So far, Metric has released eight studio albums: Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? (2003), Live It Out (2005), Grow Up and Blow Away (2007), Fantasies (2009), Synthetica (2012), Pagans in Vegas (2015), Art of Doubt (2018), and Formentera (2022).
Besides Metric, Emily Haines and James Shaw also perform with Broken Social Scene. Joules Scott-Key and Joshua Winstead have their own side project, Bang Lime. Emily Haines released her debut album Cut in Half and Also Double in 1996 and two records under the moniker Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton: the album Knives Don't Have Your Back in 2006 and the 6-track EP What Is Free to a Good Home? in 2007. She also has been a guest on albums by Stars, The Crystal Method, KC Accidental, Delerium, The Stills and Jason Collett.
Emily Haines was born in New Delhi, India and raised since the age of 3 in Peterborough, Ontario. The daughter of poet Paul Haines grew up as a dual citizen of Canada and India. Her father would often make cassettes of rare and eclectic music for his daughter to listen to and her early influences included Carla Bley and Robert Wyatt. By her teens she followed her parents' footsteps by attending the Etobicoke School of the Arts. There she met Amy Millan and Kevin Drew, with whom she would later collaborate in hHead. Haines and Millan briefly formed their first band around 1990 while at ESA and with songs later written and recorded while at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver in 1992–1993, at Toronto in 1995 and at Concordia University in Montreal in 1995–1996, Haines distributed in 1996 an early effort called Cut in Half and Also Double with a limited number of copies.
James Shaw was born in the UK. He was a student at a Boston music school and was friends with Torquil Campbell, a vocalist who would later form Stars and Chris Seligman, the future synthesizer player of Stars. Torquil had plans to move to New York City and on his suggestion Shaw applied to Juilliard Music School and moved to New York with him. In 1998, Shaw and Torquil returned to Toronto, where Haines met Shaw through mutual friends in the local music scene. Shaw moved to Montreal where Haines was still living and the two worked on filling out each other's projects. The first song made by Shaw and Haines was "Butcher" and eventually they had completed in 1998 several other tracks in their home studio, gathered on Mainstream EP, a collection of demos with an overall downtempo and electronic feel.
In the fall of 1998, Shaw moved back to New York City, this time accompanied by Haines, Campbell and Seligman. There they shared a loft in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. During their two-year stay at the loft, Haines and Shaw were erstwhile room mates with future members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Liars and TV on the Radio.
Haines and Shaw set off to London in early 2000 and signed a publishing deal with Chrysalis Records. With the help of producer Stephen Hague, Metric worked on a new batch of New Wave/electropop drum-machine paced songs that would form the nucleus of their debut album. The effort dubbed Grow Up and Blow Away, revealed a more musically-layered and mature sound than the earlier Mainstream EP. Haines and Shaw completed the album in April 2001 and by this time had found a label for their release, Restless Records. The album was delayed for years by their record label.
The band performed in New York in early Spring and late Summer 2001, personally circulating handmade CD-R copies of their unreleased music to fans at shows and by mail, eventually giving the music away for free on the internet. Metric at the time was for the most part a studio band and live shows approximated the synthesizer-centered and drum-machine driven sound of the recordings. In the same year they issued a 5-track EP entitled Static Anonymity and two promo singles: "Grow Up and Blow Away" and "Raw Sugar".
In the winter of 2001, Metric had gained two new bandmates: the drummer Joules Scott-Key (born in Flint, Michigan) and the bass player Joshua Winstead. Joules Scott-Key was attending college in Texas was in town with his friend Joshua Winstead performing in the local music scene. Scott-Key and Winstead had known each other for about a decade and they met Shaw and Haines at the Brooklyn loft and at local performances.
On 2 September 2003, Metric released their first official studio album Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? on Last Gang Records. The album was received with positive reviews and it has gone gold in Canada. They released 2 singles from the album, "Combat Baby" and "Dead Disco".
On 27 September 2005, the band released their second studio album, Live It Out on Last Gang Records. The album was well received and has since gone twice platinum in Canada, selling over 200,000 units. They issued 4 singles: "Monster Hospital", "Poster of a Girl", and "Empty". The band has toured the world extensively for several years. They also opened for The Rolling Stones in NYC.
On 26 June 2007, Last Gang Records released Metric's 2001 album Grow Up and Blow Away, after purchasing the rights to the album from band's previous label. In 2007 they released a live EP entitled Live at Metropolis followed a year later by a DVD with the same name featuring a concert recorded from Montreal.
On 7 April 2009, Metric released their fourth album Fantasies on their own label, Metric Music International. In the US it debuted at #1 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers and peaked at #76 on the Billboard 200, in Canada it debuted at #13 on the Canadian Albums Chart and peaked at #6 and in Australia, the album debuted at #48. The album received mostly positive reviews and it's their most successful record to date. They released 6 singles: "Help I'm Alive", "Front Row", "Gimme Sympathy", "Sick Muse", "Gold Guns Girls" and "Stadium Love".
Amazon.com listed Fantasies in eleventh in its "Best Albums of 2009" list. This album was a shortlisted nominee for the 2009 Polaris Music Prize and also won two Casby Awards, the NXNE favourite new indie release award and favourite new album award. On 18 April 2010, the album won the Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year at the 2010 Awards, as well as the band winning Group of the Year.
On 27 October 2009, Metric released a 5-track EP called Plug In Plug Out containing acoustic versions of five songs from Fantasies. During the 2010 Winter Olympics, Metric, along with several other Canadian music acts, came together in Vancouver to re-record K'Naan's song "Wavin' Flag" to benefit Haiti in a movement called Young Artists for Haiti.
In 2010, the band contributed to Twilight: Eclipse movie soundtrack with a song entitled "Eclipse (All Yours)". In the same year, a previously unreleased song "Black Sheep" was used on the soundtrack of the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. In 2011, Metric issued the live EP iTunes Session.
On 18 September 2015, Metric released their sixth album, Pagans in Vegas.
On September 21, 2018, Metric released their seventh album, Art of Doubt.
On July 8, 2022, Metric released their eighth album, Formentera .
On October 13, 2023, Metric released their ninth album, Formentera II.
EPs
Mainstream EP (1998)
Static Anonymity (2001)
Live at Metropolis (2007)
Plug In, Plug Out (2009)
Spotify Acoustic EP (2010)
Spotify Covers EP (2010)
iTunes Session EP (2011)
The Shade EP [Cassette only] (2015)
were featured in:
3 films
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Cosmopolis
"Handshakes" and "Gold Guns Girls" were used as a radio soundtrack in Test Drive Unlimited.
Official site: http://www.ilovemetric.com
Wet Blanket
Metric Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Vicious hypnosis, a clenched fist saying it's wrong
To want more than a folk song
Underneath the shaker knit he's a brick wall
She keep falling for the trick vegetariate sing-along
Give a little kick with your fine thigh high
Doo-doo-doo we're on to you
Making a mess, see she is happy you want to break it
Doo-doo-doo we're on to you
Tearing her down, talking her down under your breath
Making a mess, see she is happy you want to break it
Doo-doo-doo we're on to you
Your phony roots, borrowed guitar
Telling her what to think we are
You the number one wet blanket
Hardly a day goes by you don't try to break down
No I don't buy it
You're still around I wonder why
She just keep...
Falling for the creep the body leech here he comes
Vicious hypnosis, a clenched fist saying it's wrong
To want more than a folk song
Underneath the shaker knit he's a brick wall
She keep falling for the creep
The body leech coming on
Vicious hypnosis, clenched fist saying
It's wrong to want more than a folk song
I'm wrong to want more than a folk song
I'm wrong to want more than a folk song
Underneath the shaker knit he's a brick wall
She keep falling for the trick vegetariate sing-along
Give a little kick with your fine thigh high
Doo-doo-doo
Doo-doo-doo we're on to you
Tearing her down, talking her down under your breath
Making a mess, see she is happy you want to break it
Doo-doo-doo we're on to you
Your bathing suit, borrowed guitar
Telling her what to think we are
You the number one wet blanket
You're still around I wonder why
You the number one wet blanket
"you'll never believe me so why don't you find out for yourself
Then you'll see the glass hidden in the grass
Bad seeds come and go for which you must allow
Sick down to my heart that's just the way it goes"
The lyrics to Metric's "Wet Blanket" are an indictment of a controlling, manipulative partner who seeks to tear down and control their partner. The lyric "Falling for the creep the body leech here he comes / Vicious hypnosis, a clenched fist saying it's wrong / To want more than a folk song" highlights how the singer's partner is unwilling to allow for growth or change in the relationship, instead trying to force their partner to conform to their rigid ideas of what a relationship should be. The repeated "Doo-doo-doo we're on to you" serves as a warning to the partner that their manipulative tactics are not working.
The lyrics go on to describe the partner's attempts to tear down the singer's happiness, as they are "Tearing her down, talking her down under your breath / Making a mess, see she is happy you want to break it." The partner is described as a "wet blanket," someone who sucks the fun and joy out of everything, and who tries to control every aspect of the singer's life. The repeated lyric "You're still around I wonder why" suggests that the singer is perhaps questioning why they continue to stay with this partner despite the harm they are causing.
Line by Line Meaning
Falling for the creep the body leech here he comes
She keeps falling for the manipulative person who feeds off her body and energy, and here he comes again.
Vicious hypnosis, a clenched fist saying it's wrong To want more than a folk song
He is using cruel and manipulative tactics to force her to conform to his beliefs that wanting more than a simple folk song is wrong.
Underneath the shaker knit he's a brick wall
Despite his harmless appearance, he is emotionally impenetrable and difficult to break down.
She keeps falling for the trick vegetariate sing-along Give a little kick with your fine thigh high
She keeps getting caught up in his deception, which includes getting her to sing along with his lame songs and sexual advances.
Doo-doo-doo we're on to you
We see through your facade and know your true intentions.
Tearing her down, talking her down under your breath Making a mess, see she is happy you want to break it
You're trying to tear her down covertly and make a mess of things, and yet you're happy about it and want to keep doing it.
Your phony roots, borrowed guitar Telling her what to think we are You the number one wet blanket
Your image and the things you rely on are fake and you're trying to control what she thinks. You're the primary source of negativity and a mood-killer.
Hardly a day goes by you don't try to break down No I don't buy it You're still around I wonder why She just keeps...
You constantly try to bring her down and I don't believe you have her best interests at heart. Yet she continues to fall for your tricks and I wonder why you're still in her life.
You the number one wet blanket
You are the main source of negativity and ruin the mood whenever you're around.
"You'll never believe me, so why don't you find out for yourself Then you'll see the glass hidden in the grass Bad seeds come and go for which you must allow Sick down to my heart that's just the way it goes"
You won't take my word for it, so I urge you to find out for yourself. You will find that there are hidden dangers and bad people that you must accept and deal with, no matter how sad it makes you feel.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: EMILY HAINES, JAMES SHAW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@madpsina
Falling for the creep, the body leech, here he comes
Vicious hypnosis, clenched fist saying it's wrong
To want more than a folk song
Underneath the shaker knit, he's a brick wall
She keep falling for the trick, vegetarian sing-along
Give a little kick with your fine thigh-high
Do-do-do, we're on to you
Tearing her down, talking her down under your breath
Making a mess
See, she is happy you wanna break it
Do-do-do, we're on to you
Tearing her down, talking her down under your breath
Making a mess
See, she is happy you wanna break it
Do-do-do, we're on to you
Your phony roots, borrowed guitar
Telling her what to think we are
You're the number one wet blanket
Hardly a day goes by you don't try to break down
No, I don't buy it
You're still around, I wonder why
She just keep
Falling for the creep, the body leech, here he comes
Vicious hypnosis, clenched fist saying it's wrong
To want more than a folk song
Underneath the shaker knit, he's a brick wall
She keep falling for the creep
The body leech coming on
Vicious hypnosis, clenched fist saying
It's wrong to want more than a folk song
I'm wrong to want more than a folk song
I'm wrong to want more than a folk song
Underneath the shaker knit, he's a brick wall
She keep falling for the trick, vegetarian sing-along
Give a little kick with your fine thigh-high
Do-do-do-do
Do-do-do, we're on to you
Tearing her down, talking her down under your breath
Making a mess
See, she is happy you wanna break it
Do-do-do, we're on to you
Your bathing suit, borrowed guitar
Telling her what to think we are
You're the number one wet blanket
You're still around, I wonder why
You're still around, I wonder why
You're the number one wet blanket
@maggierocker
Falling for the creep the body leech here he comes
Vicious hypnosis, a clenched fist saying it's wrong
To want more than a folk song
Underneath the shaker knit he's a brick wall
She keep falling for the trick vegetariate sing-along
Give a little kick with your fine thigh high
Doo-doo-doo we're on to you
Tearing her down, talking her down under your breath
Making a mess, see she is happy you wanna break it
Doo-doo-doo we're on to you
Tearing her down, talking her down under your breath
Making a mess, see she is happy you wanna break it
Doo-doo-doo we're on to you
Your phony roots, borrowed guitar
Telling her what to think we are
You the number one wet blanket
Hardly a day goes by you don't try to break down
No I don't buy it
You're still around I wonder why
She just keep...
Falling for the creep the body leech here he comes
Vicious hypnosis, a clenched fist saying it's wrong
To want more than a folk song
Underneath the shaker knit he's a brick wall
She keep falling for the creep
The body leech coming on
Vicious hypnosis, clenched fist saying
It's wrong to want more than a folk song
I'm wrong to want more than a folk song
I'm wrong to want more than a folk song
Underneath the shaker knit he's a brick wall
She keep falling for the trick vegetariate sing-along
Give a little kick with your fine thigh high
Doo-doo-doo
Doo-doo-doo we're on to you
Tearing her down, talking her down under your breath
Making a mess, see she is happy you wanna break it
Doo-doo-doo we're on to you
Your bathing suit, borrowed guitar
Telling her what to think we are
You the number one wet blanket
You're still around I wonder why
You the number one wet blanket
"you'll never believe me so why don't you find out for yourself
Then you'll see the glass hidden in the grass
Bad seeds come and go for which you must allow
Sick down to my heart that's just the way it goes"
@roiybenkel682
Falling for the creep the body leech here he comes
Vicious hypnosis, a clenched fist saying it's wrong
To want more than a folk song
Underneath the shaker knit he's a brick wall
She keep falling for the trick vegetariate sing-along
Give a little kick with your fine thigh high
Doo-doo-doo we're on to you
Tearing her down, talking her down under your breath
Making a mess, see she is happy you wanna break it
Doo-doo-doo we're on to you
Tearing her down, talking her down under your breath
Making a mess, see she is happy you wanna break it
Doo-doo-doo we're on to you
Your phony roots, borrowed guitar
Telling her what to think we are
You the number one wet blanket
Hardly a day goes by you don't try to break down
No I don't buy it
You're still around i wonder why
She just keep
Falling for the creep the body leech here he comes
Vicious hypnosis, a clenched fist saying it's wrong
To want more than a folk song
Underneath the shaker knit he's a brick wall
She keep falling for the creep
The body leech coming on
Vicious hypnosis, clenched fist saying
It's wrong to want more than a folk song
I'm wrong to want more than a folk song
I'm wrong to want more than a folk song
Underneath the shaker knit he's a brick wall
She keep falling for the trick vegetariate sing-along
Give a little kick with your fine thigh high
Doo-doo-doo ...
Doo-doo-doo we're on to you
Tearing her down, talking her down under your breath
Making a mess, see she is happy you wanna break it
Doo-doo-doo we're on to you
Your bathing suit, borrowed guitar
Telling her what to think we are
You the number one wet blanket
You're still around I wonder why
You the number one wet blanket
@ellpoyohlokoh
This song is a fantastic example of garage music done perfectly. There is zero technical aspects to this song and yet it's incredibly addictive. There's just enough differentiation between each repetition of the lyrics, guitar chords, and drum sequence to keep the song on the right side of repetitive. Every listen, you catch a subtle change to the repeating lyrics or drums and it hooks you back in.
@alyce1617
Exactly!
@ArchaicNewborn
Fantastic album; underrated song.
@adreamingwolf
So many memories sitting in cars getting high just vibing to this album.
@brandtsweet
So true!
@ElisandroDeLeon
Metric has the best guitar riffs and vocal + guitar harmonization.
@alexiguess6018
This song came out before I was born.
Still my favourite.
I love Metric and their music so much!
@duantorruellas716
left nothing but praise for this band back when , for the ones in the cheap seats , yes they are the bees knees for sure , and will always be innovative and badass.
@bubble4491
I adore this song, her voice is amazing
@todd7416ify
This is Metric doing their best impression of The Cardigans.