By Andrew SheivachmanPLAY Writer
It’s not always rock ‘n’ roll,” says songstress Emily Haines of her experience as an indie rock star. On the verge of her first full tour supporting her recently released solo album, 2006’s Knives Don’t Have Your Back, Haines seems ready for a brief change of scenery. This tour’s venues are theaters, not rock clubs. “Every musician should have the chance to play in a theater hall,” she says.
Over the last four years, Haines has quietly compiled songs for her solo effort. “The songs just came together,” says Haines of her mellow and dour album. The 11 songs from Knives Don’t Have Your Back were recorded in studios across North America with producers such as Metric’s Jimmy Shaw, Broken Social Scene’s Justin Peroff and Sparklehorse’s Scott Minor.
“These songs are about trying to feel better, and it’s worked, so I feel happy,” says Haines. “If something is wrong, the point is to acknowledge it and get over it.”
In late 2005, Haines brought in Canadian composer Todor Kobakov to add string arrangements to selected songs. The result is a level of gloom and disenchantment absent in her previous work. “This album is for Sunday mornings,” says Haines.
On her tour, Haines has enlisted a few members of her backup band, The Soft Skeleton, to assist her and lend a more complete sound to her predominately piano-driven ballads. Minor and Paul Dillon will accompany her throughout her solo tour, and she also will be accompanied by string instruments in select cities where musicians can be scrounged up. “It’s very different,” says Haines. “We just kind of sit there, without the necessity of having a good time backstage.”
Haines first hit the Canadian music scene in 2001 as the vocalist/keyboardist frontwoman of Metric, a new-wave rock band combining catchy, metered song structure with the atypical insight of Haines’ resonant lyrics. The daughter of late poet Paul Haines, the artist’s lyrics are more affecting and expressive than those of the typical rock ‘n’ roll band. Haines touches on gender and politics in her songs, but without being tempestuous. “I’m a girl, that’s my view,” says Haines. Metric’s first LP, Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?, was released in 2003.
In 2002, Haines joined Toronto indie-pop super group Broken Social Scene and contributed to the band’s 2003 album, You Forgot It In People. Cmprising more than 20 shifting members hailing from various Canadian bands, Broken Social Scene showcased Haines’ voice in a manner far removed from Metric’s rock styling. You Forgot It In People received massive critical acclaim, ultimately winning a Juno Award – Canada’s equivalent of a Grammy – for Alternative Album of the Year.
Haines’ exposure exploded in 2006 thanks to the release of two successful albums, Metric’s Live It Out and a self-titled album from Broken Social Scene, in late 2005. With both Metric and Broken Social Scene, Haines played in cities around the world, sharing the stage with bands as illustrious as The Rolling Stones.
“I’ve played around 120 shows in the last year,” says Haines. “We love it. (Metric’s) album just came out in England, and we have visited Istanbul, Athens, Venezuela, Mexico City and Ireland. Touring is something I love to do as a musician. We’re young. We need to live.”
Medill freshman Andrew Sheivachman is a PLAY writer. He can be reached at [email protected].
