Metric: GROW UP AND BLOW AWAY

This is a collection of songs from Metric before their current lineup as a quartet. Grow Up and Blow Away only features singer Emily Haines and guitarist Jimmy Shaw. The sound is remarkably different from their three recent albums, which are rockin' New Wave; Blow is electronic-pop. It's painfully evident that Haines and Shaw wanted to be famous; making music for the times. The songs here -- from the late nineties and early noughties -- hardly feature any guitar and sounds as if Pink and Moby collaborated on a throwaway side project (that is if Pink was a mezzo-soprano). Nonetheless, a few tracks could find a home on your iPod, like the lead and last tracks, "Grow Up" and "Soft Rock Stars". The third song, "Rock Me Now", is good too, though, with its male co-lead vocal, sounds as if Haines and Shaw were listening too much to Duran Duran's "Breath After Breath". Overall, not atrocious, but now awesome either. Save it for the rabid Metric fans.

2 outta 5 stars

Ladytron: "He Took Her to a Movie" (2001)

Back in September I mentioned that I thought Ladytron's 604 was a damn fine debut. Here's a track from that album. Nice toe-tapping electronic ditty. . . .

"He Took Her to a Movie"

Bouncing Souls: "I Like Your Mom" (1994)

I caught these guys at City Gardens (R.I.P.) in Trenton around the time they self-released this album. It was awesome! They lugged about six VCRs and TV sets onstage, each one playing a different John Hughs movie. Inbetween songs they would watch their favorite scenes. Kick ass!!!

"I Like Your Mom"

Rosebuds: "Wishes for Kisses" (2003)

All right, we're halfway through this week's topic of Duos. Here's another married couple who make awesome music together, proving that true love is absolutely awesome.

The Rosebuds Makeout is an amazing debut record, not one piece of filler in there (seriously). I couldn't decide which song to post here today, so I shot a prayer up to my higher power and asked for a little guidance, but all I got was a busy signal. So I went outside and asked the CPA up the street which song I should I post. He called me a faggot, probably because I was wearing my T-shirt that has a picture of a cemetery and says, "Class warfare: We've found new homes for the rich." So I went back to my apartment and was about to call an ex-girlfriend -- the one who got away -- but the phone wasn't working; that'll happen when ya don't pay the bill. Then I said, "I know what Rosebuds song I'll post!"

"Wishes for Kisses"

Chris Mars: "City Lights on Mars" (1992)

Since yesterday I posted "Girl from Mars", today I thought I would upload Chris Mars' "City Light on Mars" from his debut album. Hard to believe he doesn't play music anymore -- nowadays he's a successful visual artist.
"City Light on Mars"