It took me a while to appreciate the nuances of Metric. Since 2009’s release of Fantasies I heard “Help I’m Alive”and “Gold Guns Girls” everywhere, and at first I hated them, but something changed over time. As bands like Paramore, Sleigh Bells and Wild Flag began to crop up the last few years my heart softened a bit and I realized that I had pigeonholed Metric. This wasn’t the right move, and I wish I’d checked them out much sooner, but at least I can scoop up their back catalog for cheap. To say the least, Avid Reader, they know how to blend parts of new wave and synth pop in a way that is appealing to the masses and this album is the perfect follow up to their breakout smash.
Emily Haines has a voice that doesn’t grab you at first. She isn’t shouting, she isn’t commanding, she isn’t standing there berating you with some message; she does make you listen. By not yelling, or pouring in too much sugar, she has a unique delivery that pulls you in and makes you think that some female rock vocalists could be much more. The new album is at times personal and yet she is telling you that no matter what, she isn’t fake and plastic.
Are you ready for a listening exercise? Check out: “Youth Without Youth”, “The Wanderlust” featuring Lou Reed, “Synthetica”, “Artificial Nocturne” and “Breathing Underwater”. This record deserves some spins and some of the tracks have some good bounce to them. If you are waiting for a reason to give them a try, then this is reason enough.
I owe them an apology, but they’ll have to settle for me picking up some of their albums instead. I don’t think they’ll mind too much, and you should consider doing the same thing when you have a chance. Metric are in a long line of bands that are continuing to change what alternative music was and will be for the future, thank goodness.
