Toronto, Ontario, based indie/electro-rock band Metric finally releases their full length album, “Fantasies”, this week. A follow up to their 2007 album “Grow Up And Blow Away”, which they performed at last year’s southern California music festival, Coachella.

Leaving their roots in synth-pop alongside Portishead, Metric has shed their long tracks and dreamy sound for a more energy charged electro-rock album. Taking influence from longtime friends the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, and TV On The Radio, Metric has made an album that is as catchy as it is intelligent.

Much like The Cardigans 90s album “Gran Turismo”, Metric’s “Fantasies” is like a trip back to the 90s when indie rock bands had attitude and pop-value. Finally a fresh breath in indie electro-rock!

If dreamy describes Metric’s 2007 release of “Grow Up and Blow Away”, their new album, “Fantasies”, has major attitude and big sound. Never before has Metric made an album so complimentary and catchy. Every song could be a single and each one represents the album well as a whole.

Highly political and moody, Metric lead singer Emily Haines directs her cynicism into strong lyrics about living life despite people and situations that stand in the way. In the first track on the album “Help, I’m Alive” Haines sings about the “hammering” of her heart through the noise of life’s hesitations. The track goes from slow and pretty singing: “I tremble/ They’re gonna eat me alive/ If I stumble/ They’re gonna eat me alive,” then to hard and fast melody she sings, “I’m alive/ My heart keeps beating like a hammer.”

Metric’s foursome comes together in this album, putting together a very inspirational album for indie rock and electro’s future. “Fantasies” is injected with attitude and style begging to be danced to. Not to mention Haines’ voice has never been as beautiful and hard, enough to compete with even Bloc Party’s singer Kele Okereke.

The biggest surprise on the album is the track “Gold Guns Girls.” With roaring guitar, distortion and drums, the pace is furious and so are Haines’ lyrics. She sings “All the gold/ And the gold/ And the guns/ In the world/ Couldn’t get you off/ Is it ever gonna to be enough?” Answering to a world celebrating the excess of violence, sex and power, her lyrics ask the question, will there ever be an end to the greed and excess?

Haines’ own failures of trying to end the current war and to make her band mainstream are quieted in the song “Gimme Sympathy.” The song has trails of their past sound with soft melodic guitar and sweet lyrics but with a more optimistic and forgiving message. “Stay with the all-unknown/ Stay away form the hooks/ All the chances we took/ You’re gonna make mistakes, you’re young.” They’re like a parent gently giving advice to their child, while dancing to rockin’ synthesizers.

Finally, the song “Collect Call” is the slowest track and still maintains the album’s edge with soothing bass and her haunting vocals. Again the song follows the trend of the album in embracing life despite doubt.

Metric will surely be playing on mainstream radio, television and in every dance club in San Francisco after this album grabs the attention of the public. “Fantasies” is as commercial as it is indie, offering an album full of wickedly catchy songs and the distinct Metric sound. Be sure to catch them live this time around.