How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Outstanding
Value for Money
Excellent
Advantages:
Guaranteed to make you dance
Disadvantages:
Some tracks are not as good as others
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Live It Out is the second album from the Canadian electro-rockers. It sticks to the same sexy and sultry style as their previous album Old World Underground Where Are You Now, which in this case isn't necessarily a bad thing. Album opener Empty is fantastic, the start is slow, calm and relaxing however builds up producing a much heavier chorus. Rather than being designed to chill you out, as you may originally think, it's more encouraging you to get up and dance. This is shown throughout the album, for example the contrast between the mellow and electro Poster of a Girl, to Monster Hospital full of heavy guitar riffs and lead singer Emily Haines shouting the chorus 'I fought the war but the war won' over the top of them.
Tracks such as Glass Ceiling, Handshakes and Patriarch on a Vespa explore the idea of being middle class, and the band show their negative reaction towards it. Patriarch on a Vespa is an amazing track where Emily dismisses the whole notion of owning 'pretty little pillows and floral couches,' which so many people these days seem to be aspiring towards. The irony of this is shown at the end of the song where it takes a much more sinister turn, as shown in the last line 'Patriarch on a Vespa, runs a red and ends up crushed under the wheel.' Yes, cheery.
The only criticism I have of this album, and this is merely my opinion, is that the last two tracks, Ending Start and Live It Out, seem to be more 'fillers' in order to make the album longer. When listening to the album I felt that all the best tracks were placed at the beginning, and I didn't think the last two had been given the same amount of attention as the other tracks.
However, I do think that this is a fantastic album. It may take a couple of listens for you to really enjoy it, but I would recommend it for anyone. Metric really have managed to prove that dance and rock music can work well together effectively.
Track listing: 1. Empty 2. Glass Ceiling 3. Handshakes 4. Too Little, Too Late 5. Poster of a Girl 6. Monster Hospital 7. Patriarch on a Vespa 8. Police and the Private 9. Ending Start 10. Live It Out
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How does it rate alongside the competition
Outstanding
Cover / Inlay Design and Content
Good
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