hungry hearted

serving up a healthy portion of pop culture commentary, random infatuations, and introspective ramblings

Feist videos and their level of awesomeness, decided by me.

Canadian-born songstress Leslie Feist is undoubtedly among my favorite female artists. Her collaborations and solo work are top-notch as she seems to have dipped her hand in multiple projects throughout the years, including work with Peaches and Broken Social Scene. This week Feist has been receiving a lot of attention for her latest video directed by her recent go-to, Patrick Daughters.

"I Feel it All," from The Reminder:


I definitely enjoy the concept of the video, as it is consistent with her previously released charmingly choreographed work, but it didn't replace her previous videos as my new favorite by any means. Obviously the use of fireworks and sparklers wins over my inner child, AND she makes for an absolutely adorable wizard-of-sorts twirling her magical stick about prompting outbursts of combustion. Awesome. No doubt. That being said, maybe I am being a little hard on Feist and Daughters, BUT they've made such wonderful videos together and have raised the bar of my expectations. Thus, I give "I Feel it All," a ranking of 4th place out of the five video's I'll be reviewing.

In March the duo released both "My Moon, My Man" and "1 2 3 4." Of the two I prefer the latter. "My Moon, My Man," is kind of boring to me. It gets 5th place in my ranking. As for "1 2 3 4," the one-shot take and colorful choreography, carefully matched with the musical/lyrical build-up just work so well. Apparently I'm not alone on this stance, as the video has since brough huge commercial success to the iPod Nano campaign and thus overexposed the video itself. Had it not been eaten up by Apple, maybe my love for it wouldn't have faded so quickly, but due to the nature of these things, "1 2 3 4," comes in at 3rd place.

My favorite Feist music videos and top contenders for most awesome are both off of Feist's Let it Die album. The runner up being, "Mushaboom (version II)," her first collaboration with Daughters.



I think it's safe to say that all in all it's very reminiscent of Spike Jonze's video for Bjork's "Oh So Quiet," with a dash of Mary Poppins. At least that was my first reaction, but Feist still pulls it off with a quirky casualness that wins me over time and time again. Plus, the song itself is among my favorites.

Finally, my all time favorite Feist video would have to be "One Evening," directed by George Vale. Hands down. No contest.




When I first discovered this video I'm pretty sure I watched it a dozen times marveling at it's simple statement of sheer awesomeness. Within a single set so much is expressed through body language, gestures, the change of lighting, and minimal set props. I also love their attire, with the black vs. white representation. And Feist's sweet little guitar solo is the icing on the cake. All in all, the video is minimalistic, but not lacking. I guess it may be borderline cheesy, but then again, so am I.


Obviously I'm a big fan of Feist and my love for her, born of the "One Evening" video, granted her a high ranking position on my Top Ten Favorite Female Artists list. The list of course is always changing, as my excitement frequently fluctuates as I discover new obsessions, but I guess the current breakdown would look something like this,

Top Ten Favorite Female Artists (a.k.a. I Wish I Was Her):




1 comments:

Sarah Lynn Knowles said...

i think i agree with you about the new one. i love it, but its not the kind of thing i'd be inspired to replay again & again. fun idea though definitely!!!