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Feist is lovely.

Pure and simple, that one word is the best way to describe Let It Die, the recent domestic release from Leslie Feist. The album has been spinning in Europe for almost a year now, but arrived in the US just weeks ago. Previously glimpsed in the work of eclectic acts Kings of Convenience and Broken Social Scene, Feist brightens Let It Die with charm, confidence and an amazing sense of style.

With no shame at all, Feist shifts from sultry to sweet, temptress to sprite, eventually melding the two without a single hint of irony. "Mushaboom" is a skipping tale of longing not only for love, but for the trappings of home and hearth that eventually accompany it, while the dark fingersnap percussion of "Leisure Suite" and the sleek AM-disco harmony of "One Evening" celebrate the far more intimate connections that can come and go in a single night. "Lonely Lonely" is a heartbreaker of spare guitar chords, tamborine and sustain. Even the slow pulse tempo and get-out-of-my-life lyrics of the title track have a sweetness that washes over the finality of a message with hope.

There are a couple of surprises, like the confessional stomp and chant of "When I Was A Young Girl" and a cabaret-style cover of Francoise Hardy's "Tout Doucement" (complete with jazz-handing finale worthy of a kick-line), both of them acting as opposing spices to balance and already almost perfect offering. And this girl was Peaches's roommate? Unbelievable.

While there is certainly an electronic element to Let It Die, it only exists to underline the organic goodness of melody and harmony. You'll never hear Feist on a Top 40 radio station, but who cares? With enough word of mouth and whispers in the dark, the Cult of Feist will continue to win more and more converts. Just lovely.