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Metric - Pagans In Vegas

  • Written by  Marky Edison

Pagans In Vegas is the sixth album from Canadian synthpop band Metric. They were formed in 1998 in Toronto by Emily Haines and James Shaw. The duo are probably better known this side of the water for their involvement in Broken Social Scene. Haines has also provided vocals for The Stills, The Crystal Method, Tiësto and MSTRKRFT among others.

Starting out playing chilled indie rock with elements of electro, synthesizers have gradually come to the fore in their music. This is more true than ever on Pagans In Vegas. Prior to this, their biggest hit had been with 2009's Fantasies. That album spawned six singles, three of which topped the Canadian alternative charts. They also charted in the US, where they toured earlier this year with Imagine Dragons. The follow up, Synthetica, made further inroads in America and Metric collaborated with composer Howard Shore on the soundtrack to David Cronenberg's mindbending film, Cosmopolis.

It's a good time for this release. The likes of La Roux and Chvrches have rekindled the embers of electro pop and the time could be ripe for Metric to reap the rewards. They've never been the type to conform with public expectations though. The band remain staunchly independent, releasing their albums on their own label. They have continued to make the music they want to make. Their pop sensibilities will not be denied but they resolutely plough their own furrow.

Pagans In Vegas is by turns chilled and euphoric. An early single from the album, 'The Shade', released in May, is a joyous indie dance number lead by bleepy synths and building to a never ending chorus with a rock foundation. 'Celebrate' has elements of dance warlords Underworld and you could picture Fatboy Slim remixing it into a nineties Ibizan anthem but it bobs, weaves, and feints into a swaying chorus which demands that lighters and smartphones be held in the air.

Someone like David Guetta could take this whole album and make it into a worldwide hit full of floor fillers. But Pagans In Vegas has something that Guetta couldn't imbue; charm, individuality, and personality. You really feel that with each song you are getting an insight into a moment of a life, a soul laid bare reaching out from the ether.

A decade on from their first major release, Metric are now capable of producing a work that straddles trip hop, dance and indie music. An album that makes you want to dance and bury your head in someone's shoulder simultaneously. It takes a lot of talent to make something so complex seem so simple. Apparently they wrote enough material in these sessions to do two records. If that is the case then they really have done a good job of editing the song choices to create Pagans In Vegas. They could easily have another six singles from this album.

Fantasies was a high point for the band, musically. It's early days to talk about this album in the same light in terms of longevity. Possibly the best compliment I can pay Pagans In Vegas is that, after listening to it for nearly a week, I'm eager to hear it again, and see what further secrets it will reveal.

Pagans In Vegas is available from amazon & iTunes.

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