Knives Don't Have Your Back - Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton

Well this certainly is a departure from Haines' day job as lead singer with Canadian electro-rock outfit Metric and I thought it about time I actually reviewed it considering she's currently on a UK tour (which I'm not going to).

Gone are the chunky rock riffs and the bounced up dance beats, this is sparse to say the least. Most of the times it's basically Haines and a piano, although it is backed up with some strings and horns.

An intelligent solo artist has emerged, sounding completely different from what we would normally expect and the story she is telling is one you want to listen to.

The Alternative Press summed it up succinctly in saying that Knives Don't Have Your Back is like the soundtrack to an excellent Alfred Hitchcock film. Sounds like a winning formula to me. And whilst it may not quite sustain itself over the space of a full album, it's still well worth a listen. Indeed you could make a compelling case that, vocally, its the best Emily Haines has ever sounded.

Some might find it a little too one-paced and not be able to listen to it all in one go, but there is no doubt in my mind that it's a great, reflective, piece of work that benefits from repeated spins.