In the nearly four years since its last studio recording, Toronto-based synth-pop outfit Metric has been fragmented by solo projects and personal journeys. Lanky lead singer Emily Haines—who’s been pitching tents in young men’s skinny jeans since 2001—re-launched a successful solo career in 2006 and subsequently retreated to Buenos Aires to concentrate on songwriting for the band’s reunion. Guitarist James Shaw passed the time on tour with Broken Social Scene, while bassist Josh Winstead and drummer Joules Scott-Key branched off to form their own dance-punk duo, Bang Lime. Fresh off the April release of their fourth full-length, Fantasies, Metric reassembled last night at the 9:30 Club, spotlighting the band’s evolution from the politically charged new wave hooks of its past to a more sincere, polished post-punk aesthetic. American duo Smile Smile and Canadian quartet Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains opened the show. Smile Smile’s set was a sufficient teaser for the following bands—the kind of simple, acoustic guitar-driven ditties you’d expect to hear during the climactic ending of any teen drama on the WB. The sound from Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains (fronted by the former drummer/singer of Toronto’s Death From Above 1979) was considerably livelier. Grainger’s self-proclaimed “fuck-rock” came alive in “Renegade Silence,” showcasing a Prince-esque union of hard rock riffs and funky dance backbeats.
Omitting several of the synth-laden gems for which the band is best known, Metric’s set consisted primarily of tracks from its latest LP. In the end, the set would include only one track from the group's 2003 breakthrough album, Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? (“Dead Disco”), and four from its well-received 2005 follow-up, Live It Out (“Handshakes,” “Empty,” "Monster Hospital," and “Live It Out”). But that’s not to say that the early singles were missed.
After getting off to a slow start with the murky “Twilight Galaxy,” Haines and the crew gradually increased into a more dance-y groove with “Help I’m Alive” and “Satellite Mind.” In many of the new tracks, specifically “Gold Guns Girls” and “Sick Muse,” Haines’ synthesizer was pushed into the periphery, allowing Shaw’s skillful guitar to drive the melody. The bubbly new single “Gimme Sympathy” and upbeat classic “Dead Disco” were evident crowd favorites, each sparking dance circles and a sea of choreographed fist pumps (oh, so many fist pumps). As expected, Haines’ mezzo-soprano vocals were spot-on throughout the set, seamlessly swinging from near-screeching grit to satin smooth falsetto, like Deborah Harry in her prime.
The set’s only noticeable glitch was its closing encore—a muted serenade rendition of the title track from Live It Out. It was an unfortunately bland take on a usually stellar song, leaving the audience almost begging for one last scorching synth riff.
Haines’ lyrics often leave something to be desired (like the chorus from "Twilight Galaxy": “I’m higher than high / lower than deep / I'm doing it wrong / singin' along”), and the same can be said about her onstage chatter between songs. Though she sacarely communicated with the audience, Haines rambled on about “zebras destroying tigers in a fit of misunderstanding” and her disgust for “giant cheeseburger faces devouring the planet,” and she described one song as the “Metric ‘Free Bird’—everyone needs one.” (Yeah, we’re not sure what that means, either). But to her credit, Haines did tone down her usual political-activist rhetoric during the show, acknowledging that the crowd didn’t “need [her] to tell [them] what’s wrong with the world today—we’re all well aware what, at this point, our obstacles are as a generation.” From Thursday night’s performance, it’s clear that Metric’s recent hiatus helped the band to successfully work through a few obstacles of its own—exploring new sonic territory without abandoning its indie-pop-addicted fanbase.
http://www.avclub.com/dc/articles/metric-at-930-club,29435/
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