i got to know the sky

i’ve wanted to write about Feist’s album Metals since I originally heard it and i’ve wanted to do it right. i have waited basically 3 years for this, the follow-up to The Reminder.

this has been a phenomenal year for music for me. Jay-Z & Kanye West’s Watch the Throne, Justice’s Audio, Video, Disco, and Florence + the Machine’s Ceremonials have all been released this year as well, yet Metals is still the single most played album in my library.

it is the most significant album I’ve ever heard.

this might sound dramatic or over-exaggerated to you. it may be. but to me, this album means a lot more than any other piece of music out there. 

Feist’s previous albums landed her on a decent platform at which to keep producing pop. yet, unlike most artists, Feist became less pop. the rapid and almost unbelievable success of 1234 from The Reminder, going even farther than Mushaboom from Let it Die, would have normally translated continued pressure from any sane record label to produce another 1234. 

you will not find another 1234 or Mushaboom on Metals. 

why? Metals is simply not a pop album. Feist’s evolution could be summed up by one word: maturity. Metals is mature and therefore, there is not a place for another 1234. 

Metals probably will not go platinum. Metals will not please a pop audience.

instead, it shows us how incredible feist’s artistic integrity is in a superbly subtle way. 

but it will change the face of folk music forever. it’s not pretending to be anything. it’s hardly describable as folk. all you can say about Metals in terms of genre is that it’s unmistakably Feist.

how does Metals make me feel?

several songs, like A Commotion, send absolute shivers down my spine. the male chorus keeps on and on, until you feel a strange sense of urgency. it comes up in the middle of the album, like a swelling anxiety. the source of this anxiety? A COMMOTION. feist could be describing what someone might feel if they heard a commotion in an supposedly empty house. or, she could be describing her reaction to an unexpected breakup or 

almost every song is is some sort of anthem on Metals, or at least a song that makes you question the status quo. in Graveyard, Feist yells over and over “bring them all back to life!”, broaching the concept of loss, while asking ‘why do things need to die?’ raising the question of death is by no means knew, but Feist does so without evoking much negative energy. if there is one unifying theme of Metals, it’s definitely hope. it might be a futile hope, expecting death to bend to an imperative, but there’s hope. 

Caught a Long Wind is one of my favorite songs. period. it’s all about grabbing a hold of something and letting it take you on a long journey of discovery. Feist took a year off before she started Metals. i think this song is about her journey. this song asks a very important question: “where will we go?” it’s a fairly open question, and all that Feist requires is that you keep yourself afloat. akin to a bird’s migration, there are long journeys we must make several times throughout our lives. feist does a beautiful job of articulating this fact by using this “long wind” idea to suggest we enjoy the journey and not worry about where it takes us. 

while my favorite song from Metals is Caught a Long Wind, Undiscovered Firsts holds the most lyrical importance to me, but i plan on doing an entire post on this song for a full lyrical criticism.

Comfort Me is an extremely simple song and it is one of the most addicting songs of the album. it’s catchy, easily learnable lyrics tend to stick in your head and it’s one of those songs that can be applied to many situations. often times a friend tries to comfort you, but they don’t. often times, when someone is breaking up with you, and they say “it’s not you, it’s me”, you completely know it’s bullshit and it doesn’t help you. feist made a very relatable song, but she didn’t make it for anyone.

everyone other song on the album is just as fantastic, but doesn’t weight enough with me personally for a mention. 

in conclusion, i’m not a feist fanboy. it’s just…this album almost brings me to tears every time i hear it. i’ve overplayed it a thousand times over. it doesn’t matter. it’s one of those special types of music that we absolutely LIVE for. 

METALS IS:

1. dynamic - every single song can mean a thousand different things to a thousand different people.
2. proof of artistic integrity - in a world where original songwriting and autotuning voices tends to sell records, Feist reminds us all what it means to be a true artist.
3. the most legitimate attempt at true folk-pop to date, in my opinion.
4. beautifully written.
5. wide in scope, yet specific enough to satisfy.

here, i say fuck you, pitchfork. you panned her with a 7.7. Metals is a 10, through and through.