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Live Review: REVIEW: Metric 'Synthetica'

9 June 2012 | 9:00 am | Hannah Story

Metric's brand new album is streaming along the internet-waves and is worth giving a little love to.

‘I’m just as fucked up as they say,’ croons Emily Haines, the star behind Canadian powerhouse METRIC. This is the opening line to their song ‘Artifical Nocturne’ track one on their new album, Synthetica: a glorious piece of electro-pop gorgeousness.

Here we are, staring down the barrel of the gun at this follow-up to the impressive 2009 release, Fantasies. That album had be dancing around on school buses; senior students don’t even give a fuck.

After a witch-hunt/ huge online game of hide-and-seek for a secret album stream on the Internet back in May, this album’s freely streaming all over the place. Like say, for example, right here. I know, I know, we’re the best. Oh and we’ve written about these talented folks before, so if you’re keen to hear what wonderful woman Haines herself had to say about the album, why don’t you take a looksie here?

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‘Youth Without Youth’ gets a bit dark, with grimy bass and a jarring guitar riff, set to some atmospheric space-age synth. The up-up-up-up-and-away tempo stays on the ride for a while now, thanks to the skillful Joules Scott-Key.

Oh Ms. Haines you make us believe in the power of songs and more importantly, girls. Because your measured vocals and disaffected lyrics make us here at PURPLE SNEAKERS feel pretty gosh darn swell. Yes, that’s the track ‘Dreams So Real,’ the middle of the album, the broody part of the album, where we start to question is it even worth me listening anymore? It is. Because they sure know how to do melancholy.

‘Lost Kitten’ gets a bit quirktastic. It’s a sweetly crafted pop hit, complete with a smattering of xylophone love. It’s my top pick from the album. If I were you, I would skip straight to that one right now. Title track, ‘Synthetica,’ builds and builds into this slamming drum, high school marching band horns, defiant vocals kind of furor. The furor passes in time for the calming ‘Clone:’ a real gem.

‘The Wanderlust’ features the man, the machine, the most broodiest, the winner of most often clad in leather jackets, the baller, Lou Reed.  We love Mr. Reed and any song that involves that hunk o’ man is worth listening to over and over again. And finally, ‘Nothing But Time,’ as in, we have so much time today, we’ll listen to this album over again because of the sheer joy it brings us.

Take this baby home June 12.

Oh and reminder to all you lucky Splendour in the Grass ticket-holders, you can stare wistfully up into the face of Haines yourself. And if you’re one of the unlucky ones, like me –sob-, you can head to their sideshows instead.

Words by Hannah Story.