Metric.

How could I start a music blog without writing about the mighty Metric?!
I had to. Gosh.

If you are an indie fan and have not yet heard of the force that is Metric, I am going to take the rock you have been living under and beat you over the head with it until you beg for mercy. How else will I punish you?

They're Canadian. If you have a problem with Canadians then you fail at life. Racism is not cool ok? They've been at it for 10 years. Yes, really. Since 1998, Metric have been doing the rounds. Three albums counting and I am certainly hoping for another. Fingers crossed.

Metric are made up of keyboardist/vocalist Emily Haines, guitarist James Shaw, bassist Josh Winstead and drummer Joules Scott-Key. If the names Emily Haines and James Shaw sound familiar to you, then obviously you are a fan of Broken Social Scene, as they are involved with the prominent indie artists.

There is no song that I can recommend to you all as their best so far. Everything this band records is amazing in its own way. Although, I can recommend which cd to start with.

Live It Out is their most recent recording [ignore the re-release of their first effort; Grow Up And Blow Away] and there is a very good reason as to why I recommend it to people yet to have their Metric cherry popped.
There's a 90% chance it is because the song opens with the brilliant Empty. Nothing is better than a song that starts out slow and builds to an explosion of drums and guitars only to fade back out to the same way it started. There is absolutely nothing bad about that song. Emily sounds angelic singing softly alongside the very placid drumming. The guitarwork is pretty too. Even better, go watch the video. It has cute puppets and you see Emily on her keyboard. Awesome.
The cd has a delightful mix of dancable and balladesque tunes. Handshakes is fun, and also has the following clever line; "buy this car to drive to work/drive to work to pay for this car." Clever AND true! If that does not make sense to you, then clearly you were dropped on your head at birth.
Too Little Too Late is just pure sexy. Why? Listen to her voice in it. There is something alluring about hearing Emily sing in a slightly lower register. Does it turn me on? Why yes, maybe it does! Even the lyrics are sexy. Hell, just trust me on the sex factor of this song ok?

If you listen to Triple J you're bound to have heard Monster Hospital. Yes, this is the song that got me hooked. Yes, I still love it. How can I not; it's feckin' Metric dammit! There is also pure sex when she sings "I've been bad!" just before the chorus comes in. Mmm. Fans of Grey's Anatomy take note: this song has been featured in that show. I can't say which episode, considering I've only seen it a select amount of times, but just trust me on that.
Patriarch On A Vespa sounds like the song that would've been used as an opener if Empty had've been left off. The slow start isn't as long as Empty's considering it kicks in mighty quick, but it's damn worth it. Excellent guitars in this song too. So damn catchy. Fuck.
Ending Start is next in line in the 'Emily sounds sexy in lower register' queue. It's beautiful. That is all I can say.
And what a better way to end a cd is the title track of the album; Live It Out. Seriously, this song is too good to even comprehend. Listen to it, nobody wants to hear me rant.

Once you've waded the crystal clear waters of Live It Out, your next adventure lies in the firm yet loving grip of Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? My infatuation with this band and all things Emily is making me go on for far too long right now. Best songs on Old World Underground... you ask? I.O.U, Succexy, Combat Baby, Dead Disco and Love Is A Place. The latter has to be one of the prettiest songs they've ever written. And yes, lower register FTW.

Also check out Emily Haines And The Soft Skeleton. She's a fucking amazing woman. Emily; be my mistress?