Customer Reviews

Fantasies

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm something of a musical gambler. If I hear a single on the radio that I like, I'll go ahead and get the whole album without previewing it. Often it turns out I only ever like the original single that hooked me, and sometimes there are one or two other good entries amid the rest of the list. Metric's "Fantasies" has turned out to be one of those rare gems that I thoroughly enjoy all the way through. In fact there are two or three tracks I think are better than the single that grabbed my attention ("Help, I'm Alive"). I highly recommend "Gimme Sympathy," "Twilight Galaxy," and "Blindness." The album ranges from mellow rock to slightly edgy, never harsh. Perfect for a quiet morning or lonely drive home.

I first heard of Metric on the podcast "Sound Opinions." The two gentlemen on the show, Jim and Greg, both gave Metric's newest album a "Buy It" rating on their "Buy it, Burn it, Trash it" scale. I liked the excerpts I heard, so I decided to download it, and I'm very glad I did. Metric has a wonderful Indie/New Wave sound that is a delight for fans of the genre. And if you're relatively unfamiliar with popular music and/or don't think you like it, I would recommend starting with Metric's "Fantasies," since it's so melodic and energetic, and will make for a good jumping-off point to explore other music of that type.

Lead singer Emily Haines and guitarist Jim Shaw are both probably best known for the cult favorite Broken Social Scene. But they both really shine in "Fantasies," which has electro-pop energy and an excellent vibe. The standout track is clearly "Gimme Sympathy." In it, Haines asks, "Who would you rather be? The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?" The implied answer is neither- the point is to get out of the need to ask yourself that kind of question. All of the songs seem to be about living outside the prescribed margins, so to speak. Haines' songwriting and singing skills and the rest of the band's musical energy combine to make this an excellent album.

"We're so close to something better left unknown," a line from the obvious standout track, 'Gimme Sympathy,' is probably the best way to describe Metric's lastest outing, 'Fantasies,' an album that just teeters on the brink of a breakout or breakthrough album.

Being an avid and adoring fan of 'Live it Out,' I knew I wasn't going to hear anything like it, though it would have been nice and welcoming. Still, I am pleasantly surprised and fully satisfied with 'Fantasies.' There is plenty to love, I assure you. From the BIG guitars of 'Satellite Mind' and 'Sick Muse' to the new-wave coolness of 'Gimme Sympathy' to the sister track of 'The Police and the Private' (one of my favorite songs from 'Live it Out'), 'Collect Call', in which Emily pleas, "If somebody's got soul, you've got to make them move." Other great tracks include the energetic 'Gold Gun Girls' and 'Blindness' with its climactic anthemic ending that easily puts 'Fantasies' as one of the best releases this year!

I would greatly beg to differ in calling this album "a let down," because it simply isn't. Metric is progressing. The music is tighter and the lryics are more cohesive. 'Fantasies' is quite the logical step Metric was destined to take. It's an incredibly strong album from an excitingly killer band!
****1/2

Hailing from the same music scene in Toronto that produced artists such as Feist (And the supergroup Broken Social Scene, which they were a part of), Emily Haines and her group Metric have been trekking through the globe for the past ten years, becoming a darling of the Toronto music and indie scene in the process. With "Fantasies" however, the group seems to be moving towards the ever-more creative Alternative Rock genre. The result is "Fantasies." Will it be another stuffy indie/hipster album, or has Metric finally carved a true place on the rock of creative genius?

Highlights Include:
Help I'm Alive
Sick Muse
Gold, Guns, Girls
Stadium Love

The highlight is without a doubt the song that gave a true voice to the album, "Help, I'm Alive." Despite it's rather dark title, the song comes storming out of the gate with some killer chords, the song proceeds to build itself up, deconstruct itself, then build itself until it eventually explodes in a flurry of Alternative Rock glory. "My heart keeps beating like a hammer. Beating like a hammer! BEATING LIKE A HAMMER!" If that isn't what one of the top songs of 2009, I don't know what is. It has has so many layers, yet it is so simple. And it's all capped off with pitch-perfect vocals. It could use a bit of screaming towards the end, but hey, that's just me.

The album works best when listened to as one product, and few songs can quite make the jump to radio single status. In fact, when I first got the album, I was skeptical of it since I felt that a few of the songs didn't quite work. But put in its context of the rest of the album, they all work just fine. Another thing that surprised me was the great lyrical work, and it plays perfectly in the atmospheric war that's going on within the album. At times, there's a dark sense of foreboding, but in the same song, there's unabashed optimism. It's this musical mix of light and dark that really makes the album.

In fact, if there was a criticism I could lob at the album, it would be fact that some songs carry on sort of needlessly. As a result, some of the songs, even the good ones, feel a lot longer than they actually are.

Overall, if you were a fan of 'Help I'm Alive,' then you should enjoy the album on the whole. If you're a fan of indie rock or alt rock, you're bound to find something you like as well. Metric really brings their A-game with this album, and to my surprise, it's quite good. One of the best of the year thus far? It's certainly in the discussion...

Note: If you got the bonus tracks, then you'd have gotten 'Waves,' a rather upbeat tune that really fits with the rest of the album, and boasts a rather energetic chorus. You'll also get 'Gimme Sympathy,' which is translated very well to acoustic form, and 'Help I'm Alive,' which is less successful in its toned down form.

I've been listening to Metric for a few years. My first exposure to their infectious and mildly social conscious rock was at one of their shows. Then I happened to take a trip to Toronto where I purchased two of their albums. I instantly loved the melodies and messages. This latest album also does not disappoint. Listen to "Sick Muse" and "Satellite Mind"--a couple of my favorite. Actually, start from the beginning and don't stop because the set has such a good flow.

Metric slowly bure surely keeps building towards a big break-through. I thought that the band's previous album, 2007's "Grow Up and Blow Away' might have been that break-through but in retrospect it is now clear that album, all its qualities, had some flaws as well. After a 2 year hiatus, Emily Haines and the rest of Metric comes roaring back.

"Fantasies" (10 tracks; 43 min.) starts off perfectly with an incredible strong 1-2-3 punch: opener "Help I'm Alive", followed by an even better "Sick Muse" (1st radio single), and then "Satellite Mind", the latter being my favorite track on this album, and insanely catchy. After taking a short breather on "Twilight Galaxy", the first half closes with "Gold Guns Girls", another can't-miss standout. Wow. I rate the album's Side A 5 stars. The second half starts off strongly with "Gimme Sympathy", where Emily asks "Gimme aympathy/After all of this is gone/Who would you rather be/The Beatles or the Rolling Stones" (hint: "Here Comes the Sun", from that same song). "Front Row" features a heavy but catchy guitar riff. The album closer "Stadium Love" is the arena-sized rocker you might expect from a title like that, and really the perfect summary of the album. I rate Side B 4 stars.

In all, this album is easily the most accssible, but also best, album to date. Very few weak moments. If commercial mainstream radio had any sense, a number of these songs could/should be a massive hit, but given what we know of radio these days (it seems that if it isn't Disney/Miley Cyrus/Jonas Bros or rap/hip-hop, it won't get played), I doubt it will happen. I cannot wait to see Metric out on tour for this album. Meanwhile, "Fantasies" is sure to make my "end of the year" list. Highly recommended!

I never gave Metric much notice until I downloaded Gimme Sympathy when it was free. I listened to the samples and and recognized a couple other songs and just decided to go for it. As someone else said, I was pleasantly surprised! It's one of those albums you can listen to all the way through and you don't even notice when it repeats and starts over. The songs all flow well, have a nice rhythm, and feature great vocals and variety. At the price the MP3 album is being offered at, you would be silly not to get it. Don't bother trying to just get the three hit songs (Help I'm Alive, Gold Guns Girls, Gimme Sympathy) because the entire album is full of hits!

The earlier reviewer hinting at a similarity between Metric and Belly is on to something. If Belly had lasted longer than two albums, perhaps they would have produced something like this, with a diverse sonic palette behind a lead singer who keeps it simple and beautiful.

Emily Haines has a wondrous voice, sounding warm without trying to be some sort of sex kitten. She floats between registers with ease and sounds comfortable both in sparse settings ("Blindness," "Help I'm Alive") and cranked-up rock ("Stadium Love"). The band is powerful without being overpowering, using sharp fills as a counterpoint to Haines' complex but catchy melodies.

The inability of this band to break through on U.S. radio is a scathing indictment of programmers' sensibilities. If the great WHFS had managed to stick around and stay true to itself, this band would've been in heavy rotation. Instead, I only discovered them when I listened to a CBC live stream on a whim and was knocked out by "Gimme Sympathy." Upon checking out more and more of their songs, I found them in that rare category of band in the Download Era in which the entire "album" is worthwhile.

If you need a quick introduction, check out a couple of videos on their official channel -- they have "Gimme Sympathy," "Gold Guns Girls" and "Stadium Love." But you'll be back for more "Fantasies."

I had never heard of this band until a few weeks ago, when I heard a song on the radio. I loved it and decided to take a chance on the album. It was worth it. Now I'm going to get some of their previous albums.

"Help I'm Alive" playing on someone's MySpace page was my introduction to Metric. I loved the song so much I got the CD right away. They remind me of Ladytron whose "Velocifero" I was quite into before finding this album. They have that futuristic sound (and female vocalist), but they are more versatile. Whereas Ladytron has the same foundation for their music, Metric branches out from the straight electric pop sound. The best tracks on Fantasies are "Help I'm Alive," "Satellite Mind," and "Gold Guns Girls." The packaging is cardboard with the lyric booklet glued to the inside. Fantasies is their fourth album. If you like futuristic-sounding indie pop, give it a try.

"Help I'm Alive"--Addictive! Futuristic sound and I really like the guitar kicking in at "If we're still alive..." That part is hella catchy! You can't help but move to that riff.
"Sick Muse"--Nice pulsing verses: "Watch out cupid / Stuck me with a sickness." The chorus isn't as good when the synthesizer kicks in as it gives it a carnival sound for lack of a better word. This track is the source of the "Fantasies" title: "Let me live my life / The one I'd better lead / All the blondes are fantasies."
"Satellite Mind"--Second favorite track on the album. Dark, electropop that is also danceable. Intriguing lyrics save for the F-words.
"Twilight Galaxy"--Slower, transporting track. Dark and delicate.
"Gold Guns Girls"---The third best track. Fast-paced, flying rocker! Great lyrics, too: "All the gold and the guns in the world / Couldn't get you off / All the gold and the guns and the girls / Couldn't get you off...Is it ever gonna be enough." Singer Emily Haines said it is about a "deep dissatisfaction in the material realm."

"Gimme Sympathy"--Starts out like one of those alternative ballads from the 1990s and continues as an upbeat number maybe remembered most for the line "Who would you rather be, the Beatles or the Rolling Stones?" This, along with "Help I'm Alive" is the easiest to remember.
"Collect Call"--Now this one actually sounds like a 1990s alternative ballad, especially at the bridge: "If somebody's got soul, you've got to make them move." Reminiscent of Belly, perhaps. Soft and delicate song.
"Front Row"--Futuristic rocker.
"Blindness"--Dark and slow but picks up at the bridge "What it is and where it stops nobody knows."
"Stadium Love"--Kickin', noisy song that is an appropriate end to the CD.