Metric Share New B-Sides - With Strings Attached

BY Alex HudsonPublished Mar 19, 2010

Metric love self-promotion. We already knew that from their recent controversial T-shirt design, which blurred the line between Haiti relief and advertising campaign by including the slogan "Help, I'm Alive," in reference to their recent single.

Earlier this week, when the Toronto, ON new wavers announced that they would be giving away two free B-sides from their Facebook page, you knew there was bound to be a catch. In order to hear the new songs, both of which were recorded during the sessions for their 2009 album Fantasies, you need to become a fan of the group on Facebook.

Fair enough, right? After all, it doesn't sound all that different from giving a band your e-mail in exchange for an MP3. Except that in order to hear the second song, you've got to "share" the new Metric songs on your Facebook wall. That's right - you could be that annoying friend whose music recommendations pop up at the top of the news feed.

More significantly, participating in the campaign means that the social-marketing company Damntheradio now has permission to use your profile information to... well, what they want to do with the information isn't exactly clear, but they now have your permission. Damntheradio specializes in viral marketing and Facebook promotional campaigns, so we're guessing you'll play a part in their market research.

If this sounds okay to you, head over to Metric's fan page to download the stomping, synth-heavy "Black Sheep" and the stripped-down, acoustic "The Gates." If you comment on the songs, you'll be eligible to win a signed copy of Fantasies.

Later this year, "Black Sheep" will appear in the film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, a graphic novel adaptation that stars Michael Cera and is directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz). "The Gates" was previously released as a bonus track on the Japanese version of Fantasies.

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