Feist Feist, Baby

You’re probably asking, Darren, how can you post some kick-ass Ramones tracks one day and some wonderfully ethereal Feist songs the next?

There actually is a connection between the two – which is all I need to showcase tracks by one of the most alarmingly beautiful singers on the planet, Leslie Feist.

First: the connection between Leslie and the Ramones.

When Leslie was first starting out, the band she was in won a Battle Of The Bands competition in Canada. First prize was the opportunity to open for, you guessed it, the Ramones.

Releasing her first solo album, Monarch (Lay Your Jewelled Head Down), in 1999 at the age of 23, Feist got her first taste of crucial acclaim. Strangely enough, with the success of her subsequent albums, her debut effort remains completely out-of-print and next to impossible to find. Checking eBay reveals one auction with a Buy it Now price of $500.
In 2000, she befriended Canadian electro-rocker Peaches and the duo became housemates before heading to Berlin for a two-year stint. She and longtime collaborator Gonzalez began working on the material that would become her second release, Let It Die.

That album achieved remarkable success in Canada (where it received multiple Juno nominations in 2005) and across Europe due mostly to Feist’s constant touring. Most artists on the indie level release a new album and then tour sparingly. By comparison, Feist toured non-stop for the next two years.

2006 saw the release of “Open Season”, a collection of demos and remixes that shined new light on many fan favorites, including a Postal Service remix of “Mushaboom” and “The Simple Story”, a duet with Jane Birkin (best known – to me at least – for her prominent role in the 60’s film “Blow Up!”).

I admit to being late to jump on the Feist bandwagon. Upon seeing her perform in L.A. last year, though, I quickly ran out and bought everything I could get my hands on. Her lack of pretense, and the childlike confidence with which she throws herself into every song is both intriguing and endearing. I’ve seen very few artists who connect so quickly and completely with their audience. When Feist hits the stage, the audience is already in her hands, it seems, and she plays them like an instrument that makes each show its own being, if you will, never to be duplicated.

Truth be told, it’s refreshing to have someone whose music is such a celebration, never taking itself so seriously as to seem preconceived or contrived, and being completely devoid of the tabloid drama that surrounds other artists.

Here are some totally kick-ass live cuts from this amazing talent:

When I was A Young Girl
Gatekeeper
Secret Heart
One Evening
Inside And Out
So Sorry
Major Label Debut
Fighting Away The Tears
Sea Lion Woman
Let It Die
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