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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Songstress Haines flexes her solo muscle , September 29, 2006
Anyone who follows the Toronto music scene is no doubt familiar with Emily Haines, the quirky frontwomen of indie band favorites Metric, and occasional member of the excellent rock collective Broken Social Scene. "Knives Don't Have Your Back" is the first commercially released solo album from Haines, not counting her self-released and long out-of-print 1996 debut "Cut in Half and Also Double."
"Knives Don't Have Your Back" is a great album that barely misses the excellent mark, with many of the songs sounding similar and few standout tracks. As a whole, the album is pleasant, melodic, and downbeat - a stark contract to Haines's day job. I see this as more of a strength, as her voice lends itself well to piano-driven ballads, but diehard Metric fans might not be so enthralled. The album starts with three excellent tracks, "Our Hell," "Doctor Blind," and "Crowd Surf off a Cliff." While none of these songs are contenders for extensive radio airings, they are well written and superbly executed soft rock songs. Haines has progressed as a songwriter over the first two Metric albums, and it gets better here. The musical arrangements on later tracks, such as "Reading in Bed," "The Last Page," and "The Lottery" are also high quality, with piano and guitars mixing well with organs, pedal steels, and even trumpet. My one complaint, as noted above, is the "sameness" of the songs. Many of the songs begin and end in a similar fashion, and none of them are standout tracks along the lines of "Death Disco" and "Poster of a Girl." However, I can't resist Emily's voice and songwriting style, so I am far from regretting this purchase.
Mad props also go to the album's packaging. I love albums with extensive liner notes, something that the two Metric albums totally lacked, so this was a nice surprise. The album is presented in a handsome, hardcover digipack, with full lyrics included.
Emily Haines is one of indie rock's most intriguing figures, and like Jenny Lewis, she has proven that she can work within different musical styles while remaining distinctive. Hopefully, her audience will continue to grow as a result.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
For people who have not heard metric, January 14, 2007
This is from the perspective of someone who hasn't heard Metric's music before. I am a huge fan of women soloists, tori amos, cat power, beth gibbons, vienna teng, bjork, pj harvey, etc.. and i have to say i havn't herad anything quite like this album. If you like meloncholy female pianists, you should definately suport this woman. "Knives Don't Have Your Back" is very melodic, very stark, humble, and quite poetic. The album is fairly quiet for the most part, but there are some lively and awesome band moments too, mostly in the first half, as in "Mostly Waving" with a hip brass section. "Doctor Blind" is another vibrant favorite. Each song is catchy enough to stand out, even the ones at the end, after a few listens, but there is still a definate unity between all the songs, despite them being written throughout the course of her life. A friend lent this to me and after one listen i was completely addicted. The only song i didn't think was as good as the rest was "lottery", though it's not a bad song, I just don't get what she's really trying to express when she refers "sexual suicide is a new crime, lets commit it". Overall her lyrics are both fresh and familiar, "...rather give the world away than wake up lonely.","she calls around finds me crying, wish i was capable of lying sometimes" Other favorites are "Crowd Surf Off a Cliff" and "Reading in Bed".
This album has a place next to the best of them.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Emily Haines Better than Most, September 27, 2006
I agree with the previous reviewer: Emily Haines' first attempt at a solo album is, simply put, a "better than average" attempt. Nothing about this album is terrible, and every song is beautiful and heartening in its own unique way. However, every song seems to fall just slightly short of the finish line, of sealing the deal. You often find yourself wondering, "what if she would have done so and so" or "what if so and so had happened in this song." Most songs lack a catchy climax, and many tracks slow and become bogged down in long and deep piano cords. And while these are beautiful and play perfectly with her voice, at times the songs can seem to drag to a scretching hault. You think..."come on..."
Now. There are many positive features. The album is very uniform, and so it feel like Haines is telling you a story and taking you deeply into her world. Every song is beautiful and of the same slow, emotional style. Fans of Metric should appreciate Haines' album (after all, Metric fans listen to Metric because of her sensual and wonderful voice). But gone are the heavy pop beats, rocking guitars, and edgyness. Instead, Haines employs violins and cellos, trumpets and trombones...creating a unique sound that is her own. Most songs have at least one or two catchy lyrics or piano lines. But again, you are left asking "what could have been."
1 - 8/10 - Our Hell - Good song and lyrics, catchy music...nice build. Sets album mood.
2 - 10/10 - Dr. Blind - Seems to be a fan favorite...creepy sounds, beautiful lyrics/orchestra, Haines at her best! HIGHLIGHT!
3 - 6/10 - Crowd Jump Off A Cliff - Not bad...some good parts. largely forgettable...awkward slowdowns.
4 - 7/10 - Dective Daughter - Change in beat, playful...enjoyable. Some of the album's best piano and musical work.
5 - 9/10 - The Lottery - Again, great song...dark sounding...still beautiful violins very interesting/strange.
6 - 5/10 - Maid Needs A Maid - Forgettable, too slow...and feels like its been done before. Said, "Next!"
7 - 10/10 - Mostly Waving - Great Song. Brass really shines with a fun fanfare. Feels like Ska. Haines lyrics are great. HIGHLIGHT!
8 - 8/10 - Reading In Bed - Well Placed after Mostly Waving. Violin-Piano duet. Haines' best singing. Beautiful!
9 - 7/10 - Nothing and Nowhere - Pretty lyrics. Bit boring, though. One of the album's slowest tracks...zzzzzzz
10 - 10/10 - The Last Page - Interesting song. Great stuff. Slows down midway, but picks up. Catchy-ist lyric of the album..."I'm in the way, I'm in the Way."
11 - 10/10 - The Winning - Saves the Album!!! The best song! period. Makes you appreicate whole album and beg for more. HIGHLIGHT!
90 out of 110 overall. Great buy. Plus...the CD case is so beautiful. After you forget what it could have been, and focus on what it really is...it's in fact, a superb album.
- SV
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