Feist - Multitudes
Polydor Records
Released April 14th, 2023
We find ourselves again in an unfamiliar place, reviewing a top-notch Canadian release for your favourite and mine, the Cups N Cakes Network. Today, we’re going deep on the new release from Canadian soft jam extraordinaire Leslie Feist and their latest effort, Multitudes. It serves up 12 new songs of deep instrumentals and her unmistakable vocal range, which sees Feist playing many different roles and approaching songwriting from a constantly varying perspective.
Multitudes is the softest release from Feist thus far. Multitudes came together during the uncertainty of the mid-pandemic when Feist was beginning a new life with her adopted daughter, Tihui. Feist’s haunting vocals and steady acoustic guitar work lead the 12 songs forward with little percussion and the occasional interplay of other instrumental elements. The interplay of calm singer-songwriter-driven songs compared to some of the weirder instrumentals seem to be a testament to the myriad of mindsets characterized by the mid-pandemic.
The record can make you feel comforted and relaxed, but just as feel, you’ve got the sound of the form nailed down, songs such as “Borrow Trouble” swoop in to stir up the pot. Feist does a lot to keep things interesting while interplaying with calm tones. Her unique vocal melodies and ability to bring the volume up at the right moment give Multitudes a layered and meditative quality. A return of longtime producers Mocky and Robbie Lackritz helps create a connection with previous Feist releases. Also, it creates a lovely dynamic that longer-term fans will gravitate towards.
As Multitudes builds in emotion and instrumentation, we see a different side of this record on the song “I Took All of My Rings Off.” This song is probably the best example of Feist’s ability to blend an extreme softness and build into a beat-driven haze of emotions flowing about halfway through the music, with Feist’s vocals enveloped by a cloud of reverb.
Multitudes remind of classics such as those by Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen, and Joni Mitchell while providing something thats very fresh and organic. A fresh listen to explore as we transition from a place of the stills of winter to the rebirth and new beginnings of spring.
- Earl D
