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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Knives Don't Have Your Back
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 18 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 19 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Last Gang
Release Date: 26 September 2006
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Indie, Rock
Summary
The first solo album for the Metric singer finds her backed by members of Stars, Metric and Broken Social Scene (together billed as The Soft Skeleton).
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Lost At Sea
The songs are emotive, and yet have catchy hooks; they are at times unrestrained and at others, calculated.
Read Full Review >Alternative Press
Knives Don't Have Your Back is like the soundtrack to an excellent Alfred Hitchcock film. [Oct 2006, p.200]
Slant Magazine
Knives Don't Have Your Back is a striking contrast--and a poignant, subtle companion--to last year's Live It Out.
Read Full Review >Under The Radar
A lovely record. [Summer 2006]
Urb
Haines has... shown glimpses of a broken and beautiful solo artist just waiting to tell her story. This, my friends, is that breakout album in spades. [Oct 2006, p.122]
PopMatters
With such sparse instrumentation, these songs are still thick; there may not be a beat here to dance to but there is a lot to grab on to certainly.
Read Full Review >Uncut
Haines... is shaping up as the most impressive writer of the current wave of Canadian indie. [Jul 2007, p.103]
Pitchfork
etric's clunky riffage and hi-hat beats are replaced by simple piano figures and subtle adornments (strings, feedback, breathing organ) that draw out Haines' most stirring vocal performances to date, and the muted milieu highlights her natural, sensuous whisper, lending a sympathetic thrust to these broken-down anthems for a thirtysomething girl.
Read Full Review >Prefix Magazine
She may not excel on her solo album the way she has with Broken Social Scene or Metric, but it's still a rainy-day listen.
Read Full Review >Village Voice
Stripped of their cosmetics, some tunes on Knives Don't Have Your Back seem underdeveloped, but they prove what always needs to be proved in the vortex of postmodern pop--that an artist like Haines can do more than hide behind her influences.
Read Full Review >Playlouder
A lap or two behind many of the albums it seemingly aspires to be (Cat Power, Radiohead, Fiona Apple and Elliott Smith comparisons have been made before and seem almost invited) 'Knives...' still has enough personality and original thought to shield it from accusations of simple derivation.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle
What the Soft Skeleton lacks is that sassy power Haines embodies with Metric.
Read Full Review >Tiny Mix Tapes
Essentially, Haines' piano playing and singing are lovely, but Knives' timidity, coupled with mundane and occasionally outright bad lyrics, keep this record in check.
Read Full Review >Spin
Mostly frustrating... the spare instrumentation and samey melodies wear you down. [Oct 2006, p.96]
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 8.2 (out of 10) based on 19 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Alex gave it an8:
You either love this cd, or find it boring. Even though the songs may seem a little repetitive, I personnaly loved it. Emily Haines' voice and the soft melodies really got me.
Dusty 1/2 gave it a10:
Excellent, to hear in the night with a pain jaajaja.
Gina P gave it an8:
This album is good. It has some amazing pieces and incredible lyrics, really make you feel like there's someone out there you can relate too. Only thing I didn't like was the songs had the same style too much.
Laura F gave it a10:
This is just a beautiful album. Not only the sound of it, but the incredible lyrics.
Joe J gave it a7:
There's some great stuff here. Doctor Blind is a really top notch piece of musicianship. Unfortunately, there's not enough of it. I find myself getting bored with a lot of the material - uninteresting solo piano music with nonsensical lyrics trying to be a little too artsy. Overall I have to give the album a good review because I love hearing great music, and you'll find some gems here.
Marie gave it a10:
Knifes don't have your back is a beautiful, multilayered album. The sort of material that is very enjoyable at first listen, and simply grabs more and more deeply each time you hear it. Beautiful, insightful lyrics; subtle, hauting musical arrangements, and of course Emily Haines' entrancing voice. This album is a masterpiece, if simply because neither of its component outshines the other, but rather they all come together to lure you in with a sound that stays with you.
Once Bitten gave it a3:
Knives Don't Have Your Back is a perfect title. Emily Haines would never stab anyone in the back, all her old acquantences back in Toronto can attest that she's truly progressive, truly cares about the masses, isn't in it for money, fame and power, would never use her gender as a weapon, would never take money from say someone like Michelan Tires, she's incapable of lying, she'd never cheat or screw over other musicians, she always keeps her promises, her word is her bond, you can certainly trust her, she's got your back, she's selfless and she has nice clothes too, wow, she's so perfect. Believe the hype! It's all true!!
