Feist

Anyone who has been following Feist since she started kicking up dirt with Broken Social Scene had to enjoy reading about scores of people feverishly typing in whatever words they could think of into their browser to figure out who made the music in that iPod commercial. The song, of course, was the infectious “1234” from 2007’s The Reminder, and the swell in popularity it brought her is only appropriate for a woman who gracefully juggles underground rock and adult contemporary. With her latest record, Metals, though, Feist is breaking away from the spritely ditties and twee phrases, leaning more toward sketchy instrumentation and growling vocals. The song craft is still there, albeit a little less commercially friendly, and tracks like “How Come You Never Go There” are undoubtedly catchy in their own right.

Updated 10/26/2011