emily_haines_choir_of_the_mind

'Choir of the Mind' is Emily Haines' diary-entry confessional

Emily Haines

Choir Of The Mind

ROCKS LIKE: Lorde, Metric, Aimee Mann

WHAT'S DIFFERENT: The breathy frontwoman for Canadian alt-rock team Metric delivers her second solo album 10 years after the release of her debut, 2007’s Knives Don’t Have Your Back. Much of the austerity of her previous LP has been replaced with bigger production values (“Statuette,” the existential club number “Fatal Gift”) and more group playing than her previous piano/vocal introspection.

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: Haines delivers urgency and depth without having to shear off her throat lining, and she can convey vulnerability and uncertainty with a brave face. Her diary-entry confessional style comes off more like a reporter’s notepad (“You’re the guy who brings the drugs/When nobody wants drugs” from “Irish Exit”) than a cry for help or plea for empathy. If you don’t “get” Haines now, you will later—once you’ve done some more living. 

OUR PICK: “Fatal Gift”

Last Gang Records http://lastgang.com/