''Let It Die'' is the second album by Canadian singer-songwriter Feist. It was recorded in Paris during 2002 and 2003 and released in 2004. The album combines

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

, bossa nova and

indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...

Background

''Let It Die'' was welcomed as one of the best Canadian pop albums of 2004. It was nominated for three Juno Awards in 2005, and won two: Best Alternative Album and Best New Artist. A track from the album, " Inside and Out", was nominated as Single of the Year in the 2006 Juno Awards. In 2012, NOW Magazine ranked ''Let It Die'' at No. 4 on list of The 50 Best Toronto Albums Ever. ''Let It Die'' has attracted a significant international audience. The album was originally divided into original compositions on the first half and

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

s on the second, though a reissue later in 2004 added a further original composition as the penultimate track. The single " Mushaboom" is a pun on

sh-Boom "Sh-Boom" (sometimes referred to as "Life Could Be a Dream") is an early doo-wop song by the R&B vocal group The Chords. It was written by James Keyes, Claude Feaster, Carl Feaster, Floyd F. McRae, and William Edwards, members of The Chords, a ...

as a refrain, and the Mushaboom, the Canadian coastal community east of Halifax, Nova Scotia, the province where Feist was born. The song was used in a

Lacoste Lacoste S.A. is a French company, founded in 1933 by tennis player René Lacoste, and entrepreneur Mangkha. It sells clothing, footwear, sportswear, eyewear, leather goods, perfume, towels and watches. The company can be recognised by its g ...

commercial.

Composition

Music and lyrics

Barry Walters of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' likened Feist's vocals on the album to "the

tingle of Peggy Lee", and her melodicism to

Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It originally referred to a specific place: West 28th Street ...

. Walters also believed ''Let It Die'' to draw influence from

chamber pop Chamber pop (or Chamber rock; also called baroque pop and sometimes conflated with orchestral pop or symphonic pop) is a music genre that combines rock music with the intricate use of strings, horns, piano, and vocal harmonies, and other compo ...

, chill-out, postmodern

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

, and Burt Bacharach, and described the album as "indie

lounge Lounge may refer to: Architecture * Lounge, the living room of a dwelling * Lounge, a public waiting area in a hotel's lobby * Lounge, a style of commercial alcohol- bar * Airport lounge, or train lounge (e.g., AMTRAK's Acela Lounge), a premium ...

pop". ''Let It Die'' contains elements of folk, bossa nova, and

Critical reception

MacKenzie Wilson of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

gave praise to the various production choices on the tracks and the vocal work over it, saying that " e's playful with her design and the overall composition flows nicely. Feist has varied styles and sounds just right, and that's what makes ''Let It Die'' the secret treasure that it is." Barry Walters, writing for ''

'', also lauded praise for the album's eclectic genre and vocal dynamics, saying that "Feist proves she's a modern gal with a sparse yet varied sound that draws from chamber pop, chill-out, postmodern folk, Burt Bacharach and beyond." At the 2017 Polaris Music Prize, the album won the public vote for the Heritage Prize in the 1996–2005 category."Tragically Hip album makes Polaris Heritage Prize list"
''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and pa ...

'', October 25, 2017.

Track listing

Personnel

* Gonzales – piano, various instruments * Feist – guitar, vocals * Julien Chirol –

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

* Frédéric Couderc – saxophone

Charts

Certifications and sales

References

{{Authority control 2004 albums Feist (singer) albums Arts & Crafts Productions albums Polydor Records albums Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year albums