After the iPod commercial, Vanity Fair photo shoot and 2.5 million albums sold, Feist ends her four-year hiatus with the unassuming Metals (Arts & Crafts). The Toronto songstress, now a long way from the savoir faire of Let It Die or The Reminder’s Grammy-nominated coffeehouse pop, finds her voice in dreamy lyrical flutters and bluesy licks. Don’t expect any “1234” cash grabs here: Metals is a quiet record about reflection in the face of pressure, a spiritual companion to the 1972 Joni Mitchell album For The Roses. More sad and solipsistic than Feist’s previous efforts (most songs dissect a failed relationship), this album’s precious ore comes from a musician who isn’t afraid to defy expectations.

A host of musicians—everyone from Beyoncé to Bon Iver—attempt to fill in the blanks of Jay-Z and Kanye West’s disjointed but significant collab Watch the Throne (Def ...