Even when you compulsively listen to all indie releases, you always miss something. Despite all super-speedy internet connections, you can’t listen to everything that is released and you ought to discover albums which can’t be truly considered as brand new. Is it what this title suggests ? Unfortunately, I doubt it… Anyway, Old World Underground, Where Are You Now ? has been available since 2003 in Canada. I didn’t even hear about it then. I live in France though, well mainly… Some discovered it going to the movies insofar as it was featured in Olivier Assayas’ Clean soundtrack in 2004. I haven’t seen the film yet.

One of my download-addict friends, knowing that I’ll be seeing them at La Route du Rock festival, convinced me to listen to their album affirming that ‘it sounds like Blonde Redhead (circa Melody… and Misery…)’. Yes, there are moments, here and there, close to last Blonde Redhead’s efforts (especially the nice opener I.O.U) but it reminds me much more of good old Lush (‘Combat Baby’, ‘Hustle Rose’, ‘Calculation Theme’, ‘The List’), sometimes sounding as fresh and cynically, falsely cheerful as Lovelife did back then (‘Succexy’ – is it ‘cash masturbation’ that I hear ?).

I was half-convinced by Old World Underground, Where Are You Now ? until I saw Metric play live after a Sonic Youth on holiday concert. Singer Emily Haines seemed alternately charismatic, vulgar, provocative, junkie. She could look like an indie version of Uma Thurman if her nice black dress wasn’t so short and if she didn’t show her panties to the pit several times while dancing to her songs. She might have been a Courtney Love fan when she was a teenager… At the same time, her dancing abilities and her bold tricks ensured that there always was something to look at on stage. In fact, she isn’t afraid of anything: at some point she was executing some of her vigorous steps while singing and accidentally bumped into the drums, fell backwards, stopped singing and directly burst out of laughing, got back on her feet and resumed singing as if nothing happened. This attitude added to catchy music made everyone feel like dancing to their hit ‘Dead Disco’ which was in the Assayas movie.

I still haven’t find out where Metric comes from. I read they were from Canada but then relocated to New York but then Haines played in Broken Social Scene but then Metric went to California but she will sing on the next BSS album… Anyway, I don’t really care but I’m thinking about buying Old World Underground, Where Are You Now ?

-SEB ‘where are you now?’ WOOd

/sept 1st 2005/