Tuesday, December 15, 2009 11:30AM - By Seraphina L.
2009 was a great year in music, and we hope you enjoyed what it’s brought you. There’s been a wealth in reissues and limited edition releases, but new full-lengths will always be a thrill for music fiends like us.
So we count down the best albums of the year. Although there have been some great EPs and singles, this list includes only full-length albums that have been released in the US. Check our top 20 out below and let us know what you think!
A music video has just been released for the single “Games for Days” off the album, Julian Plenti is…Skyscraper. The video features Metric’s Emily Haines, and is directed by Javier Aguilera. “Games for Days” features a lot of role playing, which I think echoes the theme of the album. Plenti, is Paul Banks the vocalist of the popular group Interpol. Unlike Beyonce‘s “Sasha Fierce,” part of his doppelganger stems from a legit source, his middle name is Julian.
The members of Metric have recently finished recording their new album, Fantasies, from a farmhouse recording studio outside of Seattle, Washington. The album will be the centerpiece of a full concert by the band that they will be performing live for a webcast on NPR.org, tonight, June 18. The performance, from Washington, D.C.’s 9:30 Club, will begin streaming online at approximately 10 p.m. ET.
Last night, Metric graced the stage of The Wiltern as their Fantasies tour brought them through Los Angeles. They began their set with the track, “Twilight Galaxy,” off of their new album. People were on their feet and dancing their overdressed little booties off in no time – and when I say “little,” I mean it literally. The Wiltern was overtaken by swarms of what my mother would accurately refer to as “teeny boppers.” Luckily, I could make out snippets of what Emily was saying over the incessant crying out of her name by the aforementioned (as though she would hear them and invite them onstage).
It was nice of her to acknowledge the crowd with more than the usual “Hi. Uh, what city are we in again?” statement. Not only did she reminisce about venues they had performed at during previous tours, but she also acknowledged their long-time fan base hailing from Los Angeles, citing the Silverlake scene in particular.
There’s no doubt about it. Emily Haines is a a major cutie and her band, Metric, kicks ass. As some of the best rock music out there that is catchy enough to be on the radio but cool enough because of their credibility as musicians, they put out some pretty cool videos too. Check out their latest video for “Sick Muse.” Haines dances around in flashy dresses with sparklers in hand and the entire band joins in on the fun. Let us know what you think about it by voting below!
Canadian music group, Metric, has just released a great new album. Fantasies was released on the 7th of April but has had a growing hit since December. During their tour of Canada, they had been selling a limited edition 7 inch (that’s a vinyl) of the track “Help, I’m Alive.” Never intending it to be more than a small single, Metric was surprised the find that radio stations from all over the world had begun to play this song as though it was the last song on earth. Originally planning to release “Gimme Sympathy,” as their first single, they had to change their game plan in light of all the attention that “Help, I’m Alive,” was getting.
While working with Canadian film director and visionary, Guy Maddin, Metric met with his editor and cinematographer, Deco Dawson. Being a friend of the band, Dawson created a short film for Metric. they present it as a short that features Metric, as opposed to a music video. The style of it is very Maddin-esque with desaturated colors and expressive symbolism. Dawson had toured with the band in December to record footage of them performing, but the band was surprised when Dawson showed up later with a video for their new hit. After screening the video to adoring praise, they have now decided to share it with the rest of the world via the Internet.
Check out Metric‘s new music video for “Gimme Sympathy” off their soon to be released album Fantasies (read review). It’s got some pretty interesting camera work, going on which I can’t decide if I like yet or not. I do feel like they should have had the butterfly children run out sooner.
One of the benefits of being an artist has to be any positive interpretation of your work. When approached with a thoughtful observation, an artist can legitimately and sincerely attest that what you felt as a listener was plotted out with intent – and if not entirely, then at least a little bit. Metric‘s latest release, Fantasies, allows plenty of room for such interpretations, playing out like its title by inspiring an almost hypnotic feeling, one of disorientation akin to a fantasy. Metric has consistently stuck to avenues of new wave and electronic; Fantasies features a pleasantly intense ambient style, secure yet roaming freely within the basic construct of rock.
With new releases from artists like Animal Collective, Bruce Springsteen and Franz Ferdinand, 2009 is off to a successful start. As we near the lucrative festival season, we should only expect the pace of mind-blowing album releases to quicken. Here are a few that Beatcrave just got wind of:
2009 was a great year in music, and we hope you enjoyed what it’s brought you. There’s been a wealth in reissues and limited edition releases, but new full-lengths will always be a thrill for music fiends like us.
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