Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 23
  2. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. One of the best albums in North America last year and surely one of the best of 2006 for us; Live It Out is sinister, intelligent music for sinister, intelligent people.
  2. Metric take rock 'n' roll to a smarter, more sophisticated place than do most of today's American bands.
  3. Under The Radar
    90
    One of the year's best. [#11, p.107]
  4. Spin
    83
    Plays like a poppy salvo against [Broken Social Scene's] cerebral forays. [Oct 2005, p.138]
  5. The record may have a little less electronic slink than prior efforts, but it has a propulsive energy, even in the mid-tempo tracks, that makes the record easy to like.
  6. As bouncy as it is insightful, as flashy as it is understated.
  7. Uncut
    80
    Emily Haines is still secretly one of the most articulate, compelling performers in modern rock. [Feb 2006, p.70]
  8. New Musical Express (NME)
    80
    Despite questionable lyrics, it's a much more cohesive album. [8 Jul 2006, p.41]
  9. Obviously nobody would pay attention to her smart lyrics if the music didn't compete, but, largely, it does.
  10. The guitars are louder, the songs are a little more complex, and so the band walks a tightrope between power-pop and rawk.
  11. On Live It Out Metric has made a commitment to their louder guitar-centric side.
  12. Billboard
    70
    Although Metric might get lost in the ongoing mainstream melee, "Live It Out" has all the right ingredients for building a strong underground fan base. [29 Oct 2005]
  13. Blender
    70
    A spirited, gutsy evolution from the formalist new wave of Metric's first album. [Nov 2005, p.138]
  14. Urb
    70
    The perfect balance of sleaze and smarts. [Jan/Feb 2006, p.95]
  15. Though too many of these songs nudge the five-minute mark, Metric have discovered a maturity that matches Haines's complexity.
  16. It hardly takes more than a deadly Haines verse and Shaw's muscled melodies to Live It Out.
  17. There isn’t a track on Live It Out that stays fresh from start to finish. Some takes wrong turns along the way; others simply wear out their welcome a tad too quickly. Still, all but a couple contain individual moments or elements strong enough to overshadow the weaker links.
  18. Metric has a hard time balancing its pop side and its experimental side, and not enough of the new record is as memorable as its simmering regret ballad "Too Little Too Late" or the frenzied retro-dance cut "Monster Hospital."
  19. Think of Metric as a poppier Yeah Yeah Yeahs or Breeders and think of Live It Out as another step toward indie-pop splendor.
  20. Metric fails to touch on anything profound.
  21. Magnet
    60
    The finest moments here are all Feist-like. [#70, p.102]
  22. Live It Out is stymied by lame riffing and unqualified wonkage.
  23. Alternative Press
    40
    Even [Haines'] coos about war can't make Live feel urgent or save its slanted art-rock outbursts. [Dec 2005, p.214]
User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 38 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 38
  2. Negative: 2 out of 38
  1. Pat
    Jun 8, 2012
    10
    One of my favorite albums ever. Can listen to any song on the album repeatedly. Definitely an album that has to grow on you, but thoseOne of my favorite albums ever. Can listen to any song on the album repeatedly. Definitely an album that has to grow on you, but those always turn out to be the best ones. Full Review »
  2. Nov 11, 2013
    8
    This album is hard edge and demands you to stand up at attention and jump up and down in enjoyment. A great follow up to their 2003This album is hard edge and demands you to stand up at attention and jump up and down in enjoyment. A great follow up to their 2003 masterpiece "Old World Underground...". Full Review »
  3. Oct 21, 2012
    6
    They're doing their thing. Metric's 2005 release isn't as layered as one might wish, nor as ambitious, but it's entertaining and aestheticallyThey're doing their thing. Metric's 2005 release isn't as layered as one might wish, nor as ambitious, but it's entertaining and aesthetically pleasing mostly. Full Review »