"I've been sleepwalking through the railway station Wake me up when they call my destination"
I remember back in 2005 when I heard 'Monster Hospital' off their album Live It Out for the first time. My friend who was with me at the time proudly proclaimed "I was into them before they got popular". Having not even heard of them until that moment, 'popular' wasn't what I was going to describe them as. However, she clearly had musical knowledge that far exceeded mine so I took that to mean that they were big and I was late to the party. Not sure if I was really that late, or that they were that big, but that's irrelevant. I devoured Live It Out instantly, it was on constant rotation in my CD player (my PORTABLE CD player, this was before iPods were all the rage). About 7 years later, and now 3 albums more, with 2 live shows thrown in there for good measure, the rest is my Metric history. This Canadian group, based in Toronto but with connections to Montreal, New York, London, and Los Angeles, have released a total of 5 albums to date. In general though, I still (proudly) consider them Canadians. Though I try and shy away from taking the vocalist as the meat of a band, since I believe everyone is important, it's hard to ignore the defining quality that Emily Haines brings to Metric. But lest I break my rule, Metric wouldn't be Metric without Joules Scott-Key on percussion, James Shaw on guitars, and Joshua Winstead on bass. I'm sure they are just as interesting as Haines. Probably.
On to 2012's release: Synthetica. The album begins with 'Artificial Nocturne', and the very first thing you hear is Haines epically telling the listener: "I'm just as fucked up as they say.". And who wouldn't instantly fall for an album with an opening line like that? You get the picture of a stark stage, spotlight on Haines, as she belts out the line alone and it echoes around the room. It's a powerful moment, and an interesting way to start things off. It's the sort of album opener that instantly grabs your attention.Though to be fair, I can't say I was in love on first listen (especially the way I was with their last album, 2009's Fantasies). But after a couple of rounds, I was definitely into this album. I have yet to decide where it falls in their back catalogue, but with Metric albums, each tends to confer a certain mood or location, so I enjoy them all for different reasons at different times. Next comes the single off the album, 'Youth Without Youth' is an interesting track, the beats are much heavier and the tempo is more upbeat. Additionally, Haines' vocals take on a casual tone, this is one of the more positive (sounding) tracks, but the lyrics don't necessarily convey that. In general, this was also one of the few albums I've listened to where the first time I heard a song I actually really disliked it, but now it has become my favourite on Synthetica: 'The Wanderlust'. This track features vocals from Lou Reed, and while at first I was not impressed to hear someone else taking up precious Emily-vocals time, I grew to really enjoy this. It actually works quite well in the song. I wouldn't mind hearing some collaboration in the future, as I have always also enjoyed the combination of male and female vocals, but perhaps with a different vocalist.
This album builds on what was begun on Fantasies, bringing in a more electronic sound while still keeping the recognizable guitar sound of Metric's previous releases. Metric has never been a straight 4-piece band to my ears, they have always had a bit of a different swing in their step. Though I would hardly consider this Fantasies Part 2. This is still distinctively a new Metric album and in fact, the mood is vastly different here. Where Fantasies brought a combination of calm cynicism and rock songs, Synthetica brings disillusionment and more electronica.
Haines' lyrics have always been firmly planted in realism. I think she really takes a step further here, particularly on the title track. I could likely give a thousand examples of a time that Emily Haines struck a chord with me through the lyrics. She has a talent for emotions sung plainly, to the point where it's possible to have no idea what she is really talking about, but you can probably relate in some way. This is what makes a great vocalist/lyricist. You may not be in the same situation at the same time, but at some point or in some way, you really feel what they are talking about. It's honest, and most importantly, it's real.
Haines says of Synthetica: ".. It's about what is real vs. what is artificial.". And I think this sums it up well, again particularly on the title track where she sings: "No drug is stronger than me". She also describes the album as being about stopping for a moment and realizing your surroundings and looking inward at yourself, a theme they wanted to represent in the artwork as well. Where you look through a window(?) at an upside down outside world, an impossible vision as it were. As usual, Metric is asking the listener to complete the difficult tasks through their work: confront your surroundings, confront those around you, and probably most frighteningly - confront yourself.
On to 2012's release: Synthetica. The album begins with 'Artificial Nocturne', and the very first thing you hear is Haines epically telling the listener: "I'm just as fucked up as they say.". And who wouldn't instantly fall for an album with an opening line like that? You get the picture of a stark stage, spotlight on Haines, as she belts out the line alone and it echoes around the room. It's a powerful moment, and an interesting way to start things off. It's the sort of album opener that instantly grabs your attention.Though to be fair, I can't say I was in love on first listen (especially the way I was with their last album, 2009's Fantasies). But after a couple of rounds, I was definitely into this album. I have yet to decide where it falls in their back catalogue, but with Metric albums, each tends to confer a certain mood or location, so I enjoy them all for different reasons at different times. Next comes the single off the album, 'Youth Without Youth' is an interesting track, the beats are much heavier and the tempo is more upbeat. Additionally, Haines' vocals take on a casual tone, this is one of the more positive (sounding) tracks, but the lyrics don't necessarily convey that. In general, this was also one of the few albums I've listened to where the first time I heard a song I actually really disliked it, but now it has become my favourite on Synthetica: 'The Wanderlust'. This track features vocals from Lou Reed, and while at first I was not impressed to hear someone else taking up precious Emily-vocals time, I grew to really enjoy this. It actually works quite well in the song. I wouldn't mind hearing some collaboration in the future, as I have always also enjoyed the combination of male and female vocals, but perhaps with a different vocalist.
This album builds on what was begun on Fantasies, bringing in a more electronic sound while still keeping the recognizable guitar sound of Metric's previous releases. Metric has never been a straight 4-piece band to my ears, they have always had a bit of a different swing in their step. Though I would hardly consider this Fantasies Part 2. This is still distinctively a new Metric album and in fact, the mood is vastly different here. Where Fantasies brought a combination of calm cynicism and rock songs, Synthetica brings disillusionment and more electronica.
Haines' lyrics have always been firmly planted in realism. I think she really takes a step further here, particularly on the title track. I could likely give a thousand examples of a time that Emily Haines struck a chord with me through the lyrics. She has a talent for emotions sung plainly, to the point where it's possible to have no idea what she is really talking about, but you can probably relate in some way. This is what makes a great vocalist/lyricist. You may not be in the same situation at the same time, but at some point or in some way, you really feel what they are talking about. It's honest, and most importantly, it's real.
Haines says of Synthetica: ".. It's about what is real vs. what is artificial.". And I think this sums it up well, again particularly on the title track where she sings: "No drug is stronger than me". She also describes the album as being about stopping for a moment and realizing your surroundings and looking inward at yourself, a theme they wanted to represent in the artwork as well. Where you look through a window(?) at an upside down outside world, an impossible vision as it were. As usual, Metric is asking the listener to complete the difficult tasks through their work: confront your surroundings, confront those around you, and probably most frighteningly - confront yourself.
