Metric: 'Fantasies'
Soon to be released is Metric’s fantastic fourth album, Fantasies, which this time round has been produced by the band, making it that bit more special.
A lot of the tracks were previewed last year at an acoustic show which Emily and James played; anyone who’s watched any of the clips online of Metric will know just how exciting it must have been to have heard this album acoustically.
The majority of Fantasies was written by Emily in Buenos Aires. One of the first songs to be completed was 'Help I’m Alive' which is also the lead single.
'Help I’m Alive' is an epic song, which grabs you from the first second and continues to build into this massive, euphoric piece of music. If you’re going to buy the album based on this single, then you won't be disappointed.
Fantasies has no album fillers, with every song from beginning to end being simply perfect. Each one fits and is deserving of their place on the record.
'Blindness' is my favourite (it’s also Emily’s..I was rather happy when she told me this!) and is possibly the strongest track on the album, lyrically. Her voice sounds so delicate on this song and similarly on 'Twilight Galaxy'. If I’m honest, I did ignore 'Twilight Galaxy' a few times but then I heard it acoustically and of course, I ended up loving it.
'Gimme Sympathy' has been changed a little bit but it still has that cool line, “who would you rather be The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?” Then 'Front Row' gives the image of someone admiring someone on stage, “He’s not perfect, he’s my hero smashing up the piano, spitting in the front row.” From this you can just imagine standing in the front row of a gig, being squashed right up against the barrier and being in awe of what is in front of you.
'Gold Guns and Girls' is about, to quote Emily from one of their gigs in Toronto, “deep dissatisfaction in the material realm.” It’s easy to see why, with lines such as “Is it ever going to be enough?”
The album closes with 'Stadium Love'. At first I thought 'Blindness' would’ve been the perfect closer for the album. It’s only because 'Stadium Love' sounds so big and powerful that it shouldn’t be saved until last. However, most of the tracks on Fantasies are big and powerful anyway, but there’s something about 'Stadium Love' that after loads of listens, starts to make sense as to why it’s the last song.
Don’t expect to hear songs like 'Monster Hospital' or 'Combat Baby', the sound on Fantasies is different to the three other albums. Besides, if a band kept making the same music over and over, they’d be boring and Metric aren’t that!
Throughout the whole album, it gives you a kind of “spacey” feel, like it’s out of this world so to speak.
Metric have just announced a few dates for May and might possibly be playing a festival or two. Also, check out their website http://www.ilovemetric.com/ for a free download of Help I’m Alive - the acoustic version.
I’ll stand by saying that Fantasies is going to be the album we’re all talking about at the end of the year and for me will be the album of the year.
Words: Olivia Cellamare
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