CD Review: Metric - Fantasies

The press release for Metric's new album, Fantasies, stated that the title was intended to evoke a dream-inspired feeling. The suggested feeling does occur as the material seems to be motivated by subconscious thoughts. Listening to Fantasies in one sitting is very similar to an actual dream. The album's tone and emotion changes frequently, even in the middle of a song. It also depicts the feeling of waking up. For example, the album's fourth track, "Twilight Galaxy," is very calming and encourages one to fall into a trance. This is followed by "Gold Guns Girls," which is the literal equivalent to a noisy alarm clock.

But in all honesty, there's nothing really special about Fantasies. This is not meant to be a slight against Metric. The new album is enjoyable and the band upholds their acclaimed style. The music is original and doesn't conform to any commercial conventions. However, Fantasies does not break any new ground. It's a typical indie-rock album; something that we have come to expect from a band like Metric.

"Help I'm Alive," the leadoff track, was the first single released from the album. It's a good choice as the song describes the feeling the band was going for. There are various moods and the vocals by lead singer Emily Haines registers on several fronts. There's also the delightful fuse of hard rock and New Wave. However, "Help I'm Alive" doesn't come close to the powerful and attention-grabbing "Monster Hospital" from 2005's Live It Out album.

Fantasies will have its success. There will certainly be praise for it. But expecting the album to be monumentally noteworthy is outlandish. It's a great album, but not one that will revolutionize the Canadian indie-rock scene. Expectations should be set a respectful level; neither high nor low.

For more information on Metric, please visit www.ilovemetric.com.

CD Review: Peter Project - The Peter Project LP

Peter Project's self titled album is a fascinating experience. It is also an album that will have its supporters and opponents.

This recent release by the Toronto-based DJ features electronic sounds with a hip-hop influence. Peter Project himself refers to it as "electro 60s a go-go." The album has many creative mixes, as well as a broad range of samples from obscure films, television shows and children's recordings. The artist, who's also known as Peter Chapman (The Midways), has certainly created a unique fuse of music and technology.

Those who love the album will celebrate Peter Project's ability to take random sounds and turn them into tracks that blend together flawlessly. They will enjoy the movement-inducing songs, which follow in the footsteps of DJ Shadow and Kid Koala.

Those who dislike the album will point to its lack of musical originality. They will describe Peter Project as someone who simply takes the work of musicians and uses an industrial-inspired machine to create new variations. These people might even go as far as to define each track as an exhibition of sound, rather than an actual song.

In all fairness, the album does have original aspects. This comes in the form of rhymes by hip-hop artists More or Les, The World Burglar, Masia One and Zaki Ibrahim; all of whom make guest appearances on the album.

Out of all the tracks, the strongest one is called "Two Cups." It has a pleasant blend of beats and synthesized notes, as well as a hypnotic Sesame Street-esque vocal track that is repeated over and over.

An artist like Peter Project will always stir debate. However, any argument has no relation to the actual presentation. The Peter Project LP is energetic and full of ingenuity.

For more information on Peter Project, please visit www.myspace.com/peterproject

CD Review: The Bicycles - Oh No, It's Love

Since it was announced recently that The Bicycles are on hiatus, it's only fair to take a look at their recent album. That way, we'll realize just how much we're going to miss this enjoyable indie group from Toronto.

Oh No, It's Love (2008) is the follow-up to 2006's The Good, The Bad and The Cuddly. There is a sense of pretension at first glance. The cover of Oh No, It's Love has an abstract contemporary art design, while the back features all four members posing with their indie inspired "B" t-shirts. Of course, one can't judge a CD by its cover. But there is the early assumption that the album will feature material that is too creative and snobbish. Fortunately, that is not the case.

Oh No, It's Love is a delightful collection of 19 energetic songs. Each track has a lively tempo and is bound to pick up your spirits, even if some of the lyrics are about heartbreak. The Bicycles are like The Ramones, but more musically educated. The majority of tracks are short and don't drag on. There are also no pauses between the tracks, which allows the positive energy to keep flowing. The overall presentation is fast-paced without any disruptions.

Oh No, It's Love also shows The Bicycles' versatility. The band incorporates an eclectic amount of instruments into their music. There is also a large contingent of musicians and artists who accompany The Bicycles on this album, including Laura Barrett and Peter Chapman (Peter Project). With so much backing from Toronto's indie community, perhaps The Bicycles are more of a collective than a band.

It's too bad the members of this band are taking a break to pursue other projects. But there is the possibility that they will reunite sometime in the future. However, if Oh No, It's Love turns out to be The Bicycles' final album, then we can all take solace in the fact that the band went out with a bang.


For more information on The Bicycles, please visit www.thebicycles.ca.

CD Review: APlotAgainstMe - Deuce

It's ironic that Ottawa's APlotAgainstMe has christened their new album Deuce, as it perfectly describes what to expect: an album with two distinctive appearances.

Deuce is an independent release by the hard rock group and features ten tracks which are dark and intense, and are reminiscent of material produced by Tool, Marilyn Manson and Metallica. What makes the album intriguing is that APAM has literally cut the album into two halves.

The first half has songs that are musically strong, but are also very soft. The vocals are gentle and there's no screaming. There's also no anger or raw emotion. Clearly, the intention of the first part of Deuce was to provide tracks that are safe for commercial radio. In doing so, this barely satisfies passionate hard rock fans, and doesn't insult nor deter causal fans and those who are curious about this particular style of music. You can tell there's potential, but you'll find yourself waiting for an explosion that appears unlikely to happen.

It's not until the second half of Deuce that APAM's true talent starts to show. The intensity and distortion increases. The anger and subsequent raw emotion appears and grows. There's a strong, threatening sense of aggression. Finally, the aforementioned explosion occurs with the eighth track, "The Nurse," which is by far the best song on the album.

Overall, Deuce certainly wets the appetite. The entire album shows the band's craftsmanship, which was aided by Record Producers Shawn Bradley, David Botrill and Vic Florencia. Along with "The Nurse," another notable track is "The Murder Between Us," which in a weird way, sounds like the opening to a James Bond film.

It will be interesting to see where APlotAgainstMe will go from here. Deuce has shown that the band has two different sides: one that produces toned down material for radio airplay, and one that truly expresses their hard rock roots. It's important for the group to decide which side they want to be on, or at least create a compromise between the two. Otherwise, an identity crisis will take the energy away from this talented band.


For more information on APlotAgainstMe, please visit www.aplotagainstme.com.