iTunes Single of the Week: Part II (Good Feist)

On Tuesday April 5, 2005, Leslie Feist began a love affair with Apple that would culminate in the "1 2 3 4" heard 'round the world. On that day, "One Evening" from her second album, 2004's Let It Die (and 'major label' debut with Universal) was featured as the 'iTues Single of the Week.' (You don't have to go back in time to get it, though...just click on the MP3 player on the right side of the blog!)

Though she was already a longtime member/contributor to the Canadian experipop conglomerate Broken Social Scene, her first solo outing in 1999 entitled Monarch (Lay Down Your Jeweled Head) never gained much steam and, according to Wikipedia, remains out of print. I have, however, managed to obtain a VERY LEGAL copy via "The Internets," and it is with much pride and excitement that I would like to announce the beginning of a new column on A Stereo Sun! Every week (I'll try to keep it that frequent), I'll be reviewing albums that I have either a) never heard before b) am sure you all -- my 3 loyal readers -- have never heard before c) absolutely love and want to spread or d) absolutely hate but want to give another chance to. That being said, next week's inaugural review will be Feist's aforementioned inaugural rarity.

Back to April 5, 2005. I listened to the 30-second preview of the old-meets-new/80's-funk 'One Evening' and was more than happy to "purchase" the free single from iTMS (please see Part I for a definition of iTMS). Immediately, I was drawn to her jazzy, as well as the combination of scratchy sound (old) with light, flowy electronics (new). I managed, since these were my days of piracy, to obtain a VERY ILLEGAL copy of Let it Die. The mix of pleasantly obscure covers and fresh originals is surprisingly cohesive, and Feist manages to introduce herself as a musician we hadn't been introduced to often by iTMS: potentially popular, innovative, and...wait for it...wait for it......TALENTED! They didn't just put something on there because it was new, but because it was good and new!

I've seen Feist twice live, and her musical prowess and stage persona far exceed what her albums would deem her capable. Her unique use of self-harmonization (via looping) is something I haven't experienced before or since, and she opened my eyes to the possibility of using electronics during a live performance.

We all know what happens next. In 2007, Feist's third album The Reminder came out to critical and popular acclaim, reaching #4 on the Billboard Top Digital Albums (U.S.) and reaching platinum status (1 million copies sold). In September of that year, Apple again gave Feist a swift and helpful kick up the charts (she reached #8 on the Billboard Top 100) by featuring her video and song for "1 2 3 4" in a third generation iPod Nano commercial, which subsequently aired approximately 7 GAZILLION TIMES every hour on every station.

"1 2 3 4" has helped drive Feist and Apple to new heights, and she should be considered a saving grace of hope and goodness for the iTMS. Sadly, as I made clear in Part I, I haven't had much to celebrate from iTMS very often. "One Evening" is a standout 'Single of the Week,' and I cannot honestly say that I can remember one other that I've downloaded since, though I know I often have (usually ending in disappointment). Still, though, in the words of Leslie Feist herself, "the pleasure was mine."