Metric - Fantasies

photo courtesy of www.fakerich.com

I heard Metric for the first time last fall on the radio - it was their single "Help I'm Alive". The song grabbed me pretty instantly, but was so catchy, I questioned the integrity and authenticity of the project a bit - was this some glossy put-together outfit with trendy female vocalist?

Hilarious, right?! Here I am, lover of catchy pop songs... and a female vocalist myself... yet I find myself so apprehensive to appreciate the artistic value of female vocalists right off the bat.

I'm trying to get to the root of this. The 90's maybe?...

...I have this bias - a stereotype in my head of an attractive chick standing at the forefront of a band of dudes - flipping her hair and either cooing insignificantly or belting with little soul over top of the music. Meandering without much effect - more of a gnat swarming next your ear than anything. Ask me to name a specific group right now? Ugh. Let's see... Joydrop. Guano Apes. Hilary Duff? (Despite my lack of convincing evidence, I pray my point makes it across. There's at least two female-fronted local bands in every town with the same dilemma, am I right?)

Okay, Okay. Now I state my appeal: First off, I AM NOT DISSING ON EVERY FEMALE FRONT-PERSON. There are so many out there that I have major respect for. Secondly, I AM NOT PUTTING METRIC IN THE LAME FEMALE VOCALIST CATEGORY. However, I thought it necessary to state my tendencies, and my apprehensions upon first impression.

After further investment, I concluded that there are several reasons why new-wavers Metric will not be artistically dismissed. I'll get to that as soon as I give a quick overview of what I learned about them:

The project was originally formed by Emily Haines (vocals/synth) and James Shaw (guitar/vocals) in '98. The two met in Toronto. (They both are also members of the group Broken Social Scene. Emily has also collaborated with Stars, a favorite group of mine.) In 2001, the group supplemented their drum machine dependency with a rhythm section - longtime musical partners Josh Winstead (bass), and Joules Scott Key (drums).

Metric have four albums released to date, but their latest, Fantasies (released April 2009) seems to be the one that has solidified their notability and has made them a household name in the modern rock scene. Several tracks from Fantasies have been featured on screen (Grey's Anatomy, CSI, and the movie Zombieland to name a few).

The band execute sensible music. They cut right to the chase, introducing hooks as soon as they begin. No track overstays its welcome - not a single song on Fantasies reaches even five minutes. As efficient as they are, Metric keep their sound interesting with flawless production, unique changes, and a range of tonal elements - the music seems as at home with a standard rock instrumentation as it does with spacious synths and digital loops. They don't blow anything all at once - each arrangement is tasteful and tones and transitions aren't overdone.

Emily Haines has smoky, deep and round dimensions to her voice. She is capable and fluid with her highs and lows - (though not necessarily significantly energetic or dynamic with her execution). She tends to play it safe and stick to what works for her; clean and deliberate transitions, sing-songy melodies , though she is just as likely to sing in an almost talky, narrative way. The instrumentation and arrangements underneath certainly support her - creating the energy and more aggressive elements of the music. The great part - the band is very cohesive overall, and her lyrics and melodies are perfectly suited for each song, be it a straight up rock number or a more introspective reflective type of song.

Why Emily isn't one of those chick singers I love to hate: She has a ton of musical experience under her belt, a direct hand in the songwriting, and she works with her band mates to create a sound as opposed to laying her vocals carelessly atop of the music. She demonstrates true dedication to her craft.

I hear a strong (tasteful) 90's influence to this record - hints of the Breeders and Veruca Salt. It was easy for me to relate this to the newest Tegan and Sara as well. Straight ahead. Grungy guitars. Simple riffs motivating the song structures. I like this because - despite fancy production and effects - these songs would hold up as much broken down to basic instrumentation.

My complaints about the record - The second half is not as interesting as the first half. They play it a bit too safe, and Emily stays a bit too consistent with her style. It becomes difficult halfway in to be as into what is happening. This gets better as I listen repeatedly and skip around the record, but at first listen, I was ready to stop the CD after awhile.

My favorite tracks: "Help I'm Alive", "Satellite Mind", "Twilight Galaxy", "Gold Guns Girls", and "Gimme Sympathy". (60 percent of this record I found to be absolute hit songs... which I'd consider a fantastic achievement.)

Overall rating - 7.5 out of 10 stars. Props to my dearest friend Becah for introducing me to this album.

Metric are playing at the end of March at the (badass) Fox Theater in Oakland. I am very very tempted to go to that show - and feel it may increase my respect for them.

xo.

-Ash