Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Metric @ Sound Academy, Feb. 7

I have mixed feelings after seeing Metric live last week, my third time catching the non-solo Emily Haines (pictured) at work. I can’t deny the band had great energy and we had a blast whooping it up in the packed-like-sardines crowd at what must be Toronto’s worst venue, Sound Academy (formally The Docks). But it sure helped that I drank a half dozen beers — and clearly most of the crowd had as well.
     And there’s the problem: Metric are now a beer-drinking band. Again, it’s a lot of fun to party while Emily shakes it out to their near-punk hits, but there’s surprisingly little nuance. They even close their set with a new song, tellingly titled, “Stadium Love.”
     So, I’m split. “Combat Baby” and “Dead Disco” are still such terrific songs, especially live. And a couple of songs they previewed from their upcoming fourth CD, like opener “Freddie” (a tribute to Freddie Mercury) and the aforementioned “Stadium Love” (and its “ooh-ah-ooh” chorus) really stood out. But forgive me if I expected more.
(Thanks again, Zack, for taking photos.)

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