The female vocal scene is receiving
somewhat of a much-needed revival of late. Debbie Harry
did so much
to champion it in the 80s, hell, she even
put herself through recording “Maria” ten
years later to give the ladies a kick up
the arse. Sure, we already had Karen O and
Brady Dalle, but now there seems to be a
whole new wave of female-fronted synth-pop
coming through, including Soho Dolls, Client
and Metric, the oh so irresistible Metric.
"Combat Baby” is the debut single, produced
by none other than Stephen Hague (he of New Order greatness)
and the result is a terminally catchy tune that deserves
a greater platform. A strange mix of genres, it would appear
Metric have taken a while to settle on their sound. Emily
Haines’ vocals are dry, and at times almost monotonous,
but somehow they remain entirely appropriate to the sound.
Unfortunately, the stage is set for the band to become a
few peoples ‘secret favourite group’, as they
probably won’t receive the press attention afforded
to some of their peers. I suppose the problem is that the
sound is just too hard to pigeonhole, and so is best left
alone. Le Tigre, anyone?
More synths accompany a wider vocal range on B-side “Hustle
List”, and at times a sound not completely dissimilar
to Swedish fuzz-poppers The Radio Dept. is apparent. All
in all, with "Combat Baby", Metric deliver an enjoyable tease
of their debut album Old World Underground, Where Are
You Now? Just don’t expect many other people to
have a clue who you’re talking about just yet.
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