REVIEWS

FEIST The Reminder arts & crafts/polydor

Leslie Feist is bringing sexy back. On her third full-length album, the silky smooth The Reminder, the Canadian singer/songwriter shows marked growth and maturity. Like nearly every other Canadian indie rock star, Feist is a part-time member of Broken Social Scene and has collaborated with a variety of artists. Yet it is on her solo albums that Feist's talents shine most. The Reminder is a seductive affair, luring listeners with Feist's soothing, breathy vocals and jazzy melodies on songs like "So Sorry" and "Honey Honey." Comparisons to Cat Power, Regina Spektor and Norah Jones will undoubtedly arise. But Feist sets herself apart by crafting listenable, yet intelligent songs. Equally appropriate at a festive dinner party, lengthy study session or chic cocktail lounge, The Reminder is an album worth listening to. -Bryan Zupon

Luego Cobblestones Small Town Records

Senior Patrick Phelan and company deliver a pleasant little disc on Cobblestones. Singer and guitarist Phelan, who once appeared under the rather silly moniker Calloused Hands, is a decent if lightweight and somewhat navel-gazing songwriter. The rest of Luego, which draws members from other campus bands including the Soulless Dogs Blues Band and Stella by Starlight, provides strong rootsy accompaniments for the lyrics with a stripped-down rhythm section and folksy violin and viola. The players know how to complement Phelan without getting in his way, and he knows how to use them. The title track, which opens the disc, is probably the strongest tune. On the downside, Phelan's voice may grate on the listener-it's a bit high and nasal, like Arlo Guthrie probably sounded at 15. It also can't capture the spooky edge needed for the Hank Williams-esque "No Sorrows." (I can't imagine the singer killing a six-pack, much less another man.) Even so, Cobblestones is easy on the ear, and a good soundtrack for spring in Durham. Luego performs an acoustic set in the Sarah P. Duke Gardens Friday at 4:20 p.m. -David Graham

Stella by Starlight Made of fire ep Small Town Records

Stella by Starlight doesn't sound like your typical college band. Missing are the faint strains of folksy pretension that plague most wannabe-socially aware students who aspire to Bright Eyes-dom. Formerly the Born Analogue, Stella easily blends dance-synth and indie coolness with traditional pop rock in their six-track EP, Made of Fire. It is easy to compare Stella to the Killers-their production mimics the Utah band's Hot Fuss, and junior Sonny Byrd bears an uncanny resemblance to Brandon Flowers. However, Byrd's distractingly off-key voice is noticeably layered on top of, not within, the instruments. This ultimately detracts from an otherwise solid debut, full of metronomic percussion, gratifying keyboard riffs and excellent bass support. Stella's songs stay immensely familiar throughout, as if belonging to another band whose name is just on the tip of your tongue. Although their jumpy, energetic version of indie rock always serves as a source for spontaneous bopping, the sound inconsistently shifts from Killers to happier Death Cab ("Made of Fire") to Jimmy Eat World to Bends-era Radiohead ("Now That You're Here"). This is a typical problem for novice bands: How do you separate your sound from the music that influenced you? With the strong start, Stella by Starlight shows signs of getting that answer soon. Stella by Starlight plays Saturday on Central Campus at 4:30 p.m. -Varun Lella

Running Lights self titled ep Small Town Records

Running Lights has plenty of things going their way-a talented guitarist, well-done harmonies and a decent lead vocal, but all of this fails to create a substantially entertaining or interesting EP. All five songs on this self-titled debut strike a similar chord of watered-down, mellow pop beneath lyrics that define end-of-adolescence relationship agony. Upon the conclusion of listening to any song-be it "Ineffectual" or "Sister"-I feel exactly the same as the one before it, while knowing that the one after it will have me feeling the exact same way. Still, Running Lights has a professional feel-their sonic similarities to John Mayer and the Fray will definitely endear them to some. However, the band needs to diversify their sound or improve what they have before they can offer something greater than mediocrity. Running Lights plays Saturday on Central Campus at 3:30 p.m. -Aaron Carpenter