Fantasies - review

After a few years of rest from relentless touring, and a few therapeutic side projects, Metric returned with Fantasies on April 14, one week ago. Emily Haines and the boys have not disappointed.

Fantasies opens with Haines hauntingly crooning "I tremble...," followed by a brilliant synth-line. So far, so good. The rest of the opening track, Help I'm Alive, is a driving internal monologue of a tune (not a surprise for Metric), repeating the almost-tangible line "my heart keeps beating like a hammer" between rousing repetitions and brittle bridges. It opens the album with a sense of internal, dialectical tension. It is an above-average Metric tune that suffices as an opening quite well (i.e. it's no "IOU" or "Empty," but I like it a lot).

The album next moves into the upbeat, yet not completely danceable, rock-laden Sick Muse, which sounds like it could be from their last album, Live It Out. It builds until Haines, almost in anguish, belts out "Everybody just wanna fall in love / Everybody just wanna play the lead." The track ends like an anthem, which leads extremely well into the third track, Satellite Mind. This track has grown on me really quickly, as it has some of the best lines on the album and is completely danceable. "I'm not suicidal, I just can't get out of bed" is a line to which I can oh-so-kindly relate. This song, with each spin, rocks more and more.

Track four, Twilight Galaxy, is your first down-tempo track, with Haines soothing you with vulnerable lines like "Did I ask you for attention when affection's what I need?" Overall, the song is delightfully simple, without pissing off the audience. It is really well-executed, and serves as a breather before the the much more intense Gold Guns Girls, which belts out "All the gold and the guns in the world couldn't get you off." This song is not exactly danceable, but serves as a frantic and useful moment- a key element that is not used nearly enough nowadays. This is especially perfect for the next track, the albums first single-worthy track.

Gimme Sympathy is a beautiful synth-pop single that sounds like something Brandon Flowers would produce if he had more talent and a vagina. It is wonderful. I recommend this track to anyone who is looking for an "in-song" for Metric, and have already had many people inquire about it at recent gigs (not to mention all the Shazam-ers).

It does not end there. The next track is my favorite on the album. It is possibly the most low-key track on the album, but easily the prettiest. Collect Call is a tutorial in matching beautiful lyrics with ambient instrumentation (considering how many instruments you hear). "Wishing you could keep me closer / I'm a lazy dancer / When you move I move with you" is one of the most memorable lines from this resonant tune.

The next track, Front Row, is distorted guitar-driven dance-rock, backed up with great lyrics and a catchy bridge. It is followed nicely by the the sad and reflective Blindness, which solidifies everything I believe about Metric: they are one of the few bands that can make you ponder endlessly, cry on queue, and do a bittersweet dance in your underwear on a bad day. "I was the one with the world at my feet... Leave it up to me."

The album closes with Stadium Love, which is perhaps the most unique Metric song to which I have ever listened. It's catchy, loud, lyrically concise, distorted, and sounds like it was recorded in its namesake. "No one's getting out without stadium love!" Emily screams.

Now for the critiques: I only have two. One, it's not as good as Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? OWUWAYN? is one of the best albums I have ever heard, and always will be, so it is not quite a fair comparison. Plus, it has penetrative advantage in my perception, solidifying the theory of the "curse of knowledge." The big knock is that I came across a track that is a B-side, titled Waves, that I believe was the best track off this session, and it was not included in the album. I have no idea why! Waves is beautiful, driving, upbeat, lyrically deep, and pop the way it should be: instrumentally and lyrically sound with a splash of infectiousness. My favorite lines off the entire album's sessions come from this tune: "Saw the water, not the waves / Saw the waves, but not the tide."

There's always something energizing and bittersweet in everything Emily Haines and company produce, and this album is no different. Despite any knocks, this album is well done. Well f*ckin' done, Metric. You rock.

Rating: Own it.
-the Majr