Review: Metric – Synthetica

BY JEREMY HAAS

To name an album the best of anything, whether it’s of the year, the month, or the season is an honor, to say the least.  It has to be able to entertain, and at the same time truly reach a listener, while still standing out above all the others.  This summer, Canadian indie-rock group Metric released their fifth studio album, Synthetica on June 12th.  The album was extremely well written: musically, lyrically, and vocally.   It didn’t fail to keep a groovy, dance-worthy vibe going for its duration, and still, it was filled to the brim with deeper-seated emotions that shroud the sinister life of a modern pop star.  Synthetica took a good hard look at the current state of popular culture, and illustrates its shortcomings through clever songwriting and catchy, retro instrumentals.

Synthetica was created as a general analysis of what pop music has turned into, compared to what it used to be.   Like the current state of our trendy culture, the lyrics are largely influenced by drugs, attention-hunger, and pleasing the brick wall that some consider to be a fan-base.  This is done with a negative connotation however; unlike the celebrity gossip magazines and reality TV shows that we’ve all grown so fond of.  The slow ballad “Dreams So Real” feels like an ode to the failing celebrity with lines like “Seems like nothing I said ever meant anything but a headline over my head.”  Singer Emily Haines recognizes the slow, agonizing decline of the pop star, and this album tells of these horrors that befall our beloved icons.  In “The Void”  Haines sings for the blind followers of faux role models, with lines like “sing along with the band but you’re still in the void.”  The pop stars we have come to worship are struggling to maintain some big image of total “synthetica.”  In this superficial fiasco all musical sense is forgotten and a metaphorical “scream becomes a yawn.”

Another prominent aspect of Synthetica is its use of unique instrumentals.  The music makes much of the album seem nostalgic, as if they were reflecting the anti-current-pop lyrics through the passion and style that were once a part of pop culture decades ago.  “Lost Kitten” is arguably the catchiest song on the album, and it’s use of a funky bass-line as the backbone of the music proves the song to be extremely retro.  The title track “Synthetica” is very reminiscent of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts with its distorted power-chord chugging and upbeat drumming.  Then as the song proceeds, it turns very new wave with a synth-heavy chorus.  “The Wanderlust” features long time rock and roll legend, Lou Reed; his deep, classic rock vocals complement Emily Haine’s feminine tone wonderfully.  His appearance on the album not only provides a good dynamic towards the closing, but it also emphasizes the pure nostalgia of Synthetica.

The one thing Metric really thrives on is their strong female leader, Emily Haines, which is the case for most female-led rock bands.  However, a lot of strong female figures that are currently being idolized in the indie scene, like Fiona Apple, lack the spunk Haines has portrayed.  While they both make extremely different types of music, and comparing the two would be an apple versus orange debate, there’s something about Haines that just screams passion; a passion that is difficult to find in female and male vocalists.  It’s certainly a problem many artists face, whether their fans choose to acknowledge it or not, it’s a gradual loss of spirit.  Emily Haines has proven time and time again that she is an energetic, sexy, and extremely talented musician.  Even in her mid-30s, after four albums with Metric, she is still one of the strongest female voices in the indie scene.

So, accurately naming an album the best of anything would require a lot of listening, a lot of comparing, and a lot of analyzing.  However, when an album is truly perfect, its beauty will slap you across the face right from the first listen.  Metric’s Synthetica is an upbeat, emotion-filled, indie-punk masterpiece that left a huge red hand-print on my cheek.