Tunes for Tuesdays: Metric

Searing electro-synth tracks are seeping into the hallowed spaces of the indie kid's precious collection. For those in the know, their name is Metric.

I admit now, I used to be a denier. I used to think there was more hype than performance to this band.

Oh, how I was mistaken.

I blame the first impressions on the part-time job I carried throughout high school. I was an HMV music snob from 2002 to 2004 and was exposed to quite a range of music over the course of those eight-hour shifts. A new assistant manager transferred to our store, a woman obsessed with this new group called Metric.

IT WAS THE ONLY CD SHE PLAYED WHILE WE WORKED.

I never gave them a fair shot because of it. Ah, how misguided I was.

Despite my initial disbelief and general aggression toward them, Metric garnered critical acclaim with each new album and slid into the radio airwaves across Canada and around the world with ease. The stats are impressive:

• Old World Underground, Where Are You? (2003): Gold in Canada, earned a Juno nomination for Best Alternative Album
• Live It Out (2005): Platinum in Canada, nominated for the 2006 Polaris Music Prize for the Canadian Album of The Year, earned another Juno nomination for Best Alternative Album.
• Fantasies (2009): Platinum in Canada after its release on April 7th.

Intense. With a co-writer/lead singer as compelling as Emily Haines, it's no wonder the band's receiving such praise and success. Haines has performed with the epic powerhouse, Broken Social Scene, and appeared on albums by Stars, KC Accidental, The Stills, and Jason Collett to name a few. She released her own down-tempo, melancholic, piano-driven side project, Knives Don't Have Your Back (2006), with a collective known as Soft Skeleton (comprised of Sparklehorse's Scott Minor and members of Broken Social Scene and Metric).

Um, a driven, talented, innovative musician who's Canadian? And who is a compelling eye-pleaser to boot? Umm..... yes, please.

The first track for this edition of Tunes for Tuesdays is the latest release from Metric and also the track that converted me (albeit later than most) to the wonder that is this group. I invite readers to revel in the infectious, pop-rock-throttle of "Sick Muse" from Fantasies:

I suggest cranking this one while driving late at night down barren city streets. Fantastic and crisp, it is.

Now, one of the major reasons I wanted to profile Metric for Tunes for Tuesdays is based on an unusual and fascinating correlation I have uncovered. Since I started coming around to their music, I have noticed a large proportion of queer women tend to gravitate toward Metric.

I imagine Emily Haines and her sweet-meets-swagger attitude has a positive effect on lesbian and bi girls in the audience. I would also argue that their rock sensibilities combined with their synth edge tends to attract those lady-lovin'-ladies across Canada. Serious, it's intriguing. When a girl mentions they dig Metric, my gaydar starts pinging. If Tegan and Sara are mentioned in the next breath, it's a sure bet.

You read it here -- "Metric" is the new music codeword for "I LOVE ME THE LADIES."

On that note, I'll turn your attention to the latest single, "Gold Guns Girls," from Fantasies. It's been featured on the soundtracks for Gossip Girl, Zombieland (which I still need to see, FYI), Entourage and Grey's Anatomy, as well as the EA Sports soccer game, FIFA 10. Girl, I am slow on the uptake when it comes to Metric. Still, better late than never:

Us gay gals of the North are more than willing to export such a precious commodity to the queer ladies of the world. No need for greed when there's this kind of talent in our borders.

Even the U.S. is converting to the Metric system at this rate.