I want to like Metric, I really do.
I’ve kept records for worse reasons but my general rule is if there is even one track I like, I keep it. This is why I still have records by Daisy Chainsaw, The Rondelles, Hole, The Darling Buds, and The Primitives.
I will keep Metric’s Live It Out for two reasons; “Empty” and “Poster of a Girl.” The other songs are okay but if they didn’t come attached to the duo I like, I would have traded back the disc the same day I purchased it.
Its impossible to predict how a band or their records will stand the test of time but I suspect if you know anything about the bands I mentioned at the beginning of this review, you will understand a little more about Metric. Without sounding exactly like any of those bands I am willing to bet money that after 10 years Metric will be this generation’s answer to pseudo popular fringe girl fronted pop bands of yesteryear.
By mainstream standards Live It Out is a commercial radio friendly record which could easily appeal to the same people who love the little girl pouting vocals made so famous by No Doubt . The big difference there is Gwen Stefani writes lyrics that read like a page from a diary of a 5th grade girl while Emily Haines of Metric appears to be aiming for something closer to senior honor student looking to major in English next year.
As it stands now Metric will be a band that will end up on one of my DJ sets sandwiched between an obscure French pop 60’s song and something by Berlin and then will disappear in the black hole of my collection until a few years from now when another flashy alterna-pop girl fronted band falls into my hands and I need to find a band to compare them to. Metric is a happy addition to this cycle but groundbreakingearthshatteringawesome they are not.
PFM offers a harsh but not necessarily incorrect review of Live It Out and while I was originally going to offer a higher rating I then realized the grim ratio of 2 great songs on top of 8 so-so ones.
A 4.2 it is.
