Man
4. The Park
5. The Water | The Water (Red Demos Version) aka The Eastern Shore
6. Sealion
7. Past In Present
8. The Limit To Your Love
9. 1234
10. Brandy Alexander
11. Intuition | Intuition (Red Demos Version)
12. Honey Honey
13. How My Heart Behaves
14. Fightin’ Away The Tears (with Mocky)
15. Lover’s Spit
16. Islands In The Stream (with The Constantines)


Metals (2011)



1. The Bad In Each Other
2. Graveyard
3. Caught A Long Wind
4. How Come You Never Go There
5. A Commotion
6. The Circle Married The Line
7. Bittersweet Melodies
8. Anti-Pioneer
9. Undiscovered First
10. Cicadas And Gulls
11. Comfort Me
12. Get It Wrong Get It Right
13. Pine Moon
14. Woe Be ​

Pleasure (2017)



1. Pleasure
2. I Wish I Didn’t Miss You
3. Get Not High, Get Not Low
4. Lost Dreams
5. Any Party
6. A Man Is Not His Song
7. The Wind
8. Century
9. Baby Be Simple
10. I’m Not Running Away
11. Young Up


Extras: Collaborations, Covers, Features, Soundtrack Songs, etc…​

[N.B. La Même Histoire and We’re All In The Dance are two versions of the same song with the only difference being that one is sung in French and the other in English hence why I grouped them together. I have included both versions in the Youtube playlist so listen to both and rate the version you prefer.]

1. Black Tongue
2. Boomerang 2005 (with Chilly Gonzales & Dani)
3. Born To Bond
4. Don’t Give Up (with Timber Timbre)
5. Don’t Make Me Wait (with Doug Paisley)
6. Elle Aime (with Albin de la Simone)
7. Fire In The Water
8. Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye
9. Homage (with Timber Timbre)
10. I Mean Something (with Peaches)
11. Know-How (with Kings of Convenience)
12. La Même Histoire | We’re All In The Dance
13. Look At What The Light Did Now (with Little Wings)
14. Shameless Eyes (with Chilly Gonzales)
15. Snow Lion (with Readymade MC)
16. Somewhere Down The Road
17. Starlight (with Chilly Gonzales)
18. Strangers
19. The Build Up (with Kings of Convenience)
20. The Simple Story (with Jane Birkin)
21. Train Song (with Ben Gibbard)
22. Where Can I Go Without You?
23. You And I (with Wilco)


Spotify Playlist

Songs not available on Spotify:
The entirety of the Monarch (Lay Your Jewelled Head Down)
The alternative versions of songs that I want you to hear
Amourissima
L'amour Ne Dure Pas Toujours
Pine Moon
Woe Be
Black Tongue
Don't Give Up
La Même Histoire | We’re All In The Dance
Look At What The Light Did Now
Strangers
Where Can I Go Without You?

PM-able Song List
[Remember: For songs with two versions, listen to both versions and rate only the one you prefer.]

Spoiler

Monarch (Lay Your Jewelled Head Down) [1999]
1. It’s Cool To Love Your Family
2. The Onliest
3. La Sirena
4. One Year A.D.
5. Monarch
6. That’s What I Said, It’s Not What I Mean
7. Flight #303
8. Still True
9. The Mast
10. New Torch

Let It Die [2004]
1. Gatekeeper | Gatekeeper One Room One Hour Mix
2. Mushaboom | Mushaboom (Red Demos Version)
3. Let It Die
4. One Evening
5. Leisure Suite | Leisure Suite (Red Demos Version)
6. Lonely Lonely
7. When I Was A Young Girl
8. Secret Heart
9. Inside And Out
10. Tout Doucement
11. Now At Last
12. Amourissima
13. L'amour Ne Dure Pas Toujours

The Reminder [2007]
1. So Sorry
2. I Feel It All
3. My Moon My Man
4. The Park
5. The Water | The Water (Red Demos Version) aka The Eastern Shore
6. Sealion
7. Past In Present
8. The Limit To Your Love
9. 1234
10. Brandy Alexander
11. Intuition | Intuition (Red Demos Version)
12. Honey Honey
13. How My Heart Behaves
14. Fightin’ Away The Tears (with Mocky)
15. Lover’s Spit
16. Islands In The Stream (with The Constantines)

Metals [2011]
1. The Bad In Each Other
2. Graveyard
3. Caught A Long Wind
4. How Come You Never Go There
5. A Commotion
6. The Circle Married The Line
7. Bittersweet Melodies
8. Anti-Pioneer
9. Undiscovered First
10. Cicadas And Gulls
11. Comfort Me
12. Get It Wrong Get It Right
13. Pine Moon
14. Woe Be

Pleasure [2017]
1. Pleasure
2. I Wish I Didn’t Miss You
3. Get Not High, Get Not Low
4. Lost Dreams
5. Any Party
6. A Man Is Not His Song
7. The Wind
8. Century
9. Baby Be Simple
10. I’m Not Running Away
11. Young Up

Extras
1. Black Tongue
2. Boomerang 2005 (with Chilly Gonzales & Dani)
3. Born To Bond
4. Don’t Give Up (with Timber Timbre)
5. Don’t Make Me Wait (with Doug Paisley)
6. Elle Aime (with Albin de la Simone)
7. Fire In The Water
8. Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye
9. Homage (with Timber Timbre)
10. I Mean Something (with Peaches)
11. Know-How (with Kings of Convenience)
12. La Même Histoire | We’re All In The Dance
13. Look At What The Light Did Now (with Little Wings)
14. Shameless Eyes (with Chilly Gonzales)
15. Snow Lion (with Readymade MC)
16. Somewhere Down The Road
17. Starlight (with Chilly Gonzales)
18. Strangers
19. The Build Up (with Kings of Convenience)
20. The Simple Story (with Jane Birkin)
21. Train Song (with Ben Gibbard)
22. Where Can I Go Without You?
23. You And I (with Wilco)

Rules:​

• Rate all the songs from 0 to 10 with the exception of that one special song you deem worthy enough to receive your 11. Send your scores to me via PM using the handy list I have provided for you above.
• Decimals up to two places and two places only are allowed.
• For songs with multiple versions listen to both but only rate the version you prefer.
• Commentary is welcome and very much appreciated.
• Troll ballots will not be accepted. If your scores for an album are excessively low [ex. You rate everything well but decide to give Metals a 0 average because you're that kind of heathen] I may ask you to reassess your scores.
• If you say in your commentary for The Limit To Your Love that you prefer James Blake's version then I will toss out your ballot. The same goes for any other song of Feist's that has been covered by someone else. [I'm kidding obviously, but I will drag you in the write-up for the song.]
• Please send me the songs in the order I have given them to you.

Votes are due by Midnight Pacific Standard Time on June 30th July 7th!
(An extension will be granted if necessary.)​

 

#1 - The Red Demos: An Inside Look At Feist's Creative Process
#2 - Caught A Long Wind: The Live Spectacle
#3 - It's Cool To Love Your Family: The "Lost" Debut Single
#4 - The Collaborative History of Feist & Colbert
#5 - The Placebo Effect: An Exploration of Feist's Punk Days
# 6 - Look At What The Light Did Now: Complexity Through The Lens of Simplicity
#7 - Open Season: Feist's Metamorphosis Into A Remix Queen & Dance Diva
#8 Leslie Feist & Amy Winehouse: Bridging The Gap Between Love's Ups & Downs
#9 Feist In Her Own Words: The Self-Analysis Of An Artist's Career And Creative Process
#10 The Lifelong Collaborative Friendship of Feist, Chilly Gonzales, Mocky, and Peaches​

 

Oleander
soratami
Trouble In Paradise
ohnostalgia
tobyboat
JamesJupiter
LE0Night
WowWowWowWow
enjoy
RUNAWAY

Spoiler

87. Don't Give Up (with Timber Timbre) - 5.556
86. Don't Make Me Wait (with Doug Paisely) - 5.972
85. Fightin' Away The Tears (with Mocky) - 6.15
84. Look At What The Light Did Now (with Little Wings) - 6.225
83. Flight #303 - 6.25
82. One Year A.D. - 6.425
81. Strangers - 6.444
80. Still True - 6.6
79. Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye - 6.611
78. Islands In The Stream (with The Constantines) - 6.65
77. Boomerang 2005 (with Chilly Gonzales and Dani) - 6.806
76. Fire In The Water - 6.85
75. Somewhere Down The Road - 6.861
74. The Build Up (with Kings of Convenience) - 6.889
73. Lost Dreams - 6.9
72. Where Can I Go Without You? - 6.917
71. Snow Lion (with Readymade FC) - 7.056
70. You And I (with Wilco) - 7.083
69. Starlight (with Chilly Gonzales) - 7.139
68. Lonely Lonely - 7.15
67. New Torch - 7.175
66. La Sirena - 7.2
65. Born To Bond - 7.222
64. That's What I Say, It's Not What I Mean - 7.3
63. Baby Be Simple - 7.325
62. Homage (with Timber Timbre) - 7.333
61. Elle Aime (with Albin de la Simone) - 7.361
60. Woe Be - 7.475
59. It's Cool To Love Your Family - 7.525
58. The Onliest - 7.55
57. The Simple Story (with Jane Birkin) - 7.556
56. Amourissima - 7.575
55. Black Tongue - 7.583
54. When I Was A Young Girl - 7.6
53. The Wind - 7.65
52. Pine Moon - 7.7
51. Leisure Suite - 7.775
50. Train Song (with Ben Gibbard) - 7.785
49. Bittersweet Melodies - 7.8
48. Tout Doucement - 7.85
47. The Mast - 7.875
46. I Wish I Didn't Miss You - 7.9
45. Shameless Eyes (with Chilly Gonzales) - 7.917
44. Anti-Pioneer - 7.925
43. Young Up - 7.95
42. Honey Honey - 8.0
41. Monarch - 8.025

 

Reserved.

​

 

If the opening write-up didn’t make it obvious, I decided to include multiple versions of certain songs for you to assess as part of the rate. The main reason for this is because I find the alternative versions either take the song in a different direction that I find particularly interesting or adds onto the final version of the song in a very interesting way, such is the case for the alternative version of Gatekeeper I have included. The other reason I chose to include alternative versions despite the songlist being long enough as it is (I’m sorry ddddd) is that I wanted to tie them into this little “series” I will be doing during the voting period to keep the thread alive. In these posts I will share and discuss songs that didn’t make the final song list, live performances from Feist, covers, fun trivia, etc…. Over her long career Feist has given us so much beyond her solo albums and I wanted to spotlight all this other material and just how amazing of a live performer she is. They won’t all be as long as this one though so don't worry dddd. Now that the introduction is out of the way, let’s get to the actual first post!

If you look at the song list for the rate you will notice there are four songs with alternative versions that include “The Red Demos” in their titles. The songs are Mushaboom, Intuition, Leisure Suite, and The Water. You probably guessed that because of this they are connected somehow and you’re absolutely correct! I made a brief mention or two to this in the little biography I gave of Feist but these songs were all originally recorded for a demo album/EP Feist made that is now known as The Red Demos. Wikipedia says she recorded seven songs for it but all other available resources only list the four songs I have mentioned above. I guess the other three songs have never been leaked or don’t don’t exist. Anyway, these demos were recorded in 2001, one source I found says 2002/3 but regardless they were recorded before the release of her sophomore album. While all four songs would see final versions included on future studio albums by Feist, the only time she has acknowledged the demos is when she decided to include the demo version of The Water on the deluxe re-issue of The Reminder. As stated previously, the demos were never meant to be released commercially and the only reason we have them is because of a bootleg leak.

I find these demos to be interesting not only because of their mysterious history but also because they are damn good. Even though they are demos, they are all fully fleshed out songs in their own right and possess a significantly darker, loungey, and in some cases more languorous sound to them compared to their final versions. The only one that sounds like a demo really is Mushaboom and because of that I almost decided to not included it but I figured that if I was going to talk about the other three I had to talk about Mushaboom. It’s maybe the most similar to its final version despite being stripped back sonically in comparison but manages to take the bright and poppy song and turn it into a slightly more somber number that highlights its folkish sound. It has opened itself up to me quite a bit thanks to repeated listens.

The other reason for including this EP in the rate was a bit of personal history I have with one of the demos in particular. As @Mina, @londonrain, @ohnostalgia, and anyone else who took part in the first iteration of PJ00s will tell you, I was struggling to come up with an entry for the contest. At the time I had just discovered The Red Demos and couldn’t stop listening to the demo version of Intuition so I decided to take a risk and enter it fully expecting to be vetoed as Feist is a well-known artist. To my surprise, I managed to pass thanks to how obscure this version of the song is and despite being a bootleg demo, I wound up beating a bunch of other songs and ultimately landed in 21st place. Now, this is my least successful finish in the contest to date but it goes to show you just how good of an artist Feist is that even one of her early demos connects with a wide group of individuals. It’s honestly a magical version of the song and made me love the final version found on The Reminder more than I already did. Both versions are so amazing and highlight the relatable regret-tinged lyrics of the song in their own unique ways. It goes to show just how much a song changes for you once you hear a demo and get to see how much the artist changed in order to reach the final version. It’s this transformation process that songs undergo when a new version that’s created that inspired me to include alternative versions of certain songs in the rate so that others could get a see a bit of Feist’s creative process and experience the rare piece of her music catalog known as The Red Demos.

Now that I am done blabbering away, here is the full EP which some kind soul posted on Youtube so feel free to check it out! You're going to have to do it anyway so might as well get an early start!

​

 

I'm ready.

Feist actually recently announced she's doing a show near where I live in September so this rate will be the perfect chance to familiarise myself with her more recent output in preparation.

 

Well then, you're in for a treat because she is an amazing live performer. Keep an eye out for the next Tastemaker post which will be about one of my favorite live performances of hers.

 

I know, the first concert I've ever been to was actually Feist! It'll be interesting seeing her again all these years later.

 

Oh, yeah I think you might have told me that dddddd. If her setlist is still the same as the earlier part of the tour then be prepared to hear all of Pleasure in some order and a selection of her old songs.

 

I don't know her.gif besides 1234 but I've been meaning to listen to Pleasure since last year so I might try to get into her + do this!

 

Listen to Let It Die and The Reminder and get your life x

 

Excellent! @soratami's suggestion is a good starting point as those are her most well-known and "accessible" albums but Pleasure is a great place to start if you want to see Feist let loose and show her guitar chops.

Oh, and since 1234 has been brought up, if we're going to let a single from The Reminder win then please let it be the superior I Feel It All,
My Moon My Man or Sealion. I'm not including Honey Honey because you heathens will probably do it so wrong. Not that I'm trying to sway the votes or anything.

 

My The Reminder average is going to be so high ddd. I haven't listened to it in years but I can still remember how every song goes.

And I agree that 1234 is a cute girl, but not an ideal winner (not that I probably won't still give it a 10, mind).

 

Same but that's probably going to be me for all of the albums, honestly. In an ideal world, we'd kick out extras before anything on the albums but I have no clue how this is going to go.

Yeah, even if we look at The Reminder by itself, 1234 is still the definition of "She's a cute girl. Cute next to gorgeous." Despite my shade towards it, I do love the song. I just think she has songs that deserve the title more.

 

Since we're discussing doing the right songs justice let me just remind people of the most important rule:

 

I can try and do this but have never heard Monarch or basically any of those extras (as an aside - I was surprised no BSS songs were included here!)

Watch me throw 10s at just about everything on Metals! I feel like that record is especially underrated.

 

I didn't even know Monarch existed until two years ago? I can't remember ddd. Fun fact: "Authentic" copies of it are on sale on Ebay for around 200-300 dollars at least when I checked back then. I love Leslie and own all her other solo albums but the Youtube version is free so....

My original plan for the rate was to do Feist's solo material and then do BSS as a second part to the rate but at this point, it's is going to be a lot more feasible to do just Feist so that's why none of her work with them was included. Hence why I also added all those extras. I wasn't aware that all of those extras existed either if I'm being honest ddd.

I definitely agree with you about Metals.

 

11 for The Build Up or Black Tongue and i’m not even kidding.

 

Me trying to decide what song to give my 11 to.

 

Ah, yes the early pictures of Feist. I almost went with this picture for the artwork for the I Mean Something write-up.