Three years ago, Canadian Leslie Feist broke through with her debut, an eclectic record that dipped into indie disco and Euro pop but had enough sweet, chanteuse-y moments to earn Norah Jones comparisons. On The Reminder, Feist digs a little deeper: Less eclectic but more impressive, the album finds her working up abundant beauty and warm, ruminative singing on jazz- and folk-tinged songs. Cuts like "1 2 3 4" and the rather gorgeous "I Feel It All" are both memorable and resonant, and on the standout "My Moon My Man," she sounds sharp, sassy and smitten alongside a seductive, jazzy shuffle. Feist seems like a big fan of her own voice, and it's hard to blame her: She's got a sweet, throaty croon capable of great tenderness and supple adornments. But several tracks sound like they're more about singing than songs, and tedium creeps in on slow ones such as "The Water" and "Honey Honey," a minimalist, arty thing that sounds like bad Joanna Newsom. Too bad: Replace the sleepy stuff with more songs like "My Moon," and The Reminder would have been killer.

“Time to Pretend”

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”