How Emily Haines’ Diary of Grief, Loss and Loneliness Became My Own

Emily Haines, a multitalented chameleon, has often been hailed for her versatility. But in over a decade since her dazzling presence has entered my life, I have had to re-assess that impression: she is more like a matryoshka doll, a powerful artist whose layers are hidden underneath thousands of mirrored layers.

As a member of Broken Social Scene, she is often gentle, coy; as the frontwoman of Metric, she is brazen, hypnotic. But it is her solo work, performed under the moniker Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton that is most intriguing, most piercing — and most criminally underrated.

Haines wrote Knives Don’t Have Your Back (2006) and What Is Free To A Good Home? (2007) in the context of her father’s passing, and kindled by the general listlessness that comes with years of touring and being away from home. Both albums, released about a year apart, are so similar they could be considered one extended project.

The songs are poetry put to music, mournful jazz interblended with slightly harsher indie rock tendencies. They are, at times, staccato bursts of lightness, which are quickly dimmed by long and mournful stretches of sadness. Unlike the shrill guitars and heavy drums that characterize Metric’s music, here, Haines opts for the stripped down piano, soft horns, and lofty…