Fantasies (album)
| Fantasies | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Metric | ||||
| Released | April 7, 2009[1] | |||
| Recorded | Electric Lady Studios, New York; Metalworks Studios, Mississauga, ON | |||
| Genre | Indie rock, new wave | |||
| Length | 42:30 | |||
| Label |
Metric Music International Mom + Pop Music | |||
| Producer | Gavin Brown & Jimmy Shaw | |||
| Metric chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Fantasies | ||||
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Fantasies is the fourth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Metric. It was released on April 7, 2009. In the U.S. it debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers, and peaked at No. 76 on the Billboard 200. In Canada it debuted at No. 13 on the Canadian Albums Chart and peaked at No. 6. In Australia, the album debuted at No. 48.
Background
The first single release from the album, "Help I'm Alive", was added to the iTunes Store on December 23, 2008 in Canada. The single is also available on 7" vinyl from their website, and was available on their "Jingle Bell Rock" tour in December 2008. On February 13, 2009, the album cover's image was added to the song "Help, I'm Alive" on their MySpace playlist. On February 28, 2009, the band added the song "Gimme Sympathy" to their MySpace playlist.
The album was available through their website, in vinyl, deluxe hardcover, digital, or deluxe bundle packages. There was a Limited Edition Package available at first that was limited to 500 copies, which has now sold out.
Metric opted to self-release the album. The subsequent mainstream success of the album led The New York Times to use Metric as the central band in an article regarding the shrinking role of major labels in the music industry.[2]
The song "Front Row" was featured on an episode of Grey's Anatomy, and released as a single on iTunes the same day. Frontwoman Emily Haines told Drowned in Sound that "Front Row" was inspired by the novel Great Jones Street by Don DeLillo.[3] "Gold Guns Girls" was featured in the movie Zombieland as well as in an episode of the TV show Entourage, in the EA Sports game FIFA 10, as the intro and closing credits of Totally Spies: The Movie.[4] It was featured in the 2011 video game Test Drive Unlimited 2. "Help I'm Alive" was featured in an episode of The Vampire Diaries, and during the end credits of the 2009 movie Defendor.
The album was leaked, causing Metric to push the release date of the album forward one week to April 7.[1]
The album was released on iTunes on March 31, 2009.
The song "Black Sheep" was recorded for the album, but was ultimately left off because they felt that it 'too obviously reflected the band's sound'. It has since been released on the soundtrack for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.[5]
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [6] |
| Blender |  [7] |
| The Guardian | [8] |
| No Ripcord | [9] |
| Now | [10] |
| Pitchfork Media | (6.4/10)[11] |
| Planet Sound | (7/10)[12] |
| PopMatters | (8/10)[13] |
| Rolling Stone | [14] |
| Spin | [15] |
| Slant | [16] |
Reception to the album has been generally positive. It currently holds a 77 rating on Metacritic, from 28 reviews. Amazon.com listed Fantasies at eleventh in its "Best Albums of 2009" list.[17] The single "Gimme Sympathy" has been popular among alternative rock radio stations.
The album was a shortlisted nominee for the 2009 Polaris Music Prize,[18] and also won two Casby Awards on October 22, 2009; the NXNE favourite new indie release award and favourite new album award.[19] Fantasies ranked at number 26 on Stereogum's Best Album 2009.[20]
The album also reached platinum status in Canada selling over 80,000 copies.[21] On April 18, 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. As of 2012 it has sold 500,000 copies.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Metric.
| No. | Title | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Help I'm Alive" | 4:45 | |
| 2. | "Sick Muse" | 4:17 | |
| 3. | "Satellite Mind" | 3:42 | |
| 4. | "Twilight Galaxy" | 4:53 | |
| 5. | "Gold Guns Girls" | 4:05 | |
| 6. | "Gimme Sympathy" | 3:54 | |
| 7. | "Collect Call" | 4:46 | |
| 8. | "Front Row" | 3:34 | |
| 9. | "Blindness" | 4:26 | |
| 10. | "Stadium Love" | 4:13 |
| Pre-order bonus tracks | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | ||||||||
| 11. | "Help I'm Alive" (Acoustic Version) | 4:49 | ||||||||
| 12. | "Waves" (Limited Edition bonus track) | 3:06 | ||||||||
| 13. | "Gimme Sympathy" (Acoustic Version) | 3:27 | ||||||||
| 14. | "Nobody Home" (Pink Floyd cover) | 3:14 | ||||||||
| UK hidden tracks | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | ||||||||
| 11. | "The Gates" | 3:09 | ||||||||
| 12. | "Gimme Sympathy" (Acoustic Version) | 3:28 | ||||||||
| 13. | "Waves" | 3:05 | ||||||||
| 14. | "Nobody Home" (Pink Floyd cover) | 3:13 | ||||||||
| UK Deluxe Edition | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | ||||||||
| 11. | "Waves" (Exclusive B-Side) | 3:07 | ||||||||
| 12. | "The Gates" (Exclusive B-Side) | 3:10 | ||||||||
| 13. | "Help I'm Alive" (Acoustic) | 4:52 | ||||||||
| 14. | "Gimme Sympathy" (Acoustic) | 3:29 | ||||||||
| 15. | "Sick Muse" (Acoustic) | 4:48 | ||||||||
| 16. | "Sick Muse" (Adam Freeland Remix) | 6:05 | ||||||||
| 17. | "Gimme Sympathy" (Adam Freeland Remix) | 5:52 | ||||||||
| 18. | "Help I'm Alive" (Twelves Remix) | 4:25 | ||||||||
| 19. | "Nobody Home" (Pink Floyd Cover) | 3:15 | ||||||||
| 20. | "Sugar Mountain" (Neil Young Cover) | 5:31 | ||||||||
| Expanded Edition - Disc Two (MET80019X) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | ||||||||
| 1. | "Black Sheep" | |||||||||
| 2. | "Sick Muse [Adam Freeland Rmx]" | |||||||||
| 3. | "Gimme Sympathy [Adam Freeland Rmx]" | |||||||||
| 4. | "Gold Guns Girls [Mike Shinoda Rmx]" | |||||||||
| 5. | "Help I'm Alive [Twelves Rmx]" | |||||||||
| 6. | "Waves" | |||||||||
| 7. | "The Gates" | |||||||||
| 8. | "Eclipse All Yours [Acoustic]" | |||||||||
| 9. | "Sugar Mountain [Neil Young cover]" | |||||||||
| 10. | "Help I'm Alive [Acoustic]" | |||||||||
| Spotify Covers EP [22] | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | ||||||||
| 1. | "Nobody Home" (Pink Floyd cover) | |||||||||
| 2. | "Paranoid Eyes" (Pink Floyd cover) | |||||||||
| 3. | "Sugar Mountain" (Neil Young cover) | |||||||||
| 4. | "It's A Sin" (Pet Shop Boys cover) | |||||||||
| 5. | "Black History Month" (Death from Above 1979 cover) | |||||||||
| 6. | "Perfect Day" (Lou Reed cover) | |||||||||
| Spotify Acoustic EP [23] | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | ||||||||
| 1. | "Help I'm Alive" (Acoustic Version) | |||||||||
| 2. | "Gold Guns Girls" (Acoustic Version) | |||||||||
| 3. | "Gimme Sympathy" (Acoustic Version) | |||||||||
| 4. | "Satellite Mind" (Acoustic Version) | |||||||||
| 5. | "Twilight Galaxy" (Acoustic Version) | |||||||||
| 6. | "Front Row" (Acoustic Version) | |||||||||
| 7. | "Sick Muse" (Acoustic Version) | |||||||||
Singles
- "Help, I'm Alive" (December 23, 2008) (No. 21 CAN)
- "Front Row" (March 12, 2009) (No. 65 CAN)
- "Gimme Sympathy" (Radio promo only) (No. 52 CAN)
- "Sick Muse" (June 1, 2009)
- "Gold Guns Girls" (Radio promo only) (December 2009) (No. 88 CAN)
- "Stadium Love" (video released May 28, 2010)
Personnel
- Emily Haines – synthesizers, vocals
- James Shaw – guitar, vocals
- Josh Winstead – bass guitar
- Joules Scott-Key – drums
The album was produced by Gavin Brown and James Shaw and mixed by John O'Mahony.
Chart positions
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums Chart | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 76 |
| U.S. Billboard Tastemakers | 11 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Heatseekers | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Independent Albums | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Rock Albums | 22 |
| Australian Albums Chart | 48 |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Thiessen, Brock (2009-03-12). "Metric Move Up Fantasies Release, Plan Special Surprise For Canada • News •". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- ↑ Stone, Brad (July 22, 2009). "Artists Find Backers as Labels Wane". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- ↑ "Front Row". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
- ↑ "Gold Guns Girls - Metric - Listen, Appearances, Song Review - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
- ↑ Martens, Todd (August 14, 2010). "Track-by-track: Beck, Nigel Godrich, Emily Haines, Bryan Lee O'Malley & Edgar Wright dissect the 'Scott Pilgrim' music". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
- ↑ Sendra, Tim (2009-04-14). "Allmusic review". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- ↑ Blender review
- ↑ Michael Hann (2009-04-17). "The Guardian review". London: Guardian. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- ↑ "No Ripcord review". Noripcord.com. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- ↑ Paul Terefenko. "Now review". Nowtoronto.com. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- ↑ "Pitchfork Media review". Pitchfork.com. 2009-04-13. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- ↑ Planet Sound review
- ↑ Rivera, Daniel. "PopMatters review". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- ↑ "Rolling Stone review". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- ↑ Thomas, Lindsey. "Spin review". Spin.com. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- ↑ "Metric: Fantasies - Music Review - Slant Magazine". Slantmagazine.com. 2009-04-13. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- ↑ Profis, Michelle (2011-11-22). "Amazon.com releases its Best Albums of 2009 list, kicks off inevitable critical slap-fight | The Music Mix | EW.com". Music-mix.ew.com. Retrieved 2012-02-15.
- ↑ "Fucked Up Win Polaris Prize". Clickmusic. 2009-09-23. Retrieved 2010-11-21.
- ↑ Harper, Kate (2009-10-23). "Metric's Fantasies Finally Wins Something (A CASBY)". CHARTattack. Retrieved 2012-02-15.
- ↑ "Gummy Awards: Best Album 2009".
- ↑ "Gold and Platinum". Cria.ca. Retrieved 2012-02-15.
- ↑ http://open.spotify.com/album/7dX5nH28KN6JIpVgLevrIO
- ↑ http://open.spotify.com/album/0O4DqnzoZYgNzDrMHWX7B1
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