I did something outlandish, but not out of character two weeks ago. I had missed opportunities to see Canadian indie darlings Metric in the past, and they were currently on tour with fellow countrymen Crystal Castles across the States. Not coming to Austin? No problem! I left town on a Thursday night after a full day of classes and drove straight to Denver (aided by a three-day weekend, and a box of Vivarin).

So I shacked up in a seedy independent motel on Colfax Avenue before heading to the show, which was a bit brief for my liking but fantastic regardless. Crystal Castles, an electroclash duo which came off something like Glass Candy spending a weekend in DAF's tour van, were ten times as raw and loud as I had expected from their studio material. The strobe light wore out its welcome for that set, but it was a strong effort and had everyone warmed up for the headliner.

And even more than expected, Metric was worth every penny I spent on gas and the motel I never really slept in anyway. Emily Haines and her pseudo Debbie Harry look had the crowd jacked up from the first song to the last. They played a lot of new songs that will hopefully be on the new album, and hopefully the support of such an album will lead them to Austin in 2008 so I don't have to drive that marathon again. But again, totally worth it.