Notes: On Tuesday’s, if time allow, I am going review a new album
(at least an album new to me).
Album Released: 2022
About Metric: A Canadian Rock band founded in 1998 in
Toronto, Ontario. “Formentera” is the band’s eighth full-length album.
Members: Emily Haines (Lead Vocals, synth, guitar,
tambourine, harmonica, piano), James Shaw (Guitar, synth, theremin, backing
vocals), Joshua Winstead (Bass, synth, backing vocals), and Joules Scott-Key
(Drums, percussion).
What I know: Coming into this one, I knew of only one Metric
song called “Gimme Sympathy” which asks the timeless question: “Would you
rather be the Beatles or the Rolling Stones?” As it turns out, they are
neither, more a band that sounds a bit of a cross of the Smashing Pumpkins or
Silversun Pickups with a techno band.
Did you know?: Formentera is the smallest and most southerly
island of the Pityusic Islands group which belongs to the Balearic Islands autonomous
community (Spain). The word is derived from the Latin word frumentarium meaning
“granary.”
My thoughts on Formentera: The album starts boldly with a 10-minute,
28-second song entitled “Doomscroller.” The song starts heavy with the synth
and plods a bit, but the last three- or four-minutes cuts away a bit of the techno
overtones with chilling vocals and striking piano. It’s followed by the
most-played song on the album on Spotify in “All Comes Crashing.” It has the
hooks one expects from a single with solid vocals. It’s driving beat and
repetition with lyrics is repeated in the next tune, “What Feels Like Eternity.”
The title track comes next and clocks in at 6:17, and it combines the synth
beats with a nice string section, fitting closer with the album opener more
than the previous two tracks. I don’t
know how the songs were released on this album, but the first three songs have
listens ranging from 604,499 to 2,763,202, but the last half of the album has a
high of 392,006 with “False Dichotomy” (a focused, catchy pop song) while the
rest are lingering at 115,000. There are some nice points in all those songs,
but I am not sure any does enough sonically to sound much different from any
other song on the album.
The Wrap: It’s an album worth checking out, and one I would
listen to again. I wish they’d ditch the synths more often and alter the beats
to provide more individuality to the songs.
You’re up: Let me know your thoughts on this album, or anything
new to you that you are listening to this week.
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