Feist
Metals

An uneasy album, where a gloom quietly seethes, well reflected in the cold reflections of the title and the muted colors of a vaguely unsettling cover. Leslie Feist’s third album is certainly not made to captivate the listener at first impact, but as the listens progress, its qualities reveal themselves more and more. With a voice now mature – not beautiful, but peculiar and, in its own way, alluring – the author begins the work like an autumnal version of Carole King and concludes it with more than one nod to her illustrious compatriot Joni Mitchell.

In the early tracks, the arrangements are fuller, but it’s not to say that brass, keyboards, and electric guitars contribute to lightening the atmosphere: here and there, as in ‘Graveyard,’ they are indeed fundamental to generate an undeniable sense of unease. As the songs progress, the intimate tones become more pronounced – already heralded by the third track ‘Caught in a long wind’ – and it is above all the interplay between singing and guitar that offers the most exciting moments, so much so that some deviations, like the ill-conceived refrain of ‘Cicadas & Gulls,’ sometimes risk ruining the effect.

Among the most successful passages are the folk with an almost intangible pop sheen that characterizes ‘Bittersweet Melodies’ and ‘Comfort Me,’ while ‘Anti Pioneer’ showcases some soulful fragrances: the conclusion of ‘Get it Wrong, Get it Right,’ instead, returns to an intimate and acoustic Feist who, on tiptoe, bids farewell to her audience who cannot help but be satisfied with a shadowy work (both in music and words) but rich in quality.