In the realm of music loosely categorized as indie, college, alternative - Canada has been and still is an important exporter of quality influential product. Leslie Feist certainly qualifies not only as Broken Social Scene's secret weapon, but as a solo act (with two critically hailed albums under her belt) it seems likely that she may eclipse her former scene as part of the recent wave of single white females (Lily Allen, Regina Spektor, Amy Winehouse) to name of few.

Though The Reminder is a more solid and serious effort than Let It Die, I miss the playful insouciance of the latter. Few artists would have the cajones to faithfully cover a disco-era Bee Gees song on their solo debut. This would have been a hidden bonus track for anyone less confident, but Feist plops it down smack dab in the middle. A rendition that is straight enough that it can be perceived as loving tribute or tongue-in-cheek camp. The truth, if there is any, is for Feist to know and us to debate.

When I say that The Reminder is more serious, I think I've hit the nail on the head. Though stylistically she's all over the map here, The Reminder is underscored with a melancholy that is downright grave. There are glimpses of light, the Radio-ready "1234" has a poppy bounce about it, but for the most part it's a sober album, sparsely arranged and often intentionally lo-fi. It's almost the polar opposite of Let It Bleed's carefree, lighthearted romp with it's giddy throw away tracks and French Chanteuse breeziness. If I had to liken her new one to someone else, the closest resemblance would be Portishead's Beth Gibbons solo stuff - with the unusual instrumentation and songcraft of Jolie Holland.

Reminder is not altogether grim, it's shot through with enough light to keep it from being a total depressant, plus it gorgeously demonstrates Feist's craftsmanship as both a songwriter and a lyricist. There are no throwaway tracks here, and definitely a great deal more uniformity to the quality of each track. Yet while it's gracefully executed from top to bottom, it doesn't have a "Mushaboom." I had the great fortune to have seen her perform that amazing tune on Letterman and she proved herself to be a fine guitarist, gracefully palm-muting difficult two and three string power-chords on a Les Paul - making it look effortless).

Now that Feist has shown us both poles of her world, you get the feeling her next effort is going to be a blazing fastball right over the heart of the plate. It'll shake the dust out of the catchers mitt with a resounding "Mushabang!"