Posts Tagged ‘Arcade Fire’
Speaking of creeping, if you’re cool with Arcade Fire knowing where you live and/or used to live, then check out the fascinating interactive video for my favorite track from The Suburbs, “We Used To Wait.” You may remember director Chris Milk from his brilliant video for Gnarls Barkley’s “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul.”
For more behind the scenes footage and to watch the Terry Gilliam directed webcast tonight. Probably best to wait until it’s recorded though. Can’t imagine YouTube will be able to handle all the streaming traffic.
Arcade Fire Conversation
(On August 3rd Merge Records released Arcade Fire’s highly anticipated third album, The Suburbs. In the week leading up to the release Tale of The Tape posted some videos and brief notes on the band’s history. During that time the editors exchanged emails discussing the band’s beginnings to their current album. You can find the resulting conversation below.) Patrick is black. Steven is blue.
I think for a band that achieved nearly instant success and stature, was almost a movement in and of itself, it’s interesting to look at how you came to find the group and appreciate their music. I certainly heard of them but was put off by the name, all the hype during the release and at year’s end when Funeralshowed up on everyone’s Best-Of lists. When I see that sort of hype for anyone, particularly an unknown quantity, I reflexively lose interest until some of the noise dies down and so it wasn’t until much later in the fall and even the new year that I was able to discover the album on my own terms and figure out what all the fuss about, that it was legit. I think you took the long way around too, if I’m not mistaken…
Without a doubt. In easily my most embarrassing instance of music snobbery, around the time of Funeral‘s release a friend who actually has a great taste in music asked me if I had heard of this band called Arcade Fire. At that point I hadn’t heard a single note, so I brushed him off with the old, “Yeah, I’ve heard them and they suck.” A few weeks later, once I actually heard and enjoyed several of the songs, I was talking to the previously mentioned friend, and having completely forgotten about our conversation, told him he needed to download some tracks from Arcade Fire. This joker says, “I know, I told you about them already and you said they sucked.” So wherever you are, Kris Loveless, you effectively ended my career as a music elitist, and I am forever appreciative.
And just like that, Funeral became my go-to album for months. I can think of only one other instance (Is This It) where at some point in time, every song on an album was my “favorite song.” It began with “Neighborhood #2,” then shifted to “Crown of Love,” and so on. Funeral was and still is a flawless album released at a time when an emotionless kid like myself could use some empowerment. It is an album that is as good in 2010 as it was in 2004.
Arcade Fire + David Bowie – “Wake Up”
Arcade Fire and Bowie team up to blow the doors off a stuffy industry gig. This is the band at their anthemic, emotive best.
Merge Records will release The Suburbs, Arcade Fire’s much-anticipated third album, on August 3rd.
These are the ten best tracks we heard this week. Since this is unofficially Arcade Fire week around these parts, we figured we would lead off with the first track off their new album. Expect more on those guys before the big release of The Suburbs, out next Tuesday. Go on to the bottom of the list to pick up the entire mix as a single track.
Singles
From The Suburbs, available 8/3 from Merge Records
Black Mountain – “The Hair Song”
From Wilderness Heart, available 9/13 from Jagjaguwar
Jens Lekman – “The End Of The World Is Bigger Than Love”
From upcoming album
From Catching A Tiger, available 8/18 from Fat Possum
Regina Spektor v. Lil’ Wayne – “Us (Me & Mrs. Officer)”
From (500) Days of Weezy, available now from My Sick Uncle
Fol Chen – “The Holograms” (Teen Daze Remix)
Original version on Part II: The New December, available now from Asthmatic Kitty
The Moviegoers – “Big High School”
From “Big High School” “7″, available in August from Mangoose Records
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – “Simple Girl”
From the Horse Power EP, available now from Quite Scientific Records
Sean Bones – “Let’s Do Something Else”
From “Rhumba Beat” single, available now from Frenchkiss Records
Real Estate – “Art Fandelet” (Daytrotter Version)
New track from Daytrotter Session
The Mix: For Extended Listening
Arcade Fire – “Neon Bible” (video)
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The video for “Neon Bible,” a track off the eponymous second album, originally appeared on www.neonbible.com in November 2007. You can still find the interactive version.
Arcade Fire’s third album, The Suburbs, is available August 3rd from Merge Records. Check back tomorrow for more from Arcade Fire’s discography or videography.
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Leading up to the August 3rd release of The Suburbs we’ll take a daily look at Arcade Fire’s career output. Today we’ve got the band’s first official music video.
Live webcast on YouTube sure sounds cool but…will it freeze about three-quarters of the way through?
