Metric - 'Live It Out' (Drownedinsound) Released 10/07/06

Metric’s debut album ‘Old World Underground Where Are You Now’ barely registered a blip on the radar back in 2003.  It is testament to their evolution as a band that if there is any justice in this world ‘Live It Out’ should not only register on the radar but be placing itself square in the middle of it both here and abroad.  This album not only characterises the increasingly chic, electronic side of Toronto’s music scene but also proves the city has had a kick-ass band right under its nose for the past 3 years.

 

Opening track ‘Empty’ represents all that is excellent about this long player; smooth production, seductive female vocals and driving riffs. It would be so easy to criticise a 6 minute long lead off tune but Metric don’t allow you. They keep you enthralled with a relaxed opening before James Shaw pummels you with a monster riff out of nowhere. Emily Haines sounds like Bjork morphing into Karen O and it’s refreshing to hear this kind of urgency in what is essentially electro-pop music.

 

With a little more advertising and a slightly less macabre video ‘Monster Hospital’ would represent a chart success. In a lot of ways however it’s encouraging that Metric refuse to adhere to the norms of the music business and have that punk spirit of non-compliance. It’s not just a punk attitude they engender though with elements of pop, rock, electro and dance combining to make this album one of the picks of the year.

 

‘Patriarch On A Vespa’ stands out for its exciting imagery as Haines tells us of “faces resembling iron roses”. There’s an air of cooler than cool to the band as well. This could be a scenester’s paradise while being a DJ’s new favourite cut. The breakdowns are fresh and exciting and they maintain the best elements of peers such as Interpol and Goldfrapp throughout.  Former single ‘Poster Of A Girl’ demonstrates a distinctly French influence which rears its head from time to time. This slow paced retro-dance track is further evidence of the great diversity on offer.

 

Metric have perfected the art of the crossover album with a mix of instantaneous riffs and drawn out synth led tracks to offer something for everyone. ‘Live It Out’ is a result of pop brilliance colliding with dark undertones and vivid imagery and shows Metric are now well and truly on the road to success and its now up to the radar to catch them up.