The fun, bubbly and colourful Feist we know from 2007's The Reminder is in a darker, and as suggested by the album title, harder place with Metals. Not that her previous effort wasn't without its serious side, but I can't see her singing any of these tracks accompanied by Sesame Street muppets as she was with 1, 2, 3, 4.
She does have a bit of fun though - check out A Commotion, which shouts its chorus at you. But it's the opening two tracks that stand out. The Bad In Each Other carries itself with a cowboy swagger before soaring into an angelic chorus, while the cinematic Graveyard, with its refrain "Bring them all back to life", is an irresistible meeting of sultry and joyous.
Feist is headlining next year's St Jerome's Laneway Festival in January, so there's plenty of time to bone up on her new tracks.
Stars: 4/5