Metric @ Roseland Theater

Emily Haines is a rockstar, dividing her time between banging on her keyboard and dancing, prancing and just dominating the stage. Honestly, I have no idea why people still pack stadiums to see bag of bones baby boomer bands, when musicians like Metric clearly have the swagger and songs to put on a show that should satisfy anyone's thirst for rock and roll. Roseland Theater was packed and the crowd was clearly excited. I was standing next to two young teenagers and their parents on one side and some obviously longtime Metric fans on the other side. Their mix of dance-inducing beats, squaling guitar, and Haines' alternating cool and fierce vocals apparently is resonating with a broad audience. People started cheering during the quiet instrumental interludes, and just exploded with the first few notes of every single song. It was nuts. It's great to see band you love being embraced and then stepping up and delivering the fantastic performance the fans were hoping for. As much as I love and romanticize hearing bands annihilate the local dive bar, I can't help being caught up with the crowd when a band is on top. It definitely feels like Metric is in their prime.

QuickCrit Music Survey Results - Top 40 Albums (1-10)

1. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
“Another one on the top of various lists. I kept hearing it piecemeal and I kept liking what I was hearing. Too bad about their being French.” - WarMachine

“A month and a half plus of starting out my workday with this album spells out album of the year to me.” - ancient indian wizard

“Always had a soft spot for these guys. Really polished pop songwriting. So tuneful!” - Jeremy B.

“One of the best live shows i saw all year as well.” - Max D.

“The kind of music that can instantly change your mood... for the better.” - NightraiN

“This album just makes me happy every time I listen to it.” - ve1cro

“A band that's even better live, Phoenix makes danceable indie that leaves you feeling happy and relaxed. If you're looking for reasons to hate this band, good luck.” - Mona

“Thought they might be ridding on the coat tails of the MGMT scene and was skeptical at all the hype but this band won me over.” - Layne

“OMG, who knew the French made awesome music?!?! Seriously.” - The Crane Wife

2. Passion Pit - Manners
“Holy dancefest. I introduced this to a coworker who hated it at first and then blasted it on the regular. You kinda want to not like it but you totally love it. If it was a Facebook relationship it would be complicated.” - ancient indian wizard

“Manners has been the #1 release of '09 for months now. Nothing can top danceable indie like this that is creative, inventive, flawless and addictive as hell. In the movie of my life, "Moth's Wings" would hopefully play in the trailer.” - Mona

“It's almost come to the point where I have to be embarrassed by this, but when I'm honest with myself, I listened to this album more than any other this year.” - WarMachine

“For all the ‘Chunk of Change’ lovers who turned into haters: WAKE THE F*** UP!” - Lucas C.

“This is just an all around great album.” - The Crane Wife


3. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion
“It's a hit!” - HotCatato

“A beautiful album by an aptly named band.” - Jeremiah H.

“Took me a while to actually get into this album but it's really unlike anything I’ve ever listened to (and liked). One of those albums that reveals itself more and more with each listen.” - Max D.

“Probably the most accessible Animal Collective album to date, but then again that's not really saying all that much.” - Mona

“5 years ago I hated Animal Collective. This fact illustrates the beauty & joy of music.” - Lucas C.

“What can I add? This will probably end up being tops on the survey, and rightfully so. I'm just glad they finally dumbed down their music enough so that I could get into it.” - WarMachine


4. Metric - Fantasies
“Put this on and watch me dance the pop spaztastic.” - awmercy

“Their songs pass the campfire test. I appreciate that.” - Jeremy B.

“When I first heard this, I asked myself, why would I listen to Metric when I could just pop in the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs? The answer, of course, is because the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs are awesome and this album has earned the comparison.” - WarMachine

“With lyrics like "higher than high, lower than deep" and "hard to be soft , tough to be tender" the female front woman proves she’s one hell of a song writer too. - Layne




5. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
“You can find me stuck in LA traffic singing this song at the top of my lungs.” - HotCatato

“An amazing melodic, at times discordant, audio soundscape. The three ladies singing backup show some mindblowingly innovative acapella chops. Stick with it....it grows on you.” - Tex

“Phew — took me some time to get the hang of this one. Can't say as though I love it, but it's a force, nonetheless, to be reckoned with.” - Jeremiah H.

“While I don't love this entire album as much as some, Stillness is the Move, Cannibal Resource and No Intention are amazing songs.” – WarMachine


6. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
“Playing this album will get you laid. 60% of the time, it works every time.” - Rain

“She calls them ‘Killer Whales’ but I call them ‘Panda Whales.’” - ancient indian wizard

“Perhaps this is my sentimental best album of the year (certainly, the most heavily played, for me). Neko is a beautiful force to be recokened with.” - Jeremiah H.

"I love the way she says 'killer whales'.” - HotCatato

"’People Gotta A Lot Of Nerve’ is a perfect song. One of America’s great unsung heroes does it again. “ - Lucas C.



7. The Builders & The Butchers - Salvation Is A Deep Dark Well
“Urgent and macabre celebrations of our oncoming destruction.” - awmercy

“Kind of creepy, but kind of good.” - Jeremy

“They took a good thing and made it better. Dark, rollicking and unique. Tell your friends.” – NightraiN









8. Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
“I really feel they hit their stride with this album. French Navy is bonkers good! I want to get all kissy face like they do in the video for the song. You should too!” - ancient indian wizard

“Love this band, can they ever do any wrong? This album proves they can still inspire ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ when they sing ‘ooh’ and ‘aah.’” - Mona

“This album is great. It was in the CD player in my car for a long time until I almost burnt out on it and had to take a break. Now Fiest's first album is in the CD player. Although both are good, I like My Maudlin Career better.” - The Crane Wife

“Just popped this in recently and I still love it. Holds together so well as an album.” - WarMachine

“Great updated girl group sound.” - Brasilliant


9. Lucero - 1372 Overton Park
“It's the perfect mix of Memphis horns, country grit, and rock n' roll.” - awmercy

“An album with that rare combination of.. well... everything. Oh the horns!” - NightraiN

“Solid outing from one of my favorites -- the horns grew on me.” – Jeremy








10. Julian Casablancas - Phrazes For The Young
“Can't really explain why this album pulls at my heart strings, it just does.” - ve1cro

“It's amazing how great the Strokes solo efforts have been.” - Lucas C.

Worst Week To Leave Portland?

Apparently, I am traveling to DC for a week at the worst possible time when there isn't an actual festival going on. The Crystal Ballroom's December to Remember series of concerts includes Passion Pit, Metric, Vampire Weekend, Black Joe Lewis and Spoon! On top of that, Edward Shape is sharing a bill with Fool's Gold and the Local Natives at the Doug Fir. And the Thermals are at Berbati's Pan. On top of that – yes, I am going to pile on more – the Dandy Warhols and Upsidedown are at the Wonder Ballroom. And that really only highlights the headliners. Dolorean, Chuck Prophet, the Slants, Joe Purdy, and Nurses are also playing around town. All in 7 days.

Sometimes the music gods can be cruel.

Awmercy's Summer Short List

Amazing Baby - Rewild (2009). I love catchy psych and this is by far my favorite this year, perfectly balancing the thumps and haze.






Passion Pit & Harlem Shakes @ Wonder Ballroom. I've been to a lot of great concerts this year, but this was a home run line up. I walked in hot on the Harlem Shakes, but was won over by Passion Pit as they wound the crowd up into a sweaty dancing frenzy.




Biking to Shows. Even when I am starting to fade a bit as the evening wears on and the bourbons wear off, zipping down Burnside gets me ready for just about just any show, and pretty much all my favorite venues are just a few pedals away.




Metric - "Waves". No matter how many times I've listened to "Waves", it never fails to make feel like dancing.






Portland Bands. I've never lived in city before that is home to this many great bands: The Builders And The Butchers, Blind Pilot, M. Ward, Loch Lomond, Blitzen Trapper, Hockey, Scotland Barr & The Slow Drags, and The Thermals, to name just a few highlights. And the best part is that there are so many more I haven't even heard yet!

Metric @ Wonder Ballroom

After good, but rather subdued acoustic set at Mississippi Studios in the afternoon, I wasn't sure what to expect. Emily Haines looked a bit ragged with giant glasses hiding her face (and what I assumed to be a hangover). However, she was a completely different person that night — a ball of energy consuming the stage and spotlight as she danced, posed, and bounced to just about every song. Haines performed for the sold-out Wonder Ballroom as though singing to a giant festival crowd, and the audience loved every minute. Anyone who was worried that Fantasies was too pop will be glad to know that the guitars never left the live show. Jimmy Shaw had a sweet solo on "Gold Guns Girls". Even without playing "Waves" — which I kind of knew they wouldn't — it was impossible to be disappointed when they played every other song I loved off the album, including a couple older cuts. I don't know how anyone stands still when they hear "Sick Muse" or "Satellite Mind", especially when Haines provides plenty of dance moves to borrow. It was a great performance, not to be missed.

Metric - "Sick Muse" Video

Wooo hooo! Metric is playing the Wonder Ballroom on Friday. Just to get you ready, here's the video for one of my favorite songs off the much loved album.

Metric - Fantasies (2009)

Oddly, what sold me on Fantasies was a song not even released on the album. "Waves", a bonus track, is pure poptastic awesomeness. When the giant falsetto hook of a chorus kicks in I can't help but making up new and obviously stylish dance moves on the spot. After that, the album just clicked. Similar to indie dance queen Annie, this album embraces new wave synthesizers and fun dance pop. While the guitars from her last few albums still provide propulsive riffs, they are significantly toned down and less crunchy. Although generally a fan of crunchy guitars, I find Fantasies' best songs irresistible. "Sick Muse" has another great chorus while "Satellite Mind" is spacy and cool. "Gimme Sympathy" poses the question "Who'd you rather be, the Beatles or the Rolling Stones?" over a easygoing beat and seems like an ode to lying around and listening to music with friends. Good times.