I was late to the whole Broken Social Scene party, only getting into Metric's first album Old World Underground a few months prior to the band's second release. I remember the first time I saw the video for Combat Baby, wondering why on Earth any producer would let the singer hit a note so completely off-key that it had to be on purpose. Metric was a band that took more than a few tries for me to embrace, and I eventually did so to a point of near obsession. The girl who everyone in their right mind has a crush on, Emily Haines, is touring new music right now as Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton, set to play the Danforth Music Hall this Saturday, January 6th. Read on for Mypace track impressions and details for the show.

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I can't stand Broken Social Scene, contrary to everyone I know. I find them dull and uninspiring. Metric annoyed me at first, but forceful attempts to listen to them over and over ended up making me a monstrous fan. I'm not sure where to place Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton in the BSS/Metric world. I do know that I probably wouldn't enjoy this solo work if I wasn't madly in love with her... voice. Forgive the frequent comparisons to Metric, you know, just because. Emily's Myspace page has three tracks up for listening, none too different from the other.

Doctor Blind will offer you both red and blue pills. Is Emily getting all Neo on us? The first track of Emily's solo work on her Myspace page completely threw me off. I wasn't necessarily expecting some hard hitting Dead Disco, but the emphasis on piano arrangements is a pleasant deviation from what I've come to expect from her work with Metric. The added strings really help complete things. The Lottery sees Emily talking a lot about under wires. This would fit very nicely into Air's soundtrack for The Virgin Suicides. Our Hell has Emily play the piano like she works a synth not long after the song starts, especially when she works the muting pedal. I caught myself thinking "Sweet riff!" This third and final track was my favorite of the three.

Heartily recommended, Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton provide a nice contrast to Metric, while retaining Emily's sometimes rambling lyrics and adding a touch of "gentle" to her portfolio. She's playing this Saturday at the Danforth Music Hall, and BlogTO's own Mindi will be there to cover the evening.

- Emily's Myspace Page, with 3 tracks for listening
- Emily's Homepage

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Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton
January 6th, 2007, 8pm
Danforth Music Hall
416 778 8163
$23.75 from Ticketmaster
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Photo courtesy of Sandela, as posted to the BlogTO Flickr Pool