Metric
Fantasies
Metric Music International
You don’t need to have heard any of Metric’s three previous albums, or singer Emily Haines’ pair of solo discs, to fall in love with Fantasies, but after falling victim to this Canadian quartet’s newest – and self-released – full length you may just have to do some backwards pedaling to satiate your growing need to hear more of their perfectly packaged pop nuggets.
What we’ve got in Metric is the hipster edge of ’90s female-fronted alternative bands polished up glossy and slick. The flannel has been replaced with top designer dresses, and the distortion has been turned off and replaced with a synthesizer, but that sound – the one that served as the bright side to grunge – is there in an unapologetic way.
With “Sick Muse,” “Gimme Sympathy,” and the first single “Help I’m Alive,” this band is shooting for world domination. These are hits waiting to happen – pop songs ripped straight out of Casey Kasem’s wet dreams. Haines’ voice is as pink and pretty as can be, and could easily rub shoulders with Top 40 sweethearts like Kelly Clarkson, but those G-rated darlings wouldn’t be caught dead singing a line like “Heard you fuck through the wall/ I heard you fuck when i’m bored” (from “Satellite Mind”).
They’ve covered their bases with this album. Not only will they break new ground with the mainstream listeners, but they’ll score points with the indie/electro crowd with their hypnotic beats and synthesizer love, and Haines’ past collaborations with Broken Social Scene will keep the indie purists happy. A record for the masses, released – ironically – independent of a label.
Metric: http://www.ilovemetric.com
