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Feist's Islands in the Stream

BRAD WHEELER

Globe and Mail Update

Latest comment posted at 4:58 PM EDT 25/04/08

Canada's It girl channels Dolly in duet with Constantines ...Read the full article

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  1. eli langer from los angeles, United States writes: add this to feists other elevator music hits. im sure canadian tire and shoppers drug mart will get alot of aisle mileage out of these mushy toothless versions of great songs.
  2. M Clarke from Canada writes: Feist has gone commercial (which I don't take issue with in and of itself), but this darling of the corporate advertising world still wants to portray herself as alt/punk/indie, thus latching herself onto bands like the Constantines who still embody a true punk ethos. Perhaps one day she'll come to terms with who and what she is, and she'll be able to enjoy her millions rather than living in denial.
  3. tommy B from Vancouver, Canada writes: I really think it's both sad and telling of a "songwriter"'s artistic integrity when they release songs that have already been number one hits instead of their own material. To me it means that either their own material is poor, or that the guise of artistic integrity that artist such as Feist hide behind is only there to mask the fact that they want to make hits, and money, and pander to the potential record-buying public.
    It has become all too common of late in both the Globe and Mail and the CBC to elevate what short years ago would have been middle of the road pop to art status in order to make the readers and writers feel that their average, pedestrian, uninterested tastes are somehow more worthwhile than the norm.
    I thought that the arts section was supposed to be about art, about Canadian musicans who are creating meaningful works that 10 years from now will still be moving to those who are open to the arts, not about flash-in-the-pan pop music and cheesy jazz singers who will be replaced and forgotten before you can say "Lullaby Baxter".
  4. Andrew S-C from United Kingdom writes: hold on there cowboy.

    "middle of the road pop to art status".... I hope you are not talking about the Constantines. If so, you are on your own in a world of working class punks who "clip those wings and file their teeth". I have seen the mighty cons first hand set art galleries alight leaving the high society gasping for air. We would be so lucky to have the Cons as our own here in London (not Ontario).

    Better check you fine art lexicon before slandering Guelph Ontario's finest export since prohibition booze to the yanks.

    As for covering schmaltzy tunes; get a sense of humour everyone.
  5. Mc Lovin from Canada writes: I think "middle of the road pop to art status" was referring to Feist, but I agree this converstation is far too serious. Tommy B, whose music should the G&M be posting on their website? I would love to see the media delve deeper into Canada's music, but there are only so many pages in a newspaper. To try to be "Canada's Newspaper" they need to appease the mainstream...personally, I don't see a probelm with promoting one of Canada's most critically acclaimed artists. Feist actually has pretty substantial musical chops, she just happens to make pop music which some people (you) don't enjoy because it actually sells. If your definition of art is only confined to the obscure and the underground you should look to more obscure and underground publications.
  6. Lung Hacker from Canada writes: Tommy B, whose music should the G&M be posting on their website? I would love to see the media delve deeper into Canada's music, but there are only so many pages in a newspaper. To try to be "Canada's Newspaper" they need to appease the mainstream.
    _____________________________________________________

    Not to mention the fact that as soon as one of Tommy's favourite bands made it into the Globe and Mail, he would immediately renounce them as corporate sell-outs who are no longer worth his time.
  7. MJ Patchouli from Regina, Canada writes: Truly it has been a Feist Fest here in the G&M lately. Oh well. Nothing wrong with that.

    I do like Zooey Dechanel's cover, well what we heard of it, and remember she did pretty well singing in the film Elf with Will Farrell.

    As for whose music should G&M play? I LOVED hearing Ian Tyson's new one; I'd like to see Hawksley Workman get some mainstream national ink, and lots and lots of other emerging Canadian artists whose work I have yet to discover. I like being introduced to international work too -- to this day, I adore the music of Uganda's Geoffrey Oryema, and I would never have heard of him if it wasn't for CBC Radio years ago.
  8. Antonio San from Canada writes: F(e)ist is Loved by the New CeeeBeeeCeee execs...

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