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Metric: Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Everloving Records
Released: 2003.09.02
Time:
 37:14
Category: New Wave, Indie Rock
Producer(s): Michael Andrews
Rating:
Media type: CD
Web address: www.ilovemetric.com
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2015
Price in €: 1,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] IOU (E.Haines/J.Shaw/J.Winstead/J.Scott-Key) - 4:22
[2] Hustle Rose (E.Haines/J.Shaw/J.Winstead/J.Scott-Key) - 5:33
[3] Succexy (E.Haines/J.Shaw/J.Winstead/J.Scott-Key) - 3:05
[4] Combat Baby (E.Haines/J.Shaw/J.Winstead/J.Scott-Key) - 3:29
[5] Calculation Theme (E.Haines/J.Shaw/J.Winstead/J.Scott-Key) - 3:31
[6] Wet Blanket (E.Haines/J.Shaw/J.Winstead/J.Scott-Key) - 4:07
[7] On a Slow Night (E.Haines/J.Shaw/J.Winstead/J.Scott-Key) - 4:36
[8] The List (E.Haines/J.Shaw/J.Winstead/J.Scott-Key) - 2:52
[9] Dead Disco (E.Haines/J.Shaw/J.Winstead/J.Scott-Key) - 3:25
[10] Love Is a Place (E.Haines/J.Shaw/J.Winstead/J.Scott-Key) - 2:09

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Emily Haines - Lead Vocals, Synthesizers, Guitar, Tambourine, Harmonica, Piano
James Shaw - Lead & Rhythm Guitars, Synthesizers, Theremin, Backing Vocals
Joshua Winstead - Bass Guitar, Synthesizers, Backing Vocals
Joules Scott-Key - Drums, Percussion

Michael Andrews - Producer
Edson Miller - Engineer, Mixing
Joe Gastwirt - Mastering
Josh Hassin - Album Cover Design

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


Recorded at the Elgonix Labs, Los Angeles, USA.



The debut album by Canadian new wave-influenced indie rockers Metric was released in 2003. Over the years, thanks to the band's successful touring and subsequent releases (all of which have been well received), the album went gold in the band's home country. A solid debut, the album features fan favorites such as "Hustle Rose" and "The List." For fans of later Metric work, such as the stellar Fantasies, this makes for necessary listening.

Chris True - All music Guide



Chances are you're probably already in love with Emily Haines. Remember the breathy whispered vocals of 'Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl' on Broken Social Scene's stellar 'You Forgot It In People'? She's the woman responsible. Don't expect more of the same spacey atmospherics here, though - 'Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?' is a blend of spunky, synth-laden indie-rock and polished pop, finally available here almost two years after it's stateside release.

With a rhythm section so tight it makes your eyes water and Haines' schizophrenic keyboards, Metric stick to the mathematically structured connotations of their name without being too rigid or soulless. Deadly hi-hats rebound off new wave synths and gently throbbing bass lines to give ten songs that sound fresher and more intelligent than what might be construed as yet more retro-revivalism. 'Hustle Rose is an unfamiliar nightclub on a cold night, a plaintive piano melody laid over rumbling, rolling rhythms which give way to chugging riffing and siren-like synths. 'Succexy' boasts not only a sweetly sibilant chorus as Haines hisses 'Invasion's so succexy' over disco hi-hats, but also lyrical smarts, proving that musicians can talk politics without resorting to tired anti-Bush platitudes.

It's obvious Metric have a knack for creating smart, catchy pop as almost all of these tracks could be destined for singledom. 'Dead Disco' stands out especially with it's bombastic, shout-out-loud chorus and Joules Scott-Key's superb drumming, whilst last years single _'Combat Baby' has already paid its dues with in a flurry of Garbage-like energy. However, while their lyricism and the album title itself seems to crave either a revolution or a return to form ('Wet Blanket' asks if it's 'wrong to want more than a folk song'), there's little experimentation to be found here, meaning some songs fail to make as much impact as their neighbours.

Metric question a lot throughout _'Old World Underground..' from hipsters to fashion magazine rockstars, class and media war coverage, and luckily for them, they have enough tunes, conviction and personality to support it.

Jesus Chigley - June 6th, 2005
© 2000-2016 Drowned in Sound



When your band is best known for sharing an apartment with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, there's clearly a lot of room for the development of a slightly more personal hype. Such is the case with Metric. Reportedly starting their band based on a mutual distaste for white Toronto funk bands, Metric melds together the usual suspects (The Cure, XTC, The Velvet Underground, New Order) for a new wave-tinged exploration of off-kilter indie rock.

You may remember frontwoman Emily Haines from her work with Broken Social Scene and Stars. Here, she seldom attempts the kind of mesmerizing, super-hushed whispers of BSS's "Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl", instead showing off a nicely breathy sing/talk and a clear affinity for vocal fluctuations and cadence changes. The subject matter is even more varied than her vocal range: spanning topics as diverse as a friend's altered clothing aesthetic ("On a Slow Night"), to the importance of social status ("The List"), to the inquiry of whether it's "wrong to want more than a folk song" ("Wet Blanket"), Haines has an array of lyrical targets on display and she, more or less, handles the shooting range.

One of the most stunning successes on Old World Underground, "Succexy" takes issue with the political agenda of the U.S. government from a more creative stance than the indie world's typical anti-Bush rhetoric and generalizations. Instead of placing the blame purely on the government, Haines claims, "All we do is talk, sit, switch screens/ As the homeland plans enemies." Slipping between power chords and her own serpentine synth lines, Haines juxtaposes sex and war without sounding lost in her own thoughts.

Metric aren't overly adept from a technical standpoint, and their melodies sometimes feel a bit too simplistic, but, in attempting a mix between accessible dance-punk and new wave, they do deliver where it counts: their rhythm section is incredibly tight, and drummer Joules Scott-Key's delightfully funky meter is particularly notable. Still, the band rarely attempts anything out of the ordinary, and their lack of innovative arrangements often translates to a tendency for existing ideas to overstay their welcome.

With Emily Haines' previous work as a frame of reference, you'd be right to assume that Metric does maintain an aura of talent, with the band serving as a hard melodic edge to her serene, plaintive vocal. Though still searching for their place in the ever-evolving world of indie rock, Metric, in their current incarnation, promise great things sooner rather than later.

Rollie Pemberton - September 24, 2003
© 2016 Pitchfork Media


 
I never get tired of bands fronted by good looking women. In fact I tend to overlook flaws that would otherwise be annoying just because there is more entertainment value than just the music. What first got me into Metric was a video for their song I.O.U., and the music overall wasn't too memorable, but one thing that stood out to me was the energy of Emily Haines. I proceeded to check them out further, prompting me to purchase this fine album.

It isn't earth shattering. It is nothing I haven't heard before, in fact it blends in rather easily with the other dancey bands coming around in the last several years (Liars, !!!, The Faint, etc.). But you see, none of them are fronted by women, so what do I care? But in all seriousness, this album has a few very good songs which I believe outshine anything from the other dance punk bands of this era, and for that reason alone is worth a purchase.

Now, about the album. The general feel that I get from this record is that Metric have an axe to grind. Well, that isn't exactly true, I got that message rather clearly in videos for "Combat Baby" and "Succexy". I suppose it wouldn't come as a huge shock to anyone who has seen those videos that this record has a strong anti-war undertone.

"I.O.U." gets the party started, and poses as a rather straightforward punk rock song. It merges nicely from major to minor chords and implements a simple piano piece mirrored by the bass guitar and some electronic sounding parts near the end.

Anti-War Lyric Watch - Every ten year-old enemy soldier thinks falling bombs are shooting stars sometimes. But she doesn't make wishes on them. When she wishes, she wishes for less ways to wish for, more ways to work toward it.

The fact that "Hustle Rose", the albums second song, wasn't a single is a crime, as it is easily the best song on the album. It begins with a choppy synth and an keyboard mimicking Emily's melodic singing of "Now that your wallet is all lit up" repeated many times. Then the synth fades out and it is just a beautiful melody by Emily and a simple guitar part. Then at the 1:30 mark the song takes on a magical feel to it for a while. Then at the 3:30 mark it gets rockier with a heavy guitar. All in all it could be several songs rolled into one epic one.

"Succexy" is the first obviously anti-war song on the album. Musically it is pretty solid, in fact it is one of the highlights of the album. There are nice harmonized vocals, and the guitar and synths are also solid.

Scott Herren - October 8th, 2005
Copyright 2005-2016 Sputnikmusic.com



Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? is the debut album by Canadian indie rock band Metric. The album was released on September 2, 2003 on Enjoy Records (which is now called Everloving Records) and Last Gang Records in Canada and went gold in Canada. It was produced by Michael Andrews, recorded at Elgonix Labs, Los Angeles, USA, and mixed at Sonora Recordings. The songs "Combat Baby" and "Dead Disco" were released as singles. Also there were made six music videos for the following songs: "Calculation Theme", "IOU", "Combat Baby", "Succexy", "The List", "Dead Disco".

Wikipedia.org
 

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