Metals (album)
Metals | ||||
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Studio album by Feist | ||||
Released | October 4, 2011 | |||
Recorded | 2011 | |||
Genre | Indie pop, indie folk, baroque pop | |||
Length | 49:58 | |||
Label |
Arts & Crafts Productions Cherrytree Polydor | |||
Feist chronology | ||||
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Singles from Metals | ||||
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Metals is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Feist. It was released on September 30, 2011 in Ireland, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden and Belgium; October 3, 2011 in the United Kingdom; and October 4, 2011 in the United States and Canada.[1][2][3] The first single from the album is "How Come You Never Go There", which was released on August 12, 2011.[4] The album was supported by a world tour which started in Amsterdam, Netherlands on October 15, 2011 and finished on October 20, 2012 in Latin America.[5][6]
Metals debuted on the US Billboard 200 at number 7, and sold 38,000 copies in its first week. It earned Feist's best sales week and it was her first top 10 chart in the US. The album received acclaim from critics.
Promotion
Promotion for the album began with short videos which feature snippets of tracks and the making of the album. They were posted on her website and other social networking sites since July 21, 2011.[7] Four days after, she officially announced the release of Metals.[8] Artwork for the album was revealed on August 2, 2011,[5] previously fans were given the opportunity to select the color design for the album cover on Facebook.[9]
Writing and recording
After touring for her previous album, The Reminder, Feist was "emotionally deaf".[10] She stopped playing music for two years,[10] saying that she "wasn't curious anymore".[11] In 2010, she went to the studio in Paris where she recorded The Reminder. After coming back from Paris six months later, she wrote most of the album.[12] For recording Metals, Feist went to Big Sur with the lyrics almost completed and set up an ad hoc recording studio.[12] Metals was recorded in Toronto and Big Sur, with collaborators including Chilly Gonzales, Mocky, Brian LeBarton, Dean Stone, and producer Valgeir Sigurðsson.[8][13] They began recording the album in January 2011. The album's title was partially inspired by Charles C. Mann's non-fiction book 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus.[12] She said of the recording process that "I allowed for mistakes more than I ever have, which end up not being mistakes when you open things up and make room for them."[14]
Composition
For the album, Feist aimed for a sound she described as "modern ancient", mixing old and new instruments.[10] She stated that the album had "more chaos and movement and noise than I've had before." [14] The music of Metals is influenced by genres such as jazz and the blues.[15] The lyrics of Metals contain a lot of "nature imagery", as Feist was fascinated by the weather since "it makes you feel so minute."[11] They also contemplate topics such as dying love, mortality and solitude.[10] She also pointed to "Sealion" from The Reminder and said that it "grandfathered some of the concepts in Metals". There are many minor chords and open fifths on Metals, as well as a lot of voices sung in unison.[11] The songs "How Come You Never Go There" and "Anti-Pioneer" are ballads,[10][16] the latter she had worked on for ten years.[10]
Reception
Professional ratings | |
---|---|
Aggregate scores | |
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 81/100[17] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [18] |
The A.V. Club | B+[19] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+[15] |
One Thirty BPM | 82%[20] |
Pitchfork | 7.7/10[21] |
PopMatters | [22] |
Rolling Stone | [23] |
Slant Magazine | [24] |
Spin | 7/10[25] |
USA Today | [26] |
Metals debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200, selling about 38,000 copies. It was Feist's best ever sales week, and was her first appearance on the top 10 of the Billboard 200.[27] At Metacritic, a website which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a score of 81, based on 39 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[17]
Spin gave "Metals" a score of 7/10, writing "Taken individually, each song is as sturdy as oak -- the guitars have a magnesium shimmer, and every instrument seems bathed in its own spotlight, especially Feist's vocals, which feel like they're being whispered directly into your ear."[25] In a positive review, Lindsay Zoladz of Pitchfork Media gave the album a 7.7 out of 10. She noted that there was no "1234" on the album, which is the reason that "it feels like such a refreshing and slyly badass statement of artistic integrity" and also that "it doesn't reach The Reminder's heights."[21] Andrew Leahey of AllMusic wrote that "Feist’s days as a provider of hip, trendy TV jingles may be over," and that "Metals does its best work at a slower speed".[18]
Elysa Gardner of USA Today gave the album 2.5 stars out of 4, and named "The Bad in Each Other" and "Caught a Long Wind" as the highlights of the album.[26] A mixed review from Slant Magazine criticized most of the album for not having a "real spark to it" and stated that "Metals is too dull for [Feist] to overcome".[24]
The album has received a number of accolades. The New York Times and The Globe and Mail named Metals as the best album of 2011.[28][29] Uncut and Paste named it the 17th and 29th best album of 2011, respectively.[30][31] Q named it the 29th best album of 2011.[32] Feist was nominated for Best International Female Artist at the 2012 BRIT Awards for Metals.[33]
The album was named as a longlisted nominee for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize on June 14, 2012.[34] The album won the Polaris Music Prize making her the first female artist to win the award and, as of September 25, 2012, has sold 141,000 copies in the U.S.[35]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Bad in Each Other" | Leslie Feist | 4:44 |
2. | "Graveyard" | Leslie Feist, Mocky, Chilly Gonzales | 4:17 |
3. | "Caught a Long Wind" | Leslie Feist, Mocky, Chilly Gonzales | 4:54 |
4. | "How Come You Never Go There" | Leslie Feist | 3:24 |
5. | "A Commotion" | Leslie Feist | 3:53 |
6. | "The Circle Married the Line" | Leslie Feist, Brian LeBarton | 3:22 |
7. | "Bittersweet Melodies" | Leslie Feist, Mocky | 3:56 |
8. | "Anti-Pioneer" | Leslie Feist | 5:33 |
9. | "Undiscovered First" | Leslie Feist | 4:58 |
10. | "Cicadas and Gulls" | Leslie Feist | 3:16 |
11. | "Comfort Me" | Leslie Feist | 4:04 |
12. | "Get It Wrong Get It Right" | Leslie Feist | 3:39 |
Total length: |
49:58 |
iTunes Store bonus track[36] | ||
---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length |
13. | "Pine Moon" | 4:52 |
Amazon.com bonus track[37] | ||
---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length |
13. | "Woe Be" | 3:13 |
Personnel
The people involved in the making of Metals are:[38]
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Charts
Chart (2011) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums Chart[39] | 17 |
Austrian Albums Chart[39] | 11 |
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[39] | 7 |
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[39] | 18 |
Canadian Albums Chart[40] | 2 |
Danish Albums Chart[39] | 10 |
Dutch Albums Chart[39] | 34 |
Finnish Albums Chart[39] | 30 |
French Albums Chart[39] | 9 |
German Albums Chart[41] | 6 |
Irish Albums Chart[41] | 27 |
New Zealand Albums Chart[39] | 13 |
Norwegian Albums Chart[39] | 10 |
Portuguese Albums Chart[39] | 21 |
Spanish Albums Chart[39] | 72 |
Swedish Albums Chart[39] | 18 |
Swiss Albums Chart[39] | 9 |
UK Albums Chart[41] | 28 |
U.S. Billboard 200[40] | 7 |
U.S. Billboard Rock Albums[40] | 1 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Sales/shipments |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada)[42] | Platinum | 80,000 |
Tour
Opening act
- Chilly Gonzales (select dates)[44]
- M. Ward (select dates)[44]
- Timber Timbre (select dates)[44]
- Bon Iver (select dates)[44]
- The Low Anthem (select dates)[44]
Date | City | Country | Venue |
---|---|---|---|
Europe | |||
15 October 2011 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Carre Theater |
17 October 2011 | London | United Kingdom | Palladium |
19 October 2011 | Brussels | Belgium | Cirque Royal |
20 October 2011 | Paris | France | Olympia |
22 October 2011 | Berlin | Germany | Tempodrom |
North America | |||
29 October 2011 | Philadelphia | United States | World Cafe 20th Anniversary |
2 November 2011 | New York | Howard Gilman Opera House | |
4 November 2011 | Chicago | Riviera Theater | |
6 November 2011 | Atlanta | The Tabernacle | |
8 November 2011 | Dallas | Majestic Theatre | |
12 November 2011 | Los Angeles | The Wiltern | |
14 November 2011 | San Francisco | The Warfield | |
16 November 2011 | Portland, Oregon | Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall | |
17 November 2011 | Seattle | The Moore Theater | |
18 November 2011 | Vancouver | Canada | The Centre In Vancouver For Performing Arts |
20 November 2011 | Edmonton | Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium | |
21 November 2011 | Calgary | Jack Singer Concert Hall | |
1 December 2011 | Toronto | Massey Hall | |
3 December 2011 | Montreal | Métropolis | |
5 December 2011 | Ottawa | National Arts Centre | |
6 December 2011 | Quebec City | Grand Théâtre de Québec | |
12 December 2011 | Mexico City | Mexico | Teatro Fru Fru |
13 December 2011 | |||
15 December 2011 | |||
16 December 2011 | |||
Oceania | |||
28 January 2012 | Brisbane | Australia | Laneway Festival |
30 January 2012 | Auckland | ||
1 February 2012 | Melbourne | Palais Theatre | |
4 February 2012 | Laneway Festival | ||
5 February 2012 | Sydney | ||
7 February 2012 | Enmore Theatre | ||
9 February 2012 | Adelaide | Thebarton Theatre | |
11 February 2012 | Perth | Laneway Festival | |
Asia | |||
12 February 2012 | Singapore | Laneway Festival | |
15 February 2012 | Jakarta | Indonesia | Fairgrounds |
Europe | |||
6 March 2012 | Oslo | Norway | Sentrum Scene |
7 March 2012 | Stockholm | Sweden | Cirkus |
8 March 2012 | Copenhagen | Denmark | Falkoner Theatre |
10 March 2012 | Vienna | Austria | Gasometer |
11 March 2012 | Zürich | Switzerland | Volkshaus |
12 March 2012 | Munich | Germany | Tonhalle |
13 March 2012 | Cologne | E-Werk | |
15 March 2012 | Frankfurt | Jahrunderthalle | |
18 March 2012 | Lisbon | Portugal | Coliseu |
19 March 2012 | Porto | Coliseu | |
21 March 2012 | Paris | France | Le Zénith |
22 March 2012 | Villeurbanne | Transbordeur | |
23 March 2012 | Lille | Theatre Sebastopol | |
25 March 2012 | London | United Kingdom | Royal Albert Hall |
26 March 2012 | Manchester | O2 Apollo | |
27 March 2012 | Glasgow | Royal Concert Hall | |
North America | |||
14 April 2012 | Indio | United States | Coachella Music Festival |
21 April 2012 | |||
22 April 2012 | Phoenix | Orpheum Theater | |
23 April 2012 | Tucson | TCC Arena | |
25 April 2012 | Marfa | Crowley Theatre | |
26 April 2012 | Austin | Stubb's | |
28 April 2012 | New Orleans | New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival | |
30 April 2012 | Indianapolis | Egyptian Room | |
1 May 2012 | Nashville | Ryman Auditorium | |
2 May 2012 | Asheville | Thomas Wolfe Auditorium | |
3 May 2012 | Raleigh | Memorial Auditorium | |
5 May 2012 | New York | Radio City Music Hall | |
7 May 2012 | Boston | House of Blues | |
8 May 2012 | Philadelphia | Academy of Music | |
9 May 2012 | North Bethesda | Strathmore | |
11 May 2012 | Burlington, Vermont | Flynn Theater | |
28 May 2012 | George, Washington | Sasquatch! Music Festival | |
29 May 2012 | Boise, Idaho | Idaho Botanical Garden | |
31 May 2012 | Morrison, Colorado | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | |
2 June 2012 | Minneapolis | Zoo Amphitheater | |
3 June 2012 | Madison | Orpheum Theatre | |
5 June 2012 | Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor Summer Festival | |
6 June 2012 | Columbus | Wexner Center | |
8 June 2012 | Manchester, Tennessee | Bonnaroo Music Festival | |
22 June 2012 | Calgary | Canada | Sled Island Festival |
23 June 2012 | Saskatchewan | Sasktel Saskatchewan Jazz Fest | |
4 July 2012 | Winnipeg | Winnipeg Folk Festival | |
13 July 2012 | Chicago | United States | Pitchfork Music Festival |
14 July 2012 | Pittsburgh | Stage AE | |
15 July 2012 | Buffalo, New York | Buffalo Place Rocks the Harbor | |
4 August 2012 | Montreal | Canada | Osheaga Festival |
Europe | |||
8 August 2012 | Oslo | Norway | Oya Festival |
10 August 2012 | Gothenburg | Sweden | Way Out West Festival |
12 August 2012 | Helsinki | Finland | Flow Festival |
13 August 2012 | Tallinn | Estonia | Kadioru Castle Flower Garden |
15 August 2012 | Hamburg | Germany | Stadtpark |
16 August 2012 | Hasselt | Belgium | Pukkelpop |
17 August 2012 | Biddinghuizen | Netherlands | Lowlands |
19 August 2012 | Brecon Beacons | United Kingdom | Green Man Festival |
21 August 2012 | Cologne | Germany | Tanzbrunnen |
22 August 2012 | Stuttgart | Freilichtbuhne Killesberg | |
23 August 2012 | Lausanne | Switzerland | For Noise Festival |
25 August 2012 | Istanbul | Turkey | Istanbul Jazz Festival |
North America | |||
31 August 2012 | Rouyn-Noranda | Canada | Festival de Musique Emergente |
1 September 2012 | Hamilton | Greenbelt Harvest Picnic | |
Latin America | |||
18 October 2012 | Buenos Aires | Argentina | Teatro Opera |
20 October 2012 | Santiago | Chile | Teatro Caupolicán |
22 October 2012 | São Paulo | Brazil | Cine Joia |
23 October 2012 | |||
24 October 2012 | Rio de Janeiro | Circo Voador | |
23 November 2012 | Querétaro | Mexico | Indio Emergente |
24 November 2012 | Puebla | ||
25 November 2012 | Guadalajara |
Release history
Region | Date | Format | Label |
---|---|---|---|
Worldwide[45][46][47][48] | September 30, 2011 | Digital download | Polydor |
Germany[49] | CD, Vinyl | ||
France[50] | October 3, 2011 | ||
United Kingdom[2] | CD, Download, Vinyl | ||
Canada[2] | October 4, 2011 | Arts & Crafts | |
United States[2] | Cherrytree |
References
- ↑ Battan, Carrie (August 13, 2011). "Hear the First Single From Feist’s New Album". New York. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 "Listen to Feist's New Album "Metals"". Cherrytree Records. 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
- ↑ "First single from Feist's new album 'Metals' appears online". NME. 12 August 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
- ↑ Breihan, Tom (2011-08-12). "New Feist: "How Come You Never Go There"". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
- 1 2 3 Phillips, Amy (2011-08-02). "Feist Reveals Album Cover and Tracklist". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
- ↑ "Feist en Latinoamérica". Indie Hoy. 2012-08-09. Retrieved 2012-08-11.
- ↑ "Feist Posts Teaser Video". Pitchfork Media. 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
- 1 2 "Feist Announces New Album". Pitchfork Media. 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
- ↑ Mike Hilleary (28 July 2011). "Feist Unveils Cover Art for New LP (Sort of)". Under the Radar. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jon Pareles (16 September 2011). "The Bounty of Solitude". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
- 1 2 3 Ryan Dombal (28 September 2011). "Interviews: Feist". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
- 1 2 3 "In Bed With Feist". SPIN. 2011-10-12. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
- ↑ "FFIRST LISTEN: Feist's New Album, 'Metals'". SPIN. 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
- 1 2 "Metals - Vinyl LP - Feist". Insound. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
- 1 2 Maerz, Melissa (2011-10-04). "Metals review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
- ↑ Jody Rosen (17 August 2011). "Feist, 'How Come You Never Go There'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
- 1 2 Metals at Metacritic Retrieved 2011-10-10.
- 1 2 Leahey, Andrew. Metals at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
- ↑ Murray, Noel (2011-10-04). "Feist: Metals". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
- ↑ Frank, Brendan (2011-10-03). "Album Review: Feist, "Metals"". One Thirty BPM. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
- 1 2 Zolads, Lindsay (2011-10-03). "Feist: Metals". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
- ↑ Ezell, Brice (2011-10-03). "Feist: Metals". PopMatters. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
- ↑ Rosen, Jody (2011-10-04). "Feist, "Metals"". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
- 1 2 Jonathan Keefe (2 October 2011). "Feist: Metals". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
- 1 2 Kamps, Garrett. "Feist, 'Metals'". Spin. Spin Media. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
- 1 2 Shriver, Jerry; Mansfield, Brian; Gardner, Elysa (2011-10-04). "Listen Up: Albums from McCreery, Indigo Girls". USA Today. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
- ↑ "'Idol's' Scotty McCreery Makes History at No. 1 on Billboard 200". Billboard.com. 2011-10-12. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
- ↑ Jon Pareles (15 December 2011). "Music of Heartache, Mortality and Success". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
- ↑ Robert Everett-Green; Brad Wheeler (26 December 2011). "Our verdict is in: This was the year’s best music". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
- ↑ "Uncut's Top 50 Albums of 2011". Stereogum. 29 November 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
- ↑ "Paste's Top 50 Albums of 2011". Stereogum. 29 November 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
- ↑ "Q's 50 Best Albums Of 2011". Stereogum. 29 November 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
- ↑ "Feist a contender for Brit Awards". CBC News. 12 January 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
- ↑ "Polaris Prize long list includes lots of Toronto bands". Toronto Star, June 14, 2012.
- ↑ Jason Lipshutz (25 September 2011). "Feist Wins Polaris Music Prize". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
- ↑ "iTunes - Music - Metals by Feist". iTunes Store. Retrieved 2011-10-08.
- ↑ "Amazon.com: Metals [+digital booklet]: Feist: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-10-08.
- ↑ Metals (album) at AllMusic. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Feist - Metals". Retrieved 2011-10-15.
- 1 2 3 "Metals - Feist". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
- 1 2 3 "Feist - Metals". αcharts. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
- ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Feist – Metals". Music Canada.
- ↑ "Feist to headline Lanois’ second Harvest Picnic". TheSpec. 2012-05-22. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Feist Announces Summer Tour". Pitchfork Media. March 20, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
- ↑ "iTunes - Musique - Metals par Feist". iTunes Store. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
- ↑ "iTunes - Musik – "Metals" von Feist". iTunes Store. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
- ↑ "iTunes - Music - Metals by Feist". iTunes Store. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
- ↑ "iTunes - ミュージック - Feist「Metals」". iTunes Store. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
- ↑ "Metals: Feist: Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon.de. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
- ↑ "Metals - Edition collector: Feist: Amazon.fr: Musique". Amazon.fr. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
External links
- Metals at AllMusic
- Metals at Metacritic
- The Bad in Each Other music video by Martin de Thurah
- Anti-Pioneer music video by Martin de Thurah
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