Metric - Live It Out

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

I could swear there was a thread on it but Search insists that there wasn't. So don't kick me, I've done my homework.

So: Metric. Yes. I approached this album expecting a poor man's Black Box Recorder (on the strength of the single and a song I heard from their previous CD) but I think they hold their own: they're louder, nervier and they don't mine the same "evil pop" territory... or, rather, they mine it in a different way: the songs often position the singer as a heartless, amoral adultress - something BBR can't pull off. Luke Haines, for all his misantropy, is actually too much of a gentleman to write a bunch of songs for Sarah Nixey to sing that depict her as an evil bitch; this is something the singer has to do herself!

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 01:01 (7 years ago) Permalink

So what's your take? These guys sold out Southpaw a couple of weeks back, which holds about 500; so, someone's listening.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 01:33 (7 years ago) Permalink

I dig the record a lot; I keep listening to it and it keeps getting better. My favorite track right now is the title tune.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 05:22 (7 years ago) Permalink

I really liked 3-4 songs off the last album. I like them better than Broken Social Scene.

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 05:28 (7 years ago) Permalink

"Police and the Private" is pretty great. The rest is just a long, boring blur.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 05:47 (7 years ago) Permalink

I should pick this up. old world underground was pretty great. definitely better than BSS.

― gear (gear), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 06:47 (7 years ago) Permalink

wtf are they being comapred to BSS? because they are both from toronto? because they sometimes share some members? they play really different music! Almost Famous fans in not-liking-Red-House-Painters shockah.

― sean gramophone (Sean M), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 08:28 (7 years ago) Permalink

I'd never compare them to BSS. I think the obvious point of comparison, if one insists on sticking with Canadians, would be the New Pornographers (on stuff like "Monster Hospital."

How's the live show?

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 11:18 (7 years ago) Permalink

Everything about this band is painfully average, though the new album is not terrible (for what it is) and I wouldn't begrudge anyone for liking them.

joseph, the amoral adultress angle is interesting, but I think you're projecting too much credit on their songwriting (though I admit that analyzing Metric's lyrics was not an instant reflex on my part).

― alex in montreal (alex in montreal), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 12:12 (7 years ago) Permalink

I dunno, I'm not saying the lyrics are great, but it's been a while since I heard something like "I know all about / Flling in the blanks / Looking on the bright side / When there is no bright side / Coming in your pants / For the off-chance / With a poster of a girl." It's not amazing but it's pretty fucking fearless.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 12:22 (7 years ago) Permalink

alex in montreal otm, painfully average. Saw them live and they pegged the boredom meter, not even the lead singer's faux-sexy pose kept me interested and the bassist was super-pretentious.

― zaxxon25 (zaxxon25), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 15:48 (7 years ago) Permalink

That's too bad. I was conting on a fun live show for some reason.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 15:53 (7 years ago) Permalink

What are you guys talking about, they're terrific live.

I think the only reason they're being mentioned in the same breath as BSS is because their CDs came out at the same time. Two very different albums, but for what it's worth, Metric's is superior.

― a. begrand (a begrand), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 17:10 (7 years ago) Permalink

"police and the private" is extremely dull. i don't get why everyone likes that one.

so far i like the first record a lot more than the second.

― sovietpanda (sovietpanda), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 17:14 (7 years ago) Permalink

Metric's singer also sings on a couple of BSS tracks so they always claim the bands are related.

― Stuh-du-du-du-du-du-du-denka (jingleberries), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 17:25 (7 years ago) Permalink

The new one I haven't heard as much, but I love Old World Underground, it's about 100 times better than I thought it would be.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 21:42 (7 years ago) Permalink

First time through, thought this one was dull too...never really got into the first record. But I kept listening and now this one is grabbing me like crazy. Can't say that "Police and the Private" has made too much of an impression but I'm really digging "Handshakes", "Empty", "Poster of a Girl" and "Patriarch on a Vespa". "Monster Hospital" is great, too. It's near the top of my list for the year, so far.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Sunday, 23 October 2005 14:46 (7 years ago) Permalink

Their website copy is beyond annoying:

"When the underground you once romanticized has given way to pre-fab Rebellion™, grab a shovel and start digging your own subterranean sanctuary. But spend enough time down and out of sight and you start feeling the need to come up for air. And when Metric did just that after a year of ceaseless, club-by-club conversions, they were confronted with a strangely beautiful sight: a crowd of people looking right back at them. The very fashionistas and consumerists they slyly satirized in songs like "Dead Disco," "Combat Baby" and "The List" were singing along with them. And it felt good."

That said, I now have two clear favorite songs on the record: "Glass Ceiling" and "Too Little Too Late."

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Sunday, 23 October 2005 19:50 (7 years ago) Permalink

I haven't heard the new record yet, but their last was a disappointment. Combat Baby is a GREAT single, but nothing else on the album measured up, and it makes me think they're a one-hit-pony. I saw them live at CMJ last year (or was it two years ago?) and they looked really fuckin bored on stage.

Any comparisons to BSS are so far off the mark that I can't even summon the energy to argue about it. The aesthetics of the two bands are so different that you'd have to be deaf to confuse the two. Not to mention that BSS put on one of the best live shows I've seen in a while. The first time I saw them, at Mercury Lounge in NYC right after YFIIP came out, I was SOLD! Plus I'm crushed out on Leslie Feist, so whatevs...

― nancyboy (nancyboy), Sunday, 23 October 2005 20:09 (7 years ago) Permalink

Huh, I guess I just argued about it after all.

― nancyboy (nancyboy), Sunday, 23 October 2005 20:10 (7 years ago) Permalink

I just saw them tonight. It was a good rock show. She jumps around quite a bit. The drummer's good. Getting the car's window smashed out licked a donkey's asshole. The new songs aren't as effective live as the old ones IMO, though perhaps they're better for just listening to in the comfort of your lounge or sedan.

― Bryan (Bryan), Monday, 24 October 2005 04:08 (7 years ago) Permalink

Sorry, I always seem to really badly channel Wesley Willis whenever I go to a rock concert. Anyway, they were great.

― Bryan (Bryan), Monday, 24 October 2005 04:24 (7 years ago) Permalink

2 years pass...

i'm totally into this metric mix from a friend. sounds great!

― Surmounter, Friday, 28 March 2008 20:25 (5 years ago) Permalink

There was a time a couple years ago that I couldn't stop listening to "Wet Blanket."

― jaymc, Friday, 28 March 2008 20:33 (5 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

Okay, I skipped Live it Out because I worked at HMV when Old World Underground came out, and even though I really liked it, work-related repetition eventually put me off hearing anymore from this band for a while.

So it's been like five years, revisiting them now, realising I still like a lot of Old World Underground enough that I'll probably give their new album a listen sometime this week.

Has anyone heard it? Does anyone care?

― salsa shark, Monday, 27 April 2009 21:07 (4 years ago) Permalink

Live it Out and Fantasies are the only two I really like, even though they're not that different from Old World Underground in the grand scheme of things. I just think the songs have gotten better.

― Johnny Fever, Monday, 27 April 2009 21:11 (4 years ago) Permalink

4 weeks pass...

Never really got into them before particularly, but damn, the first few tracks on the new album are good.

― Not the real Village People, Monday, 25 May 2009 00:23 (4 years ago) Permalink

3 weeks pass...

i like "sick muse"

rest of the album's ok, a few really catchy tunes. funny how these guys are getting some mini-boom of media interest now. i didn't even know they were still around.

― us_odd_bunny_lady (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 21 June 2009 17:51 (3 years ago) Permalink

(and i realize this thread is for live it out, but i wasn't interested enough to start a whole thread for the new album)

― us_odd_bunny_lady (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 21 June 2009 17:53 (3 years ago) Permalink

Yeah the new album is pretty good most of the way through, but really great at the beginning. I can't really think of anything to say about it though.

― Matt DC, Sunday, 21 June 2009 18:29 (3 years ago) Permalink

i know. it seems like one of those pretty-good '90s alt-rock albums that i might have picked up for a buck or two in a used bin the year after it had its mtv run.

― us_odd_bunny_lady (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 21 June 2009 18:34 (3 years ago) Permalink

I wonder why every shitty band decides to destroy Elliot Smith's "Between The Bars." sigh

― Turangalila, Sunday, 21 June 2009 18:39 (3 years ago) Permalink

They've got a full concert free for downloading from NPR.

Some of the singles from the first album are my favorite songs of this decade.

― Eazy, Monday, 22 June 2009 05:39 (3 years ago) Permalink

This is the best Oasis song ever.

― Eazy, Monday, 6 July 2009 04:11 (3 years ago) Permalink

― Eazy, Monday, 6 July 2009 07:08 (3 years ago) Permalink

Seeing Metric live was pretty great. Seeing Emily Haines live is a nightmare. Its like VH1 Storytellers but 100 times worse.

― mayor jingleberries, Monday, 6 July 2009 17:53 (3 years ago) Permalink

Gimme Sympathy is a terrific song, and Haines/Metric have certainly written a few good ones over the years. Only had a quick listen to Fantasies, but seems like it's much better than Live It Out.

― Bill A, Monday, 6 July 2009 18:33 (3 years ago) Permalink

this band would be so much better if she just sang everything in French like the end of "poster of a girl"

― akm, Monday, 6 July 2009 23:16 (3 years ago) Permalink

"Gimme Sympathy" is the only thing that really stood out when I listened to Fantasies; I should give it another go. Favorite Metric song is still, by a long shot, "Wet Blanket."

― sad-ass Gen Y fantasist (jaymc), Monday, 6 July 2009 23:31 (3 years ago) Permalink

There's a recent full concert of theirs for download on NPR's All Songs Considered.

I've only heard one other song from Fantasies once, and I had to get used to the wash versus the sharp synths of Old World Underground. Meanwhile, I'm listening to both versions of "Gimme Sympathy" over and over again. Realized that I like songs that mention other songs, but without emulating that song at all (so there's "Here Comes The Sun" mentioned in a song that doesn't sound like it at all; see also "Heavy Metal Drummer").

― Eazy, Tuesday, 7 July 2009 05:17 (3 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

surprised by how much I like this lot

― gospermaban sim gishel (acoleuthic), Thursday, 2 December 2010 16:33 (2 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

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 (7 months ago) Permalink

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.