The drums pound. The guitar brings in an ethereal riff. A baritone sax drones. Feist’s plaintive voice attempts to calm the storm she has created. So begins Feist’s new album, “Metals.” Her fourth studio album sees a departure from indie-pop songs like “1234,” and a move toward a lonely, desolate sound. Because of this change, there are no tracks that immediately jump out to the listener, so Feist won’t be making many more strides towards popularity with this album.

This isn’t to say it is a bad album. It is just different. It has the beauty of a windswept vista rather than a day on the beach. Many of the tracks are just the basics, leaving Feist’s voice to carry the songs. “A Commotion” is the most interesting song on the album. It opens with a quick vamp, leading to a chorus that gives justice to the title—a choir of men shout-singing over the strings. When put to use, the instrumentation remains strong throughout the album. “The Undiscovered First,” the album’s longest song, starts slow but grows behind the orchestral sound introduced halfway and goes out with a chorus of women singing over the droning horns.

“Metals” may drive away some of Feist’s old fans for its change of pace, but it is good to see an artist not shy away from branching out from what made her successful. The last track is titled “Get It Wrong, Get It Right.” The album goes the same way. There are no tracks that immediately jump out, but as a whole, it works. It lacks a few pieces but is still worth a listen.