I knew something on "Metals" would occupy a slot on this list. Feist's darker, stronger follow-up to "The Reminder" was every bit worth the four-year wait. But which song to choose for this list? The 3/4 minor-key swagger of "How Come You Never Go There" or perhaps the fragile beauty of "Circle Married the Line"?
No, with so much excellent material on "Metals", it still always comes back to "Anti-Pioneer". I'll be short and sweet with this one.
1) The guitar. Feist has a very distinctive voice, but also a wonderful and recognizable guitar style. She plays mournfully here, and always with so much feeling. It's almost a duet between her two melodic voices when she trades between the guitar interludes, and the vocal verses.
2) The harmonized breakdown at the 3-minute mark. I can't get enough of this part. It gives you exactly what you want - and then more, and more until it finally fades back into her guitar. Shivers every time.
3) The cinematic string section. The arranging on this song is detail perfect, and this particular part elevates the track in a seamless and intelligent way.
4) The wonderfully dry and sparse drumming that perfectly compliments the song, while remaining a major voice in itself.
5) An endless stream of sonic nuances. Everything sounds amazing on this track (and on the record overall)
Enjoy, in all its beauty:
So, there you have it. "Anti-Pioneer" is the last of my Top 5, 2011. It's no small task, but I would love to hear the top 5 lists of others in the comments. I'll be returning to ranting for my next couple pieces, so stay tuned in the New Year.
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