Listening to Synthetica for the first time tonight. This may be my favorite current pop band.
― canonical casual cordouroy (Eazy), Wednesday, 26 September 2012 03:38 (eleven years ago) link
the new emily haines/soft skeleton record is wonderful
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Friday, 15 September 2017 18:32 (six years ago) link
there's something about emily's words and piano playing. i can't find the right word for it - not quite mystical, ethereal... it seems to wander (the same feeling comes to mind when i listen to elliott smith). i almost feel as though i'm flying when i listen to her play. after reading her father paul's poetry (secret carnival workers) it's evident that her lyricism is intrinsic. his words bear the same inexplicable, timeless, heavenly qualities to me.
as far as production, i'm always conflicted as to whether jimmy shaw does her favours, or not. sometimes it's overcompressed (as is most metric, broken social scene, etc.), the electronics on fatal gift seem almost antithetical.
i have a terrible quality mp3 live set of her playing bottom of the hill, SF, CA in 2004. it sounds as though it was recorded nowhere, in the heavens, somewhere! there's a short delay on her vocal and you can hear the crowd chatter and drinks clinking. i wonder if she played it blindfolded, like she did for a few soft skeleton shows.
― meaulnes, Saturday, 16 September 2017 18:20 (six years ago) link
emily's made a few statements about just wanting to exist as a sound. she talks further in recent interviews about trying to evoke a feminine spirit in sound on 'choir of the mind' - a sonic spirit, or something. it resonates with me, anyway
― meaulnes, Saturday, 16 September 2017 18:23 (six years ago) link
Fantasies is such an impeccable pop record; every song could have been a smash.
― bumbling my way toward the light or wahtever (hardcore dilettante), Monday, 1 January 2018 02:06 (six years ago) link
^^ Agreed
Synthetica was also great. I wasn't feeling Pagans in Vegas so much.
Surprised there's not more Metric chat on here tbh? There are a couple of new (ish) videos up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVn2UM8-sKI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptSGHC2ikd0
― kinder, Thursday, 9 August 2018 21:55 (five years ago) link
i really, really want to like post-2006 metric but i just can't feel it. their pop used to have a real bite to it - acerbic lyricism and memorable melodies. these are forgettable as anything from the last two records. emily's last soft skeleton record was very worthwhile though.
― meaulnes, Saturday, 11 August 2018 10:05 (five years ago) link
I'd almost agree with that but "lost kitten" rules and I like whichever single from the last album sounded like synth army paramore
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Saturday, 11 August 2018 12:32 (five years ago) link
they were also amazing opening for sp to the point where I wanna revisit all the post-live it out records
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Saturday, 11 August 2018 12:34 (five years ago) link
I like the stripped-down versions of their songs that otherwise are arena-ready:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcQT8pdcEFY
― ... (Eazy), Saturday, 11 August 2018 13:47 (five years ago) link
Wandering around all day in a depressed fug, barely sustained by “Satellite Mind” rattling around in my skull.
― "The Pus/Worm" by The Smiths (hardcore dilettante), Thursday, 3 June 2021 05:25 (two years ago) link
stunning lyricism on the first few metric records, no doubt in emily's blood from her jazz poet dad, paul haines. her first solo record is largely about him/her loss. i recommend reading 'secret carnival workers' for metric fans. haven't been fazed much by anything since live it out though :(
― maelin, Thursday, 3 June 2021 13:30 (two years ago) link
fear of pretty houses on their porches! fear of biological wrist watches! fear of comparison shopping! until our faces all resemble dying rosesstop trying to fix it!
― maelin, Thursday, 3 June 2021 13:31 (two years ago) link
live it out is the best metric album imo
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Thursday, 3 June 2021 14:40 (two years ago) link
I always thought "Monster Hospital" was a recognized classic of this era of indie rock and the song that Metric is remembered for, but it's barely mentioned in this thread, am I just deluded about how widely beloved it is?
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Thursday, 3 June 2021 15:31 (two years ago) link
Their Spotify plays are highly concentrated on this 2009 album I didn't even know existed.
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Thursday, 3 June 2021 15:33 (two years ago) link
I like a few others, but Monster Hospital is the only Metric song I truly fuck with.
― Johnny Fever, Thursday, 3 June 2021 15:34 (two years ago) link
"Police and the Private" is pretty great. The rest is just a long, boring blur.
― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, October 19, 2005 1:47 AM bookmarkflaglink
lol still feel the same 16 years later except the standout track changed.
― Johnny Fever, Thursday, 3 June 2021 15:36 (two years ago) link
― "The Pus/Worm" by The Smiths (hardcore dilettante), Thursday, 3 June 2021 20:19 (two years ago) link
the song about Scarface is cool, I like that one
― brimstead, Thursday, 3 June 2021 20:22 (two years ago) link
er Tony Montana
― brimstead, Thursday, 3 June 2021 20:23 (two years ago) link
ohhh interesting, had no idea, will listen now
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Thursday, 3 June 2021 20:24 (two years ago) link
no love for 'old world underground'? ive rinsed that record for the past fifteen years yet im still not bored of it... killer synth lines.
― maelin, Thursday, 3 June 2021 21:45 (two years ago) link
"Live It Out" and "Monster Hospital" felt like indie disco staples when I was going to indie discos
― boxedjoy, Thursday, 3 June 2021 22:15 (two years ago) link
I missed until today that Metric and Howard Shore did the soundtrack for Cronenberg's Cosmopolis. Good stuff. As we were talking about with Eurythmics' 1984 soundtrack, interesting how the vocals are mixed lower to fit in with the music instead of above it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kKu6u-PQYM
― ... (Eazy), Wednesday, 11 August 2021 00:34 (two years ago) link