Leslie Feist
Record Club: Skip Spence “Little Hands” from Beck Hansen on Vimeo.
When I was in High School I was enamoured by this local punk band named Placebo (not to be confused with the popular UK band Placebo). I think my infatuation with this band was due to 2 reasons. First this was one of the first intimate and rowdy punk shows I ever went to. The second reason was because this band was lead by a female singer but wasn’t ‘boring.’ I usually didn’t listen to girl bands so Placebo was a big deal for me.
As the years went by I forgot about Placebo and expanded my musical taste beyond punk. I was surprised many years later to see Feist’s name (and surprised that I recognized it) in the credits of a Kings of Convenience album. I re-listened to Placebo and found that the nostalgic trip wasn’t all I hoped it would be. I was genuinely pleased to hear of the success of a local musician and even more pleased to hear that Feists music had progressed.
Although I admit that she has progressed a lot, not all of Feists subsequent musical endeavors have left me begging for more. Broken Social Scene is a rotating cast of powerful Canadian musicians that gives instant credibility to her as an artist, but as her solo songs ended up on the charts for Lite 96 (and other radio stations targeted for middle aged moms with an insincere interest in music), I again began to forget about Leslie Feist (aside from commercial appearances like the iPod commercial).
Recently I have found that Feist has been involved in more collaborations that spark some interest with me. First it was hearing her voice on the song You and I from Wilco’s Wilco (The Album) released earlier this year. Listen to the track below. Wilco is huge (at least in my books) so once again I was proud of the once Calgarian. Another album I have enjoyed recently and then was surprised to hear Feists’ voice on was the new Amy Millan (of Stars and BSS) album, Masters Of The Burial.
Then tonight as I was doing some internet sleuthing on Feist, I discovered the video above which is a collaboration including the likes of Skip Spence (from Jefferson Airplane), Beck and Jeff Tweedy from Wilco. To paraphrase Barry Manilow, “It looks like you made it!”
You and I – Wilco with Feist
listen
December 9th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
So… you’re saying that when Leslie Feist’s music began to appeal to the masses, you began to discredit her talent?
I’ve seen her live several times, some of which were at the Calgary folk festival on a few collaborative stages (which always separates the talented from the schmucks). She is such an excellent musician. She and Andrew Bird have much in common, in my opinion.
Anyway, for the artists out there who are truly talented, I applaud them for getting through to a mass audience. It is artists like Feist who just may be trying to change the listening habits of those people who can’t seem to find their way out of Top 40-like music.
December 9th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Not at all what I was trying to say. I think her involvement in Broken Social Scene, the Apple Commercials and her commercial radio success speaks volumes to her talent. I just haven’t found her music to engage me the way some other artist out there do. Her success reminded me of who she is and then she just kind of fell off my radar.
My point was that as she has collaborated with artists that I find more engaging she is brought back onto my radar and I feel a nostalgic joy at her success. I really enjoy hearing her voice complementing these other musicians. The duet with Jeff Tweedy is probably one of my favorite songs on the new Wilco album.