Case File #23: "Mostly Waving"

Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton
"Mostly Waving"
Knives Don't Have Your Back
(2006)




The need to know: One of the most fun parts about being a Broken Social Scene fan is following its members, and Emily Haines gives us much to track down. Though the bulk of her time is spent fronting synth-rockers Metric, in 2006 she released Knives Don't Have Your Back, under Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton. A collection of songs penned while on duty with Metric and BSS, it's not all that surprising to find her trading in her synth for the good ole ivories, and toting songs with heavier emotional weight and less danceability. 

Why it's worthy: An oddly ominous and sexy song, "Mostly Waving" shows us a different Emily Haines than the one we're used to seeing. But what makes this song so great is Haines' impeccable vocal delivery, which, lets face it, is nearly always on target anyway. With her other outlets she's never afraid to be sweet ("Swimmers") or shout when necessary ("Monster Hospital"), but here she's more sultry and vulnerable, and allows her voice an extra layer of mellifluousness that melts over every second of "Mostly Waving". You can't help but get stuck in it.

Quotable lyric: "Get the line down/ Don't elaborate like that/ You frighten off the frat boys/ Use your baby talk."

Where you've heard it: A remix of "Mostly Waving" appeared on the companion EP, What Is Free To A Good Home?, a collection of B-sides from the Knives sessions. 

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