Metric stripped performance- "Help I'm Alive"

Metric has been out on the road in support of their newest album, Fantasies, ever since it hit store shelves this past Spring. Frontwoman, Emily Haines and guitarist James Shaw recently stopped in for a live stripped down session for the Seattle radio station KEXP, while at the Bumbershoot music festival in the station's Bumbershoot Music Lounge. Check out a great version of the new discs lead single, "Help I'm Alive" below.
To see the whole 4 song performance you can go here.



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Metric: 'Fantasies'

It's been nearly 4 years since Metric put out their last CD, and the band have gone the difficult route of self financing and releasing their new album Fantasies themselves. In what many saw as a very risky maneuver after the success of 'Live it Out' and their hit single "Monster Hospital", that really put the band on the indie rock map in '05. Seemingly destined to labeled one of the next big things, the group took a step back in crafting their latest LP and coming up with a game plan before getting it to the masses.
The band has always had the ability to come straight at you with it's brand of power-pop and electro driven rock, which is still evident on the new album 'Fantasies', but the group have stepped outside of their comfort zone a bit on the new disc. Progression is the key as with quieter moments on the LP like, "Collect Call' or the beat driven "Twilight Galaxy", the group slowly diversify their formula and it works in their favor. There's still the straight ahead power numbers like, "Sick Muse", and 'Gold Guns Girls', and "Satellite Mind", while two of the albums best tracks, the single "Help I'm Alive" and "Gimme Sympathy" float between sugary pop and something you could hear at your favorite dance club. Frontwoman Emily Haines very much is Metric, as the singer adeptly slides between sexy, playful, and sarcastic on the new disc, which she does as good as anyone. There are some that criticize Metric for their superficial lyrics, but that's clearly not what the band is there for, to give you insightful or meaningful words. The band plays to their strengths and they do it well on 'Fantasies' creating fun, energy driven electro-rock, with a keen ability for melody. If that's what your looking for in Metric, then you'll find it in 'Fantasies.'

Gold Guns Girls - Metric


Metric on myspace

Stream the new Metric album in full

With a long 4 year break now behind them, Metric are back with their hotly anticipated fourth full length studio album Fantasies. The album isn't due out for over a month, on April 14th, but you can listen to the entire thing right now over at the bands myspace. If it's anything close to 2005's Live It Out the band will be in good shape, and from a quick listen it sounds like a nice mix of dreamy electro indie rock, with the single "Help I'm Alive" leading the charge.
The new disc was written by the band in numerous and far ranging locales, ranging from a farmhouse outside Seattle to part being penned in Argentina by frontwoman Emily Haines while on a 'soul-cleansing' trip there. According to Haines ... "For me, the major influences on the record were the places we wrote it: Bear Creek, this utopian farmhouse studio, and then our own studio in Toronto, which definitely brought in the electro, dance and rock elements because the city feels so good right now and so many of our musician friends were around."
Starting March 3, Metric will be making 'Fantasies', available for pre-order via ilovemetric.com. Several different packages will be available, with ALL pre-orders coming with an immediate download of "Help I've Alive" (album version) and two exclusive pre-order tracks - "Gimme Sympathy" (acoustic version) and Metric's cover of Pink Floyd's "Nobody Home".

Fantasies track listing;
1-Help I'm Alive
2-Sick Muse
3-Satellite Mind
4-Twilight Galaxy
5-Gold Guns Girls
6-Gimme Sympathy
7-Collect Call
8-Front Row
9-Blindness
10-Stadium Love

Metric announce album details

The Canadian band Metric, led by dynamic frontwoman Emily Haines, have announced the details of their fourth studio album, titled Fantasies, which is scheduled for an April 14th release date. The band took an unusual and risky chance on the new record, deciding to self-finance the album, which includes even going as far as hiring their own distribution staff to handle the release in major markets such as the US, UK, Europe, and Japan. They band will use existing labels for the release in Canada and Mexico.
The new album which was produced by Gavin Brown and Jimmy Shaw, will be available for pre-sale starting on March 2nd if you go to www.ilovemetric.com. Those that pre-order, will receive the album's first single, "Help I'm Alive" plus other bonus materials in advance of the release date. Also, if you head over to the site now, you can receive a free acoustic version of the track.

Fantasies track listing:

Help I'm Alive
Sick Muse
Satellite Mind
Twilight Galaxy
Gold Guns Girls
Gimme Sympathy
Collect Call
Front Row
Blindness
Stadium Love

From 2005's 'Live It Out':

Monster Hospital - Metric

Metric on myspace.