COURTESY LISTENTOFEIST.COM

With the acclaim that Feist’s first album, “Let It Die,” brought in, the indie crowd started to take her credentials seriously. Now, this humbly-bred Calgary punk-rocker is a four-time Grammy nominee.

Feist has been on the indie scene for years, contributing vocals to various art-rockers, including Broken Social Scene, Kings of Convenience and a few others that got her to where she is now, musically.

Feist’s 2007 release, “The Reminder,” is far less smooth lounge-sounding, but it still lingers. On many tracks, she traded in her blissful woodwinds for guitars. Of course, she called on Mocky (her long time collaborator) for some extra assistance that has always worked well. Mocky hardly offers any inspirations of his usual lush bossa nova or the electronic sound he offered Feist on “Open Season.” It is possible to make the connection to the earlier roots of bossa nova from the prevalent guitar.

Even though “The Reminder” is filled with catchy melodies and simple balladry, Feist still gives the notion that it was all DIY because of its ambience and impromptu vocalizations (i.e. “Sea Lion Woman” and “Honey Honey”). The instrumentals are bare and backing, which allows Feist to use her undeniably beautiful voice to warm them.

The work here is a bit more subtle and tranquil through the help of cellos and harps. The end result of the record is comparable to a sound belonging to Azure Ray or even the Carpenters.

At one point in the 32 year old’s life, Feist put her music career to a halt due to voice complications. During this two-year struggle, she turned to sad girls PJ Harvey and Portishead who in turn, became huge inspirations for the singer-songwriter.

As a solo project, Feist does not hold back her songwriting now that she has the authority to do what she wants. All of the 13 tracks are at least co-written by Feist. Help was offered by some of her friends who also laid down back-up vocals on a number of the songs.

Guest vocals especially shine through of the emotionally-charged track, “How My Heart Behaves.” Eirik Glambek Bae, who is most known for being a part of Kings of Convenience, successfully heats up the down tempo track with his rustic and deep voice. To summarize the overall lyricism, they are confessional, highly wishful and youthful. The duet ballad provides sensitive, confessional lyrics – “The rain, the rain, making me cry.”

While Feist is reopening her wounds, she shows how literate she can be on the hand-clap tune “Past in Present” – “The Scarlet Letter isn’t black, gotta know who’s got your back.”

She throws her ego out the window in order to reach complete serenity (for herself and the listeners). She effortlessly achieves this through the projection of her impeccably gentle and therapeutic voice.

Feist was at her most natural and peaceful recording in Paris and the Canary Islands in pajamas. Because of the peaceful environment around her while recording “The Reminder,” the production of the album did not take much time. The easiness of the making reflects the soft-edged indie pop.

Looking back, 2007 was Feist’s breakout year. It was her fantastically adorable hit, “1 2 3 4,” written by New Buffalo’s Sally Seltmann and Feist herself, that gained her worldwide attention. With the help of Apple putting the “1 2 3 4” video in their commercial to promote the third generation iPod Nano, she entered herself into the mainstream, which expanded and diversified her fan base.

Feist told BBC News, “I felt a definite shift (after the advert came out); it seemed to peak a lot of curiosity which luckily led back to an album and video I believe in. It just shows you the power of that kind of thing, as opposed to some preconceived marketing ploy.”

Not unexpectedly after the release of the commercial, “1 2 3 4” exploded onto the iTunes Top Songs chart, and it also hit No. 4 on Nielsen SoundScan’s digital songs list.

The video, directed by Patrick Daughters, brought in four-dozen shimmering, multi-colored dancers to make playful geometric shapes, and surround Feist as she danced unprofessionally. If you look back at Feist’s video archive, dance is a staple in her collection.

Surprisingly enough, the Apple Nano commercial is not the first commercial Feist has had the chance to be affiliated with. Before the release of “The Reminder” when Feist was still under the radar, McDonalds offered the singer a generous $1 million deal to buy the rights to the bouncy number “Mushaboom” in a commercial. Feist declined the offer. However, the song is used in a Lacoste perfume commercial in France.

Because of her breakout hit, Feist scored herself the recognition from the boys and girls of the 2008 Grammy Awards, receiving nominations in big categories like Best Pop Vocal Album and Best New Artist.

Also, the Grammys deemed it appropriate for Feist to perform her chart-topper “1 2 3 4” live. Feist’s ability to have a lucrative career minus the common pitfalls of becoming a “sell-out” is a challenge that should be commended. Hopefully, Feist can continue to make smart decisions and stay on a path of honesty and integrity.

Joe Stahl can be reached at [email protected].