photo: Frank Yang Chromewaves

I don’t always have the best days, most of my days are filled with getting back to last week’s emails (yeah, I’m really bad at keeping up) and crossing off my endless to do list, while juggling three life schedules. I’m mostly just on this thing being a giant nerd. But some days, I get to do pretty kickass stuff that I must boast about. Last Wednesday was one of those days, I was at the Vice office when my friend informed me that the Morning Benders were doing an acoustic set in front of the Big Chill after work, so I headed over there and watched Chris serenade a crowd that spilled out onto the road, with half-songs and stripped down versions of his orchestral songs. It was beautiful, besides the fact that everyone was sweating their own body weight. I also developed a severe crush on the Morning Benders frontman, he’s so endearing, likes Annie Hall and is painfully gorgeous, in a little boy kind of way. So dreamy. The only bummer was that I missed the free icecream coupons. Fail!

Next my friend Jon Dekel who is a super cool music journalist that gets to do awesome stuff all the time and gets me to tag along, took me to his Black Keys interview at the Sutton Hotel. Have any of you ever been to the Sutton? It’s where most bands stay, and it’s a palace. So I sat their awkwardly right next to them, trying to avoid the piercing stare of Dan Auerbach and awkward questions from the two of them. It was actually pretty funny, and I think I’ve developed a slight crush on Dan. I missed out on their show because Jon then took me to the free Metric show where we watched sidestage, Emily Haines tit tape falling out of her shirt. She’s kind of insane, but still pretty cute. The whole time I was so exhausted, and catching a cold- most likely from over-stimulation. I can’t have too much fun in one day or else my body just breaks down, it seems. Anyway, my Wednesday was better than yours, but I’m paying for it now because I’m still nursing the tail-end of a cold. Check out Jon’s new blog- it’s still a work in progress, but knowing him, it’ll be something super cool.

The Morning Benders- Cold War

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The Black Keys- Next Girl

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Metric- Stadium Love

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photo: Justin Broadbent

Metric’s Fantasies was likely one of my favourite albums of the year. I always loved Emily Haines, especially the stripped down acoustic Emily. The Emily and the Soft Skeleton, Emily. The piano heavy, vocals soft Emily. Her solo EP ‘What is Free to a Good Home’ and full-length, ‘Knives Don’t Have Your Back’ a few years back were both so saturated with sadness, haunted with Elliot Smith like-prose, ‘with all the luck you’ve had, why are your songs so sad?’ These excruciating and beautiful songs lead us into the depths of her- into the fears looming and wading beneath wisps of blonde covering a serious face.

I started re-listening to Emily sometime this past spring, I listened to the whole album from a morning drive from Birmingham back to Nashville something quite literally clicked in my head. Emily appears delicate, but she is ferocious in her writing. The intensity of her words laid over the sweetness of her melodies alludes to tension between all our attempts to divorce from femininity and embrace strength, to become a force- but there is something inescapable that leaves all our attempts in failure. It is only in the celebration of the softness and thoughtfulness that we are fully ourselves. Fragility in form can be deceiving, women still remain some of the most elusive creatures on this planet, we are simply unknowable. 

I found this collection of acoustic Metric songs, the art of elimination leaves room for error and truth. 

Metric- Between the Bars (Elliot Smith Cover)

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Metric- Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright (Bob Dylan Cover)

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Metric- Combat Baby

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Metric- Calculation Theme

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Metric- Love is a Place

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Metric- Gimme Sympathy

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Metric- Twilight Galaxy

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Metric- Ending Start

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Metric- Live it Out

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Metric- Don’t think twice, it’s alright

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Dear Bob Dylan,

Age has not treated you well, but you are still the craftsman of songs that defined my youth. In this, I am eternally indebted to you for my training wheels in folk and rock music. Some say you peaked in the 60’s, but I suppose we all peak at some time. And what a wonderful time to peak. Here is an ode to you from a girl I bet you’d really take a liking to, Emily Haines. She’s a gem.