Take Five with The Alternate Side: Metric

Metric's slow ascent from well-kept Canadian secret to a band that headlines New York's Radio City Music Hall — which the quartet will do on September 23 — is even more intriguing given the group's determination over the last few years to create an independent business model, self-releasing its new album, Synthetica, this week via Metric Music International with partner Mom + Pop Music.

When Metric's Emily Haines and James Shaw, recently visited with The Alternate Side's Alisa Ali to play a special acoustic set from Synthetica (with a bonus cover of Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan's "Strange Weather"), they discussed their reasons behind their forward-thinking business acumen and explained the new album's title.

Listen to Metric's invigorating session when it airs today at 11 a.m. EDT on 91.5 WNYE and online, and check out more in-studio videos at The Alternate Side.