Metric: A Review of Fantasies

Emily Haines and her band Metric have come out with a new album Fantasies. As a type of She-Punk with a deep electronic foundation, Metric is a fine example of what happens when you take classically trained musicians put them in Montreal, then mix. This is just what happened in the formative years of the band, all members coming from some kind of Arts background whether it be training in Juilliard (James Shaw) or being the daughter of a well known poet (Emily Haines). Their newest offering is more ethereal if not confused than pervious albums. With lyrical visions of panic at conformity in one verse of a song, only to go on to make reference to identifying musical kinship with the Rolling Stones and The Beatles as an either or proposition in another. Is there a third option one less confirmative? Nevertheless, this album offers us a music selection which is inventive at some points and comfortingly familiar in others. Though, this album is far less appealing than others released by the band and if you are a fan of Metric you may be disappointed with this one. Songs from Fantasies that might be considered the best if not the only good songs of the album, Gimme Sympathy (acoustic), Help I'm Alive, Satellite Mind.

Passion Pit: Songs Off Of Manners – Must Have Songs For Your Summer Playlist

Manners [VINYL]

Passion Pit, a fresh band founded in Cambridge Massachusetts, has only recently released their first full length album entitled Manners. Their style of music: a kind of happy pop that inspires one to dance. Incredibly upbeat and full of life, Passion Pit is just the right stuff to get us through these dreary economic times. Having gained much recognition with their EP Chunk of Change, the band found themselves an early hit first at Emerson College, the alma mater of band member Angelakos. Passion Pit went on to top The Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll as Best New Act, all happening within a few years time. This band carries with it a sense of ease in every song, as though the tracks were put together through simple artistry and not through months/years of unneeded toil and sacrifice. While listening to the Manners you have a sense that you should just be relaxing and having fun with this new band that would fall under the new electronica/synth altpop category of bands, which seem to be leading the trend this year in terms of good new music. It seems that bands such as MGMT, Passion Pit or the upcoming Vampire Weekend Ra Ra Riot collaboration Discovery, are on the cusp of this welcome upbeat movement in music today. With all of the bands mentioned you can hear a real the playful discovery as though what they ended up producing was a pleasant surprise even to them. To be sure this album is a must have for the summer months, all of those warm evenings would not be complete without a bit of Passion Pit to spice up your playlist. Best songs off of Manners, Little Secrets, The Reeling, Eyes As Candles.

M. Ward: Folk Rock With A Touch of Soul

If you haven’t heard of M. Ward and are a fan of the Portland Oregon music scene, then M. Ward might be right up your ally. M. Ward aka Matthew Ward has more recently been caught up with the wonderful Zooey Deschanel on the She and Him project. That hasn’t stopped him from coming out with a rich and complex album of his own with his newest solo release Hold Time. With fourteen tracks you would think a few would be worthy of your iPod’s skip button, not so. Ward has a value album if there ever was one, loaded with solemn and moody tacks, delivered with Ward’s signature soft raspy voice. When listening to Hold Time one can’t help but feel relaxed and slightly more content with the universe, it’s just the nature of his music, darkly peaceful filled with a kind of imagery that will take you places. Tacks to pay close attention to on this album are, Jail Bird, To Save Me, Fisher of Men.

Arcade Fire: A Band That Makes You Feel

The Arcade Fire has produced two full length albums, Funeral and Neon Bible. The first was not widely recognized and was filled with dark imagery, explosive ballads bordering on emo rock. Think of the first track of Funeral, Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels), its over the top imagery of what can be made out, is of escaping an unfriendly home to a neighbor house via tunnels and secret meeting places. This album seems to be influenced heavily by fellow Canadian band The New Pornographers, although much darker in content. The use of dual lead singers along with an incredible assortment of instrument usage conjures up memories of Mass Romantic. Neon Bible is in many ways a concept album taking one theme, not unlike The Killers’ Sam’s Town, Sam Robert’s Chemical City, or Green Day’s uber popular American Idiot. Like these albums, Neon Bible tells the listener a story in this case the story starts with the ironic image of the neon bible and simply expands upon it. In Neon Bible we can hear the need for escape in Keep The Car Running, a desire for truth in the title song, and what seems to be the heart of Arcade Fire’s misanthropic view of the world with Intervention mp3. Arcade Fire has recently released a live album/DVD entitled Miroir Noir (or for the French impaired Black Mirror). As a live album, Mirior Noir has a sort of ethereal quality by using song interludes comprised of fan calls to an Arcade Fire hotline. This hotline is what makes this live album stand out from other live albums and provides a kind of window in the mind of an Arcade Fire fan. The call segments are often strange given the hotline acts as a kind of Arcade Fire Anonymous and range from angry hate calls to fans heartfelt pleads to hear from their favorite band. There are also never before heard songs on this album such as Surf City East Berlin & Cold Wind. Arcade Fire continues to surprise all with its ability to create thoughtful music and inspire its listeners to feel great joy and complete distain. If anything at all, Arcade Fire has proven with Mirior Noir that it incites people to feel... something.

Thao And The Get Down Stay Down: We Brave Bee Stings and All

Thao And The Get Down Stay Down have released a new album We Brave Bee Stings And All. With breezy guitar riffs and occasional banjo this Indie folk band is in the same line of performers as M. Ward, but with a female lead vocalist. Lead singer Thao Nguyen was raised in Falls Church, Virginia by her mother and met her band members throughout high school and College. Thao And The Get Down Stay Down have made a total of three albums together, Like the Linen (2005), Day Trotter Sessions (2006) and their newest We Brave Bee Stings And All (2008). If you are in a Feist type mood and have overplayed her albums then Thao And The Get Down Stay Down will satiate your indie folk needs. Similar contemporaries of the band are Metric, Feist, Nouvelle Vague, Lilly Allen and other artists that fall under the category of light acoustic song styling accompanied by wistful vocals. Songs that may grab your attention while listening to We Brave Bee Stings and All, Swimming Pools, Fear and Convenience, Violet.