I don't know how I first stumbled across METRIC. I've had a lone Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton song in my iTunes for years (presumably from a time when I would desperately browse the similar artists page of last.fm) but didn't realise it was the same vocalist for years.
I knew the song was Help I'm Alive, or at least an acoustic rendition of the track. Naturally it appealed to my desire to extend my guitarist repertoire. When I turned to the album, Fantasies and it's follow-up, Synthetica, which was released around the time I discovered the band), but something didn't connect. I latched onto a small handful of songs but the bands synth/new wave elements were mostly lost on me.
Still, those few tracks would regularly make it onto playlists. A few weeks ago I decided to add another of those songs to my guitar repertoire - Sick Muse (above). While looking up the track on Spotify, I discovered Metric had released an acoustic EP of seven songs from Fantasies. There was the Metric that had originally appealed to me.
When I went back to listen to Fantasies and Synthetica again, it was a very different experience. Being that much more familiar with Haines' writing from those acoustic songs and having fallen in love with similar Canadian act, STARS, I've just fallen in love with them for the first time.
Haines' writing is touching - when (re)listening to Synthetica, I was immediately grabbed by the opening line (I'm just as f***ed up as they say, I can't face the day time). Haines easily delves into the dangers of fame, monogamy and potential of self without becoming convoluted. The melding of indie rock/pop, synth and new wave is well-crafted and radio worthy.
It wasn't until doing some research for this article that I released Metric had been around long before the release of Fantasies; since 1998 in fact. I haven't explored their first three efforts just yet - I'm enjoying Fantasies and Synthetica for now and looking to their new release.
The band is currently touring the US and Canada.
Listen to if you like: Stars, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Rilo Kiley
Tracks to check out: Gimme Sympathy, Artificial Nocturne, Satellite Mind
x
No comments:
Post a Comment