Let It Die

For many listeners, Feist’s name first calls up The Reminder and its iPod-advertisement hit ‘1234’. Yet this earlier second album deserves a place among favourites too. Her 1999 debut, Monarch, had been a self-released record; Let It Die presents her musical identity with exceptional clarity.

Her casually unforced voice, melodies threaded with unexpected turns, and economical arrangements create an acoustic sound that feels thoroughly contemporary. With minimal resources, she conveys both the essence of her personality and the inventiveness of her ideas. As an early member of Toronto’s loosely organised Broken Social Scene, she also shares something of the cool, spontaneous quality associated with those Canadian musicians.

There is a welcome refusal to be confined by a single model of living or making music. Feist is a persuasive figure in a new generation of folk, and this record’s Canadian-cover artwork is an attractive alternative in its own right.