(photo: Justin Broadbent)

I’m not really a pompous ass who likes to quote himself, but in preparing to write this piece I went back to read my initial review of Fantasies to see if my first reactions still hold true.  Forgive me the length of the following quote, but I think it encapsulates both Metric and the album in question.  Back in April I wrote:

Throughout their career trajectory, it’s never been black and white with Metric:  are they a mainstream act with indie credibility, or an indie act looking at making a name for themselves in the pop music world?  Too mainstream for the independent scene, too wild and rough for the pop world, Metric seem to have etched out an existence between the fantasy world of fame and stardom and the reality of working day in and out on the road, promoting albums and winning over new fans.  By all accounts, Fantasies should be the album that crosses over this divide and brings Metric fame and international acclaim.  It is full of single-worthy music that embraces beat and melody; dance and rock; indie spirit and pop ambition; fan worship and stadium love.  It sounds big, bold, and ballsy.  It’s also intricate, abstract, and artistic.  It’s the very dichotomy of their position in the Canadian and international music scene.  It neither makes a grab for the success that’s eluded them, nor alienates those who would thrust it upon them.

Now here we are, the last day of August, a mere 22 days before Polaris judges emerge from their imposed hole in the ground to decide the fate of the final 10.  Where do Metric stand?  Pretty much on the same ground they occupied when Fantasies first met the real world, but with a little more baggage.  Of all the nominated artists for this year’s Polaris Prize, Metric are they one’s who’ve born the burnt of abuse and scrutiny.  To paraphrase Emily Haines on the album’s opening track, Fantasies has been beaten like a hammer for being “predictable,” a “collection of singles” and “safe”.  Somehow this album received enough votes for a spot in the top 10, but no one seems to want to admit that they supported it or voted it in.  My votes for the final ballot are no secret, and while Metric didn’t count among the five (nor did they make my long list ballot), I think if I had spent as much time with the album prior to having to submit my ballot as I have since, Fantasies would have ranked high.  It is an album of single-worthy songs, but what the heck is wrong with that?  They’ve written an incredibly cohesive set of songs that can stand alone just as well as they do sitting side-by-side.  That’s no easy feat.  Is that off-putting?  For someone who listens to a lot of music (most of it crap) it can be a deterrent.  I know that it took me a while to go back and actually listen to the album as opposed to individual tracks, which is probably why I didn’t give the album as much credit as I did specific songs.  I actually commented to someone that if the prize was for a single track, “Gimme Sympathy” would have been at the top of my list, hands down.  But almost any track could fulfill that fantasy ballot: “Twilight Galaxy” is a simmering beauty, “Stadium Love” a bold balls-out breath-taker, and the beat-er-ific “Help I’m Alive” is one of Metric’s crowning career glories.

Fantasies is a dream come true: a universally appealing album made by artists who’ve not pandered to the lowest common denominator, a start-to-finish powerhouse that rocks, pops, swings, sways, and stays with you for days afterward.  In creating it, Metric have become a Canadian music fan’s dream team, too:  they’ve managed to simultaneously stay our favourite local darlings and grow into a potential world dominating powerhouse that will effectively erase memories of Nickelback from the collective consciousness of the rest of the globe.

Are they Polaris worthy?  Hell, yeah.  Will they get it on September 21?  My gut says no, but I dare the grand jury to prove me wrong.

MP3: Metric “Gimme Sympathy”
Myspace: Metric
Facebook: Metric
Twitter: Metric
Buy: Metric Fantasies

(photo: myspace.com)

It may lack overt synthesizers and Peter Hook’s trademark bass lines, but “Sink Or Swim”, the first single from Bernard Sumner’s latest project, Bad Lieutenant, isn’t that far removed from the last few New Order albums.  Compare it to “Dracula’s Castle” from Waiting For The Siren’s Call or “60 Miles An Hour” from Get Ready and the progression is obvious.  It may be more rock and pop than early New Order, but truth be told,  the 2000s-model New Order didn’t sound anything like their earlier work, either.

According to their Myspace site, Bad Lieutenant has been working together since 2007 and features Bernard Sumner on guitar and vocals alongside Phil Cunningham on guitar and Jake Evans on guitar and vocals.  Did you catch that?  Three members, three guitarists, two vocalists… who’s drumming?  It appears those duties were handled by one Steven Morris.  Perhaps you’ve heard his work as one fourth of Joy Division and later New Order?  Again, according to the Bad Lieutenant Myspace site, Morris and Blur bassist Alex James appear on some of the recordings, but Morris will definitely be joining the band live when they tour later this year.  But don’t call it a New Order reunion, or Barney will have to set you straight; “There is some continuity to the music I’ve made in the past but this is very different – because different people are playing on it. This is just how I now want to make music – it feels right to me and I hope at least a few other people feel the same.”  He goes on to sing the praises of Jake Evans’ er, singing:  “It’s also important because it gives people the chance to hear a gifted new singer and guitar player who I think’s really talented.”

From what I hear it’s pretty much all Sumner on “Sink Or Swim” (Evans does some pretty standard harmonic duties and they do sound good together), but with little else available to sample, we’ll just have to take his word for it that Evans will get some front and centre time on the LP proper.  If anyone can pull off a change in personnel and presentation, it’s Sumner.  Of the four New Order-ites, his Electronic side project is the only one that produced any kind of decent music (thanks, Johnny Marr):  Hooky’s Revenge and Monaco projects didn’t amount to much, and Morris’ work with wife Gillian Gilbert as The Other Two was quaint but easily forgotten.  Time will tell if Bad Lieutenant is going to sink or swim: Never Cry Another Tear, their debut LP, will be out on October 12.

MP3: Bad Lieutenant “Sink Or Swim”
Myspace: Bad Lieutenant
Facebook: Bad Lieutenant
Twitter: Bad Lieutenant

(photo: Pascale Boislard)

On my recent vacation I stopped in Montréal for a few days and had a chance to do some shopping for new francophone music, partly inspired by my recent crush on Coeur de Pirate.  There was a very kind young lady working in one of the record shops on Rue St. Catherine who steered me towards another amazing chanteuse, Marie Pierre Arthur.  I was instantly hooked with the opening bars of “Déposer les armes”, the first track of her self-titled 2009 release.

Imagine an amalgamation of Feist, Amy Millan, and Emily Haines that sang in french and you’d come close to Arthur’s indelible style.  Arthur used to play bass for many of Quebec’s most popular artists before stepping into the spotlight on her own with this solo debut album.  It effortlessly blends folk, country, indie pop and rock and marinates the whole affair in an Eno-esque bath of ambient and gothic textures.  I’ve been able to dig up a link to her show at Montréal’s La Tulipe over at CBC Radio 2 for your viewing pleasure, and highly suggest you check out the whole album.  There isn’t a bum note on this LP, and it’s destined to be high on my end of year list in December.

MP3: Marie Pierre Arthur “Déposer les armes”
MP3: Marie Pierre Arthur “Entre nous”
Myspace: Marie Pierre Arthur
Buy: Marie Pierre Arthur Marie Pierre Arthur

(photo: Ben Welland)

When I first heard “Lulu”, the opening track on Ottawa band The Balconies self-titled debut album, I had this odd out-of-body experience akin to moving back in time.  The retro vibe of this jangly, effervescent power pop track reminds me of a cross between an ironic-free B-52’s and early Britpoppers Echobelly, both of which are good things in my books.  The buzz they’ve generated since forming in late 2007 is very much justified; The Balconies is an impressive collection of songs written by all three members, perfectly executed.  The guitar riffs jangle and rock, the vocals soar and soothe the soul, and the whole package grooves and shimmies like all get-out.  One Of my favourite moments on the record is “The Slo” and its down tempo, slinky groove, provided by bassist Steve Neville, coupled with vocalist Jacquie Neville’s piercing voice.  The brother and sister are joined in the band by Liam Jaeger, completing the power-pop triangle.

The Balconies were scheduled to play at Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern last night, and have a few more dates lined up  through Southern Ontario in the nest few months to celebrate the release of the LP in September.  Check the link to their Myspace page below for further dates and information surrounding the album’s release.

MP3: The Balconies “Smells Like Secrets”
MP3: The Balconies “The Slo”
Myspace: The Balconies
Facebook: The Balconies

(photo: jonsiandalex.com)

It’s not too often you come across a recording artist who has a “Recipes” page on their official web site, but it’s not too often you come across a duo like Jónsi Birgisson (Sigur Rós) and visual artist Alex Somers.  Besides being musical partners and life partners, they’re both big advocates of eating raw foods, so in a way, they’ve cornered the market on multi-sensory musical experiences:  sight, sound and taste.

Riceboy Sleeps is definitely the name of the LP the pair have released, but I’m not absolutely clear on whether the band’s name is also Riceboy Sleeps or whether they want to be known as Jónsi & Alex.  Not that any of this matters, though; a Rós by any other name is still as sweet.  Riceboy Sleeps is a delicate blossom of a record, slowly unfolding as it shakes the titular sleep from it’s eyes.  The orchestrated and majestic sounds of Sigur Rós are present and accounted for; what’s missing are the post-rock touchstones and Birgisson’s trademark vocals.  The entire Riceboy Sleeps project consists of the music on the LP, a 50-plus page wordless book and the various videos they’ve created for the tracks on their web site, so to truly appreciate the vastness of the project takes a fair bit of effort and time.  Even if you only go so far as exploring the music, you’ll get your money’s worth: the nine dream-like compositions are an ambient wet dream.

MP3: Riceboy Sleeps “Daníell In The Sea”
Myspace: Riceboy Sleeps/Jónsi & Alex