Critiques CD: Metric | Synthetica

Metric’s Emily Haines sums up Synthetica well in tenuous track “Dreams So Real” when she sings, “a scream becomes a yawn.” The Toronto-based Broken Social Scene alum’s usually endearing brand of indie pop-rock has been diluted in favor of a more formulaic, homogenized approach. The weakest link is undoubtedly “The Wanderlust” which, despite being one of the album’s instrumental strong points, falls victim to a tragically overdone lyrical theme and an awkward cameo from Lou Reed post-Lulu. At Synthetica’s best, otherwise amiable songs like “The Void” and the title track (the sole potential single) are held back by nondescript, droning instrumentation, easy stock lyrics, and typical pop production.