‘Pleasure’ is about choosing the opportune moment.
On her fifth album Feist keeps the canvas uncluttered so that when she does strike, with a surprising shard of guitar or a melody that sticks where others chose to flit in and out of the frame, the effect is transformative.
From the opening moments, during the riffy title track, it’s apparent that ‘Pleasure’ is a skeletal thing, its instrumentation sparse and reliant on sharp edges to break through. The effect is jarring but eventually very satisfying as Feist catches hold of us more regularly.
She uses the same approach lyrically and, over repeated listens, gradually takes up residence under our skin. When the guitar almost drops out entirely on the second song, Feist’s reading of its title is immediately arresting and only becomes more so over time. “I wish I didn’t miss you,” she sings.
A couple of tracks later, on the laconic rocker-turned-lament Any Party, she cuts through a thin layer of fuzz to say: “Sugar, I got no question of the right thing to do. You know I'd leave any party for you.” This is an album that exists at love's extremes, from the type that sustains us to the emptiness that can cause us to let go of our best interests.
‘Pleasure’ has very little time for the pop leanings of ‘The Reminder’ or the more expressive compositions of ‘Metals’, with these songs best suited to performances that get close enough to eyeball the listener. Their only adornments, beyond Feist’s expressive vocals, are the odd moment of tape hiss or a juddering effect.
Many ‘solo’ records are oddly distant and detached, but ‘Pleasure’ is almost overwhelmingly intimate. It feels live and organic, while its songs are clever, involving things that prove how much can be achieved while working within pared back instrumental structures.
Feist Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Thu July 27 2017 - LONDON O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire
Fri July 28 2017 - LONDON O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire
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