Taken from new album 'Metals'
Leslie Feist’s husky, withdrawn tones have always carried a faintly accusing hiss, capable of involving the listener in the subtle dramas the Canadian singer-songwriter excels in crafting.
It’s a really nice quality that totally comes to light on new single ‘How Come You Never Go There?‘, taken from the upcoming album ‘Metals’, set for release early October, due in part to the repeating ‘how-comes?’ littering the chorus that seem to personally question the listener.
The best in a genre that celebrates intimacy should be looking to make its disciples feel a little awkward in their own skins, and this is something that Feist’s mix of crystal clear guitars, choral work and simple, earthy piano chords have no problem achieving.
It’d be inaccurate to suggest there was anything all together new going on here. Some slightly more adventurous harmonies aside, the piano work sounds just a little too similar to something like Brandy Alexander, or Limit to your Love, the latter having been so recently cemented in the collective imagination by James Blake.
Strangely though, this is something that fails to detract from the song at all. Feist has imbued her single with a genuine pleasantness that insists on itself, like she has with much of her back catalogue – one that’s hard not to enjoy, or feel cheated by.
(Xavier Boucherat)
