Feist sticks to the game plan on understated fourth album

She became known for her quirky incursions into indie and pop with songs such as the Apple ad-featuring 1234, but for her fourth album Leslie Feist is taking things down several notches.

As with her previous album, 2011's Metals, the Canadian musician continues her thread of sparse, slow-burning songs centred mostly on her voice and guitar, the latter used in creative ways on the bluesy I'm Not Running Away, the brash swagger of Any Party and the atmospheric title track. There's an undoubted PJ Harvey-like vibe to the bewitching hiss of Lost, Feist's voice tinted with reverb, while Jarvis Cocker turns up on the groovy, more immediate Century for a breathless spoken-word passage.

The lack of dynamism makes things a little underwhelming at times, but you get the feeling that Feist’s low-key, understated approach is all part of her plan.

[ listentofeist.com ]