Emily Haines is the frontwoman for Toronto's indie dance-rock band
Metric. Although her first record arrived several years after
Metric had formed,
Haines had always been writing her own material. With the encouragement of a friend,
Haines decided to record the songs so they wouldn't be forgotten. After four years of putting together an album in four cities (Los Angeles, Montreal, Toronto, New York) with various contributors she dubbed the Soft Skeleton, Last Gang Records released
Knives Don't Have Your Back in September 2006. The record, which leans toward a more introspective, quieter approach than
Metric, features
Scott Minor of
Sparklehorse,
Justin Peroff of
Broken Social Scene,
Evan Cranley of
Stars, and
James Shaw of
Metric, and received a lot of positive critical response. In July of the following year
What Is Free to a Good Home?, an EP that included five previously unreleased songs from the
Knives Don't Have Your Back sessions as well as a remix of "Mostly Waving," came out. ~ Kenyon Hopkin, All Music Guide