Songs That Shaped Us – Metropolis America
Metropolis America formed in Philadelphia in 2010, inspired by the tension and sense of drama of their Cold War upbringings. Coining their sound “Cold Pop,” they’ve captured that tension with a sound reminiscent of The Human League and Green-era R.E.M., as well as more recent artists like Editors. With Sperber’s forceful production, Metropolis America’s songs feel like the aural equivalent of a global fist pump, not unlike what Eno achieved with Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto.
Watch Metropolis America’s ‘A Burden of Our Youth’ below –
This summer, Metropolis America share their Cold Pop sound by releasing three singles. “A Burden Of Our Youth,” was released this Memorial Day followed by the hook-laden “Bittersweet” around July 4. The final track, the epic “A Stolen Heart In A Stolen Car,” will be available just before Labor Day. “Throughout these holidays let’s celebrate that the Cold War is history, but Rock and Roll lives on.”
Luckily for WithGuitars Metropolis America found spare minutes to write about some of the Songs That Shaped Us as musicians and as a band. WG couldn’t leave you without a chance to check out the band’s most recent single, produced by Brian Sperber (Julian Casablancas, Moby) is no less.
‘Bittersweet’ –
These are the only two songs Metropolis America has out currently. They are planning on releasing a third sometime soon. Until then check out the band’s selection of Songs That Shaped Us below.
Cristian (Vocals, Bass)
Psychedelic Furs – Love My Way
This song floored me the first time I heard it. I had bought the CD “All of This and Nothing” because it was a collection and I liked their bigger hits like Heartbreak Beat. It had one of those “Nice Price” stickers on it which still makes me nostalgic every time I see it. I hadn’t heard many of the songs on the disc and this one overwhelmed my nervous system. I listened to it (no exaggeration) about 100 times in a span of a week. All of their best songs (“House” and “Highwire Days” also come to mind) have the ability to make you feel different, changed after you listen to them. Masked in this detached vocal delivery and almost aloof instrumentation is an incredible power. It affects you. The Furs’ songs can be very catchy too so it is a tricky combination, but they’ve figured out how to layer each dynamic just right.
The Thompson Twins “You Take Me Up”
Although this is one of the earliest installments of this feature I feel certain that you won’t get this answer ever again. I know the popular answers for questions of influence are often The Beatles, or Springsteen or Radiohead. For me it is the Thompson Twins. I got dragged to their concert when I was a kid by my older sister (who was only going because she thought the lead singer was hot). That show changed my mind about music. The band was enthusiastic, but still so cool. The sound was daringly creative but so accessible. Up until that point for me pop had been superficial and new wave had been too avante garde but the Twins were everything that was great about both. “You Take Me Up” has such an industrial feel to the verses especially – the crank grinding percussion and rhythmic vocal melody reflect his inner angst. Then the chorus comes in, so grand and soaring and hopeful. The Twins are a band that got grouped with all the new wave cross over artists of their time but they really did walk a perfect line between cold and pop which is what Metropolis America strives for too.
Greg (Guitars)
Ozzy Osborne- “Over the Mountain”
The Beatles and Kiss were my favorite bands when I was about seven years old, but it was Black Sabbath and Ozzy who influenced me to play guitar, which I didn’t start seriously playing until age eighteen! Randy Rhoads’ solos in this tune still amaze me and although I’m not a Les Paul kind of guy, his cream/white Custom still makes me salivate.
The only metal I listen to these days (upon occasion) is black metal. It’s quite inspiring to hear these dudes just kill it. I try to pull from these influences when I need to think outside of the box. I probably won’t play any pinch-harmonics or diminished harmonic minor scales, but clean arpeggios coated with heavy delay/reverb and filtering might work:)
Pavement- “Zurich is Stained”
I love this song and I love Pavement. It’s great to hear a pop song that has that weird out of tuneness going on. I definitely try to incorporate some lo-fi into my pop-style, and these dudes inspired me for sure. Metropolis America isn’t in this lo-fi genre, but I’m always looking for excuses to keep the guitars from being too polished- in a subtle way. I’m so over the whole “let’s kneel down and play our pedals for five minutes instead of playing another song.” Fuck that. I keep my noise boxes at waist level and tweak without bending over:)…and then we play another song.
Rick (Drums)
Led Zeppelin’s “When the Levy Breaks”
I can remember in the earliest parts of me learning how to navigate thru playing drums hearing Led Zeppelin’s “When the Levy Breaks” and hearing how massive and driving the sound of the drums were in that song. Something stuck in my mind about that song to this day. I can remember coming home from grade school running home eager to learn more about the Bonham sound. While the neighborhood kids were doing drugs and creating trouble before their parents came home from work, I was honing my craft in my bedroom with just my drums and Bonham. You can hear that influence in our song Bittersweet. Big sounding drums. I even used a 70s Ludwig Supraphonic on the track.