Metric: Fantasies

It’s a self-supporting masterpiece of staggering genius, that’s really all you need to know. You should be aware, however, that I am a biased source. You’re basically reading a press release from the Metric PR team, because I fell in love with Emily Haines with the release of Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? when I was just a high school sponge.

But while many of my young loves faded into distant and blurry memories, Metric is one that always kept me engaged and intrigued. This is the one album that’ll make love to me all summer long.

(Emily Haines)

Fantasies retains a harnessed energy that doesn’t let up except to gasp for air on Tracks 4 and 7. “Twilight Galaxy” is one that slows down, yet hangs on to an assertive beat in the foreground. “Collect Call” is the other carrying an excellent guitar tone in the verse, and dreamy keys in the chorus.

The radio-ready “Gimme Sympathy,” is probably my favorite, as it pays respects to two legendary musical groups in the chorus with the lyrics, “I can feel it in my bones. Gimme sympathy. After all of this is gone who’d you rather be, The Beatles or The Rolling Stones. Oh seriously, you’re gonna make mistakes you're young, C’mon baby play me something, like Here Comes the Sun.” It’s also got that pushy bass kick that any good pop song needs.
Their previous blue –baller albums always left me wanting more no matter what. But Fantasies is truly that, a mind-blowing release of everything that’s been building up. You’ll be so satisfied; the only thing more you could want is a cigarette.

Go buy this right now.

"Gimme Sympathy" Music Video

The Open Door EP

The Grammy nominated indie rock band, Death Cab For Cutie, has released six studio albums and four EPs to date. Their most recent album, Narrow Stairs, was released on May 13, 2008.

From that recording session came four amazing songs didn’t quite fit the record’s overall sound. The fabulous four will soon be heard on the band’s third Atlantic Records release, The Open Door EP.
It has been on preorder in my iTunes account since last week. I am eagerly awaiting its release, because I’ve already gotten to hear the whole thing.
Last week, DCFC’s twitter feed announced the release of one song at a time at Stereogram.com for streaming only.
The EP consists of four new songs, and the demo version of “Talking Bird.”
Track one, “Little Bribes,” was first introduced as “Casino Blues” during lead singer Ben Gibbard’s solo acoustic tour with David Bazan in ’07. It had less of a “death cab feel” then, but guitarist and producer Chris Walla added his usual production spices to the mix, making it a tune that’s sure to be a tasty treat for most Gibbard fanatics.
“A Diamond and a Tether” is a slower tune talking about a person holding onto a hope of a forever love from someone that never goes farther than standing on the edge. We all know someone like that at some point. But if you haven’t yet heard, Gibbard isn’t one of them. Zooey Deschanel, actress and singer for She & Him got her diamond and her tether around Christmas last year. Gibbard and Deschanel are engaged. I wonder if this song had anything to do with the leap.
Some might say that there’s a lot of strumming on the EP rather than the tender melodies that usually mimic Gibbard's vocals. “My Mirror Speaks” should tickle their musical pallet. With lyrics like, “there’s a tangled thread inside his head with nothing on either end,” sung to a contagious melody, it’s really hard not to join in on the chorus.
“I Was Once a Loyal Lover,” the EPs last new track embodies a more poppy feel with a hard-hitting baseline and hazy guitar tones.
The last track is one you’ve heard before, but never this down-to-earth. The demo version of “Talking Bird” is just Gibbard’s raw vocals with an accompanying ukulele. It’s really pretty, and a good one to close with reminding listeners of the sister LP Narrow Stairs.
This EP is well worth a measly $5. If you must go without lunch to purchase this, I promise this will satisfy your hunger far beyond any “No.3 with a diet coke.”
The Open Door EP is available digitally on March 31, with the physical release to follow, via Atlantic Records. You'll be able to buy it on deathcabforcutie.com or preorder it now from iTunes.

Also, watch the new "Grapevines Fires" video, directed by Walter Robot. It comes with the digital purchase of the EP.
Death Cab for Cutie - Grapevine Fires

My SXSW 2009 Coverage

March 17th - Art Disaster Party @ Beauty Bar:

March 18th - Emblem Creative Day Party:

Art, In Regards to Human Life

To say that art is something extra or non-essential in human life is to say that it is not required in order to sustain life. It is not one of man’s basic needs like water, food, and shelter. I am an artist myself, and ironically enough I agree with this statement whole-heartedly. I’ll explain though. Art is a non-necessity to human life, which makes it that much more significant. For example, when you take a course in college and the professor asks you why, which answer do they prefer to hear, that it’s a course required of you in order to graduate or that you needed an elective credit and the course sounded interesting to you? The second of course. The first answer presents no choice in the matter; the second does. It’s the choosing that makes the creation and observation of art so noteworthy.

Art, in its many forms, is expression. It is the photograph, the painting, the film, the song that puts our emotions into a body that provides psychological and emotional ease and contentment for us. So much so, that it might be considered a necessity to our mental health. Now, another question is raised. A mental well being undoubtedly improves the quality of life, but is it essential to human life?

Current Playlist

1. Copeland  - Every Breath You Take
2. Massive Attack - Teardrop
3. Stars - Sad Robot
4. Margot and The Nuclear So & So's - As Tall As Cliffs
5. Sia - Day Too Soon
6. Andrew Bird - Lull
7. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - In This Home On Ice
8. Sufjan Stevens - To Be Alone With You
9. Bon Iver - Re Stacks
   
10. M83 - Can't Stop