Feist

Metals Polydor***

The Reminder, Leslie Feist's last album, gained so much career- high praise that topping it would always be hard. The Reminderpinged between intimate and celebratory songs; Metalsis more concerned with the former, and the only track that deviates from this is the dark crescendo of A Commotion. There are layers throughout – glockenspiels, strings – but things are stridently anchored by acoustic guitar and Feist's voice. The Canadian pushes her vocals in challenging directions, even when the material doesn't waver. Chilly Gonzales and Mocky return as collaborators, and Björk producer Valgeir Sigurðsson is also on board. There is possibly no such thing as a bad Feist album, but more of its predecessor's diversity would have made this an unbeatable follow-up. See listentofeist.com

Download Tracks: How Come You Never Go There, The Circle Married the Line