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Feist It only feels like yesterday when Leslie Feist blessed us with her first signed, solo release, Let it Die (2004), but five singles, a portfolio of collaborations and a raft of awards later it seems that - despite the current gloominess of the British weather - the next edition of the Lazy Summer Album™ is here again – three years on and aptly named, The Reminder.
Pixelsurgeon managed to catch a few moments with the anti-diva in between sound checking and her London showcase gig and whilst we listened to her ponder about blossom trees, barking dogs, making the new album and old fashioned writing techniques, it’s clear that despite more commercial hype this time around, Ms Feist is still very much a Musician’s Musician.
PIXELSURGEON: Welcome back to the UK, how are you feeling at the moment?
Really great, I’m here in London tonight and I played Brighton last night. I received such a warm welcome; it feels like a lifetime since I was here last, so it’s almost like a new beginning for me. Actually, I was in the bathroom earlier and there was a poster up saying ‘Feist – performing here 16th June 2004’ from the first time I was here over two years ago, which was really surreal for me. This is one of my favourite venues, I’ve been sound checking and I’m standing here now in a beautiful courtyard with a cherry-blossom tree in full bloom, which smells gorgeous. It almost makes me feel better about the jetlag I have from the hectic travelling we’ve been doing the past few days.
Your gig tonight is a relatively small showcase [at Bush Hall, London]. Are you looking forward to it and how does it differ playing to a smaller – presumably more attentive – audience?
I never assume an audience isn’t being attentive [laughs]. I certainly never presume one will be any more attentive than any other. That’s what I love about the difference between recording and performing. With concerts, when it’s over, it’s over and every person from the audience gets to go back to their lives and take away a little piece of the show with them.
Do you feel like you have to make any adjustments as a performer between larger and smaller venues?
I don’t make any conscious adjustments performance-wise, but it’s difficult to see the individual audience members at larger venues… you don’t get to make eye contact. Luckily, our sound guy is a genius and manages to make every venue feel intimate.
Following a partial world tour, spanning over two years, you’re about to tour Canada again… How does it feel to be playing back home? What’s the reception like for you out there?
There’s a great freedom in going home… I’m not living up to my own expectations, because I never dreamed I’d be playing in the likes of Massey Hall in Toronto, which is where Leonard Cohen and The Philarmonic play and it’s within stomping ground of my old apartment. I’m also playing Jubilee Hall in Calgary, which is the first stage I ever performed on when I was seven years old. It was never even a dream to play any of these venues.
Let it Die was one of our favourite albums of 2004, but your musical and vocal styles seem to have matured for your new album, The Reminder. It’s very acoustic-led and there’s a lot less of the disco-influenced material you’ve chosen before. How has your approach to writing and recording changed in the past couple of years since Let it Die?
Let it Die was amazing for me, but it lived in a vacuum and didn’t exist outside the studio. Back then, when many of the songs were recorded, it was the first time they’d ever been played… they were written and put down before I’d even performed them live.
With The Reminder, it was written more freely on tour and was a much more fragmented process - like a bouquet of ideas gradually coming together. Most of the songs were written on stage at gigs after sound checks, when everyone had gone home and we [the band] had access to a beautiful big space and an amazing PA system.
Slowly the disco tracks fell by the wayside, but that wasn’t conscious for me, it was just something that evolved along the way.
The new album is receiving a lot more pre-release press attention than your previous works. Would you say that you are officially famous now?
[Laughs] I don’t have the ability to see myself on the outside… I suppose I’m lucky I don’t have that ability. If getting the pre-release attention means that more ears will be listening and will bring more people to concerts, then I suppose it’s a good thing. It’s very liberating.
Like Let it Die, the new album is perfect summer-listening and has been putting us all in a good mood… is this your intention when writing the material?
I don’t really have an intention for how people will interpret the music and how it will make them feel… I don’t think I could ever tailor make a song in that way. With all of the artists I love, I suppose I just believe that they are always telling the truth, with the listener almost like a fly on the wall.
You’re from Canada, but moved to Paris a few years ago and also recorded the new album there. What is it you like so much about the place?
Actually, I don’t live in Paris any more. I lived there for four years and it's a beautiful place, but I stopped being a permanent resident about five months ago. I’ve been moving around so much recently that a “home” isn’t a major priority or requirement for me at the moment.
How did it feel recording the album in a spacious old Manor House, rather than being holed up in a dark, dusty studio?
The plan was always to record at the Manor House, but in the beginning, the studio was set up in the basement. We eventually decided to bring everything; instruments, engineering and recording equipment - upstairs into the main room so that we could let in the natural light and actually see each other… we didn’t account for the dogs barking constantly though [laughs as dog starts barking in background]. This is how the album was always supposed to be recorded.
You’ve collaborated with fellow Canadian, Ron Sexsmith on the new album… are you friends?
Yeah, we’re very good friends, I collaborated with Ron on the track Brandy Alexander on the new album… it was done in a very old fashioned way – sitting in the kitchen at parties or sneaking off to sing to each other and exchanging ideas over email. I suppose it could be considered and old-fashioned way of doing things anyway.
Considering I’m a massive Ron Sexsmith fan, I much prefer your [2006 release] version of Secret Heart.
[Laughs] Please don’t tell Ron that!
The Reminder is available to buy from 23 April on Polydor Records
Additional questions by Aaron Bimpson
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