One of the benefits to living in what is apparently the darling of the hipster universe these days, Canada, is that we’re ahead of the curve. Feist has gained a lot of traction in the States over the past year, but we heard her second album back in 2004. And now that attention is focused on the demos she cut with Sloan in 2002-2003, it’s time to point your attention to another track you may not have known about, from an album almost no one bought: Feist’s debut, Monarch. Recorded back when her most famous gig was as a strapping young guitarist for By Divine Right, Monarch was a much more straightforward indie rock album of the late-90s vintage, when the era of radio-friendly Canrock like Limblifter, Change Of Heart and Treble Charger was on its way out. But even without the nostalgia trip, “It’s Cool To Love Your Family” is a lovely track that points to a different possible direction for Feist, closer to PJ Harvey than Françoise Hardy. Consider The Red Demos the missing link between those early days and the chanteuse you know today.

I used to have the video (!) for “It’s Cool To Love Your Family” on my computer somewhere; it’s also worth watching in much the same way Bay commercials starring Neve Campbell are worth watching.