Help I’m Alive
Metric have clearly won me over with their fourth outing, Fantasies. I’ve mentioned the album several times now, not just because I’m keeping up with press releases or tour announcements, but because I honestly think this is the most consistent and complete album they’ve ever made. Fantasies is clearly Metric’s big push for mainstream acceptance, and I think they’ve succeeded in most every way. It isn’t perfect by any means, or even a life changer, but it is a brilliantly accessible pop record that claws its way into your brain and remains lodged there for hours after listening. A real toe-tapper.
‘Help I’m Alive’ is the pulsating, pounding opening act on Fantasies, and is now single release # 2. I know Keath preferred ‘Gimme Sympathy’, but I think ‘Help, I’m Alive’ is a keeper, too. The band have a new visual aid to go along with the song – they are quick to point out this is ‘not a music video, but a short film’ – created in collaboration with Deco Dawson, a Canadian experimental film maker. We’re also treated to a remix courtesy of Brazil’s The Twelves.
Normally, I’m a big Twelves fan. I’ve liked nearly every mix they’ve released, but I’m not crazy about this. It’s not bad, by any means, but I feel like the song loses something in its translation to discopop dancefloor fodder. There’s a certain crunch and menace to the original that is completely stripped in the remix. In the end, I’d rather just put Metric’s version on. But as Levar Burton used to say, don’t take my word for it.
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Metric – Help I’m Alive (The Twelves Remix)
TOURDATES:
05.04.09 – La Maroquinerie – Paris, France
05.05.09 – Luxor – Koln, Germany
05.06.09 – Melkweg – Amsterdam, Netherlands
05.08.09 – Les Nuits Botanique – Brussels, Belgium
05.09.09 – Magnet – Berlin, Germany
05.11.09 – Manchester Academy 3 – Manchester, UK
05.12.09 – Oran Mor – Glasgow, Scotland
05.13.09 – Kasbah – Coventry, UK
05.15.09 – The Great Escape Festival (venue is Coalition) – Brighton, UK
05.16.09 – Thekla – Bristol, UK
05.17.09 – Oxford Academy – Oxford, UK
05.19.09 – Electric Ballroom – London, UK
06.04.09 – Showbox – Seattle, WA
06.05.09 – Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR
06.06.09 – BFD – San Francisco, CA
06.07.09 – Independence Jam – San Diego, CA
06.08.09 – Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA
06.11.09 – Ogden Theater – Denver, CO
06.12.09 – Granada – Lawrence, KS
06.13.09 – First Ave – Minneapolis, MN
06.14.09 – Metro – Chicago, IL
06.15.09 – St. Andrews Hall – Detroit, MI
06.17.09 – Terminal 5 – New York, NY
06.18.09 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC
06.19.09 – Trocadero – Philadelphia, PA
06.20.09 – Edge Fest – Toronto, Ontario
