I’d never really listened to Feist before, mostly identifying her with the 1 2 3 4 song from the old iPod adverts. I might have seen her supporting Arcade Fire in 2022, but obviously that was a gig I did not end up going to. So it’s interesting to come into this with some but not lots of pre-conceptions.
The opening track, In Lightning, is not quite representative of the album as a whole. It is full-bodied, clacking with drums and stuttering through itself.
For the most part, the rest of the album feels much more subdued, much more interested in being pared back to piano or guitar, but with a focus on Feist’s vocals, especially in backing. There’s a lovely vocal round in Hiding Out In The Open, that syncs in and out throughout the song, bolstering the chorus and splintering out in the verses.
Of Womankind and Become The Earth is an incredible one-two punch of that kind of thing, from the serene, soothing string arrangement of the former to the more abrasive, disorienting sweep of the latter.
It really feels like the album is meant to end at Borrow Trouble, the return to In Lightning’s full band arrangement - ironically sounding quiet Arcade Fire in the process. But then it continues, with three quite down tempo tracks, all of which are quietly beautiful in their own way but it’s hard for them to reach escape velocity after what feels like the real climax.