Feist
Metals
(Interscope)

After the remarkable international success of The Reminder, Canadian songstress Feist managed to avoid the spotlight for a couple of years to find her creative spirit again. The resulting album, Metals, is her strongest release to date.

What makes this record more striking than its predecessors is its arrangements. Feist doesn’t shy away from layering or strange elements in her songs because she has the pop sensibility to make things work. “A Commotion,” for instance, features urgent strings and the title shouted repeatedly, but before the intensity gets to be too much, Feist pulls it back until the chorus is delightfully catchy.

Lead single “How Come You Never Go There” is easily relatable for anyone who has felt a relationship dry up, and “Caught a Long Wind” is a gripping piano ballad that showcases Feist’s gorgeous falsetto. “Cicadas and Gulls” may be the most folk Feist has ever sounded, while the distortion and bells on “Get It Wrong, Get It Right” make it otherworldly.

Fans of Feist’s work have been waiting for her to get her songwriting legs back, and she has returned finding strength in her vulnerability. Metals is a contender for one of the most compelling albums of the year, and hopefully those who remember her for having “1234” in an iTunes ad will keep up with her career as her creativity flourishes.