On their first album in four years, these Canadian indie-poppers
roll out hooks bigger than a hockey rink, which automatically makes
them Canada’s most tuneful band. Emily Haines (who’s also a member of
the Broken Social Scene collective, but who isn’t?) loads up on the
sweet and sour, delivering songs like “Help I’m Alive” and “Gold Guns
Girls” with simultaneous pouts and bites. It’s slippery, sexy stuff,
propelled by a group that combines crunchy guitar riffs with skittering
electronic buzzes. It’s sorta like the Breeders crossed with Garbage,
but Canadian. Like many of their countrymen, Metric tend to lose some
of their flavor midway. Still, Fantasies is tons more fun than
the latest records by Broken Social Scene and Stars. — Michael Gallucci
This article appears in Apr 15-21, 2009.
