arcade fire

tonadax

i don´t know what´s the hype for this band, their members play a lot of instruments, a sound that doesn´t makes nothing to me, their vocalist is really good, in fact he´s the only one who can save this band.....

boroff89

First, there are at least five other threads on Arcade Fire. Do a search and post your thoughts there. Second, you're nuts. They're one of the best bands on the planet right now.

musicismylife78

i agree arcade fire are a band that exceed any hype. They are the real deal. I think they are most likely the biggest band on the planet right now. And for once instead of the biggest star in the world being crap like Britney or Justin or Christina or crap like that, its actually good honest indie rock.

They have great songs, and from what I hear their live shows rival Pearl Jam's, with a few people on this board even saying their lives shows are better than pearl jams

I think sometimes hype is rightly placed. Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Alice and Soundgarden were all hyped to no end back in the day. The hype was right. And now finally we have good music!

Win Butler's lyrics really catch me as being extremely powerful. I posted a thread a couple days ago, where I said, the lyrics to arcade fire's songs are all about children rising up and overthrowing their parents and the current system, which is really appealing given the stuff going on right now in the world. Listen to "wake up" and tell me you dont feel like this is a call to arm for all our generation to rise up and start taking over the world.

Sometimes music needs a change, sometimes it gets boring and old and stale and formulaic, and worse yet predictable. To be honest, the early 90's were the last time I can remember a genuine excitement in terms of a musicial movement beneath my feet. Arcade fire seem to be lighting the fire for a new movement.

Check the band out, listen to their stuff. They are the cream of the crop right now. This is rock music at its finest right now.

harmless_little_f***

Cheguevara6 wrote:

Listen to "wake up" and tell me you dont feel like this is a call to arm for all our generation to rise up and start taking over the world.

Man you honestly never stop, do you?

I look out of the window at work onto an estate where bums stand around on street corners smoking dope rather than earning a living, there's one old lady every two weeks on average (sometimes more) who gets knocked over, mugged or her windscreen smashed, to look onto the street each day is to play a game of 'Count the Underage Mothers', and you want our generation to rise up and start taking over the world?

I don't. If they do we better all take cover.

leafs4ever

I agree with absolutly everything Cheguevara6 said. I didn't really get into them from the 1st record, funeral. I live in Toronto and was hearing a little bit about them on the Edge, and then i heard intervention and knew i had to buy their 2nd cd the day it came out. I now have the 1st cd aswell and it is also amazing (Neon Bible is better though IMO). Like the above post said about "wake up", give a listen to "Windowsill" on Neon Bible, my favourite song of 2007 so far. I'm really happy this cd is getting the exposure it deserves.

reeferchief

Neon Bible is gonna take some beating for album of the year(although there is a lot of good competiton on the horizon:)), Funeral is absoulutely awesome as is the EP from before it.
This band deserves all the hype and more.
Has anyone heard their cover of Guns Of Brixton yet?:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHHcTIBG7S8

Enjoy.:)

harmless_little_f***

I've been wanting to check out their stuff for ages. The other day I went to their Myspace and loved what I heard (Neon Bible stuff).

From what I hear, they're fairly folk-influenced, sometimes Celtic sounding, yet still rock music.

Is Neon Bible typical of their sound, or have they changed a lot over albums? What should I go to first if I want to get into them?

lars

boroff89 wrote:

First, there are at least five other threads on Arcade Fire. Do a search and post your thoughts there. Second, you're nuts. They're one of the best bands on the planet right now.

I second that

reeferchief

harmless_little_f*** wrote:

I've been wanting to check out their stuff for ages. The other day I went to their Myspace and loved what I heard (Neon Bible stuff).

From what I hear, they're fairly folk-influenced, sometimes Celtic sounding, yet still rock music.

Is Neon Bible typical of their sound, or have they changed a lot over albums? What should I go to first if I want to get into them?

I'd go out and buy Funeral and Neon Bible together then listen to them in that order.
Then tommorow pick up the EP.:)

harmless_little_f***

reeferchief wrote:

I'd go out and buy Funeral and Neon Bible together then listen to them in that order.
Then tommorow pick up the EP.:)

Was I right in describing their sound? I'm just curious. Neon Bible seemed to almost even draw comparisons with Tom Waits to me (musically), but don't ask me where I got that from.

reeferchief

harmless_little_f*** wrote:

Was I right in describing their sound? I'm just curious. Neon Bible seemed to almost even draw comparisons with Tom Waits to me (musically), but don't ask me where I got that from.

Yeah that and a whole lot more, there is a lot of depth given that there is 8 or 9 of them and the range of the instruments they use, the grand church organ at the start of Intervention just grabs my heart and pulls at it.
There is an almost retro 80's vibe to the start of Black Wave/Bad Vibrations, in a good way not a bad way.
What can I say about Funeral? it was pretty much and still is the soundtrack to every trip we take in the car, it goes everywhere with us, it's just sheer beauty in a disc.:)

intodeep

harmless_little_f*** wrote:

I've been wanting to check out their stuff for ages. The other day I went to their Myspace and loved what I heard (Neon Bible stuff).

From what I hear, they're fairly folk-influenced, sometimes Celtic sounding, yet still rock music.

Is Neon Bible typical of their sound, or have they changed a lot over albums? What should I go to first if I want to get into them?

Here are some songs i would suggest
Funeral-
Neighborhood #1 Tunnels
Neighborhood #2 Laika
Powerout
Wake Up
Rebellion (lies)

Neon Bible-
Antichrist TV Blues
Keep the car running
Intervention
No Cars Go

Those are probably my favorites by them. although many other songs are good too. I think the songs are funeral are probably a little better but the overall album neon bible is more consistant even though maybe it does not have as many spectacular songs as funeral.

Heineken Helen

well I've just recently started getting into them. Bought funeral a few months back and did NOT like them at all but gave it another go last week at the insistence of some friends... and its still in my discman. At the moment I love it especially tracks 1 & 6 (dunno names yet) so we'll see how it goes.

chimpat

I think the new album is brilliant.

Is it me or does Antichrist TV Blues sound like Arcade Fire got thrown in a blender with Bruce Springsteen and Johnny Cash? GREAT song.

CM1847

Heineken Helen wrote:

well I've just recently started getting into them. Bought funeral a few months back and did NOT like them at all but gave it another go last week at the insistence of some friends... and its still in my discman. At the moment I love it especially tracks 1 & 6 (dunno names yet) so we'll see how it goes.

I didn't really like or get most of Funeral the first time I heard it either. I eventually got into it more, but I like Neon Bible more.

They are surely one of the handful of best bands in the world at this point, I can't wait to see them live, hopefully Win is feeling better by the time the US dates start rolling around.

soulsinging

arcade fire is very good. i think they're in danger of clap your hands syndrome though... they stand out so much they can't possibly live up to the hype placed on them. so new people check them out expecting to hear the next sgt pepper's. what they get is one of the best rock bands out there. they're amazing, but they're not the second coming and they're not going to revolutionize anything. they're just an excellent band with excellent musicians and excellent songs. they're very unique and truly special. but dont let the music press build your expectations to unattainable heights. this "saviors of rock" crap happens every 2-3 years and it's always bullshit.

Jeremy1012

Cheguevara6 wrote:

i agree arcade fire are a band that exceed any hype. They are the real deal. I think they are most likely the biggest band on the planet right now. And for once instead of the biggest star in the world being crap like Britney or Justin or Christina or crap like that, its actually good honest indie rock.

They have great songs, and from what I hear their live shows rival Pearl Jam's, with a few people on this board even saying their lives shows are better than pearl jams

I think sometimes hype is rightly placed. Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Alice and Soundgarden were all hyped to no end back in the day. The hype was right. And now finally we have good music!

Win Butler's lyrics really catch me as being extremely powerful. I posted a thread a couple days ago, where I said, the lyrics to arcade fire's songs are all about children rising up and overthrowing their parents and the current system, which is really appealing given the stuff going on right now in the world. Listen to "wake up" and tell me you dont feel like this is a call to arm for all our generation to rise up and start taking over the world.

Sometimes music needs a change, sometimes it gets boring and old and stale and formulaic, and worse yet predictable. To be honest, the early 90's were the last time I can remember a genuine excitement in terms of a musicial movement beneath my feet. Arcade fire seem to be lighting the fire for a new movement.

Check the band out, listen to their stuff. They are the cream of the crop right now. This is rock music at its finest right now.

jeez... don't take this the wrong way but you seem to totally overdo it a lot when talking about bands you like on here. I love the arcade fire and I'm going to see them in august. having said that, I don't think they are going to or particularly want to start any revolution other than a musical one. It was the same when you mentioned rage the other day. I don't mean to be offensive or anything but why do you feel the need to chip in with some naive revolutionary crap? I'm as left wing as they come but I'm a realist. The Arcade Fire are never going to change the world, and the reason? the world has gone to fuck and nothing can change it. just enjoy the music for what it is.

and before you say I'm a pessimist, my cup is always half full... its just often half full of shit.

musicismylife78

i am hyping arcade fire so much because I feel they are the voice of me right now, or are writing songs that fit my view of the world. Although many people may disagree, I feel they are voicing our generations ideas just as Ed and Kurt did back in the day.

As for acting like they are revolutionary. When you make an album that is explicitly political as Arcade Fire did, and have a song where you state over and over again "i dont wanna live in my fathers house no more...i dont wanna live in america no more...i dont wanna fight in a holy war" or make songs that tell kids to "wake up" or make songs that say "I know a place where no cars go...us kids know", its really not up to the listener to decide it. Arcade fire created these songs. I didnt. And to act like Win Butler is just talking about getting drunk, doing drugs and typical rock crap, then you are naive, my friend. He isnt talking about that.

I feel many others are responding to arcade fire in the same manner. They arent placating our generation. They arent making fun of us. They are talking about escaping this crap that we live in everyday and moving to a utopia.

And excuse me for bringing up revolution in a thread about "RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE"! Wow, sorry to interupt the thread. I didnt know that talking about politics and revolution didnt fit when discussing a band whose stated goal was to ignite a revolution.

I really dont know what your getting at. Rage made music and according to Morello got back together to start a revolution. I didnt chip any revolutionary crap. Morello did. And as for Arcade fire, listen to their songs, read a Win Butler interview, and its clear they are wanting fans to dance and have a good time, but they also are speaking DIRECTLY to and about the world we live in right now.

When Win Butler says "Children, wake up, hold your mistake up
Before they turn the summer into dust" I have a feeling he isnt just talking about something silly, he is talking about something real.

I have high hopes for this band. And I feel I am not alone in this. Its great to have a band that actually cares.

musicismylife78

and as for just enjoying the music and letting the politics go...

Those bands, at least for Rage, they dont want that. They dont want their fans just to listen and do nothing. Thats the whole goddamn point. If we are talking about Britney Spears, thats a different story, but Rage wants people to be involved, and to get active politically.

musicismylife78

I think thats why the hype for this band is so cool. Its not filler, its not marketing hype. These guys are the real deal.

I get so excited about it, because maybe you have been living in a cave for the last few years but with the exception of pearl jam and a few others the music scene has really sucked. I felt a part of the early 90's grunge movement. It changed my life. The music was honest and real. Then it died out. And its been crap in music for awhile. Then Arcade Fire comes out, and makes these two brilliant records that are full of rockin tunes, and they have a message of that children know better than adults and that adults are screwing up the planet. Thats really seductive to me, and really appealing and I think it would be naive not to think their are others who feel the same way.

I like feeling good about music. And its nice to see a band that deserves recognition, actually get it.

musicismylife78

There was a review in the LA Weekly awhile back where the reviewer said if your not a teen or a 20 year old, you wont get arcade fire. But if you are, this music is honest and real. Arcade fire the reviewer said, isnt speaking to us, they are us.

I have rarely agreed more with any statement.

If you dont agree, thats fine. I agree with it, and thats all that matters to me

Its so hard these days to believe in anything. And here comes along this band that gets some of the best press I think I have ever seen a band get, they actually live up to the hype, and they give people like me hope, in music, in my generation, in the future.

reeferchief

Che not to be funny and I agree with a lot of your points, but surely if you felt apart of the grunge movement, you're an adult age now, no?

musicismylife78

i guess so, i am 23 but i dont like being called an adult. Read my political posts on moving train. I view adults with suspicion and anger. I feel they made a mess of the world. i call myself a youth, and identify as such. As ed said "all thats sacred comes from youth". I live and breath that motto.

I was really young during the early 90's, but I felt a part of it. I was 10 when kurt died. I didnt attend the concerts or see pearl jam live or nirvana live, but i felt a part of that movement. And thats what mattered. I felt the bands were speaking about what i felt as a kid then. And now I feel like arcade fire are speaking to me and to the new generation coming up.

indeed i admit i am hyping this band with sky high expectations but as I said before, its hard to believe in stuff these days, and this band seems like something I can believe in

Jeremy1012

Cheguevara6 wrote:

And to act like Win Butler is just talking about getting drunk, doing drugs and typical rock crap, then you are naive, my friend. He isnt talking about that.

when the hell did I say that? did you entirely miss the part where I said I love Arcade Fire? All I said was that for all these bands might WISH to start a revolution, its really never going to happen. Even when the world really needs it, for example during vietnam in the sixties, and we had a genuine, serious, musical revolution, the world still went on stagnating. The Arcade Fire and RATM are never going to change the world. they might change the perspectives of many people but its still a small drop in a huge ocean.

I for one think that Morello's comments suggesting that the coinciding of Rage's demise with the state of america today was somehow linked were laughably pompous and self-important. Rage had some brilliant songs but no one who actually has a say in this world give a shit what Tom Morello thinks. this isn't to say that I have a problem with bands with a political message. by all means they should do all they can to try and change the way people think but we shouldn't go about pretending that they are achieving or will achieve things that are beyond their means. I know this sounds like apocalyptic doom-mongering but its the way I see it. you are, of course, entitled to your opinions.

reeferchief

Cheguevara6 wrote:

i guess so, i am 23 but i dont like being called an adult. Read my political posts on moving train. I view adults with suspicion and anger. I feel they made a mess of the world. i call myself a youth, and identify as such. As ed said "all thats sacred comes from youth". I live and breath that motto.

I was really young during the early 90's, but I felt a part of it. I was 10 when kurt died. I didnt attend the concerts or see pearl jam live or nirvana live, but i felt a part of that movement. And thats what mattered. I felt the bands were speaking about what i felt as a kid then. And now I feel like arcade fire are speaking to me and to the new generation coming up.

indeed i admit i am hyping this band with sky high expectations but as I said before, its hard to believe in stuff these days, and this band seems like something I can believe in

I'm glad you feel the music that deeply, I would agree that Win's lyrics are very strong, have you watched the vid I posted of them covering The Clash's, Guns Of Brixton? it's a really good cover and a strong song that fits in the lyrical sense which you speak of in the Arcade Fire's writing, I'm nearly 30, it's not all adults that have got the world this way just a select few, a minority with the power of a majority, unfortunately.

musicismylife78

cool, i will check out the video of the guns of brixton. sounds cool

electronblue

'neon bible' is awesome! i sure hope to catch one of their 'live' shows...~

soulsinging

Cheguevara6 wrote:

i am hyping arcade fire so much because I feel they are the voice of me right now, or are writing songs that fit my view of the world. Although many people may disagree, I feel they are voicing our generations ideas just as Ed and Kurt did back in the day.

As for acting like they are revolutionary. When you make an album that is explicitly political as Arcade Fire did, and have a song where you state over and over again "i dont wanna live in my fathers house no more...i dont wanna live in america no more...i dont wanna fight in a holy war" or make songs that tell kids to "wake up" or make songs that say "I know a place where no cars go...us kids know", its really not up to the listener to decide it. Arcade fire created these songs. I didnt. And to act like Win Butler is just talking about getting drunk, doing drugs and typical rock crap, then you are naive, my friend. He isnt talking about that.

I feel many others are responding to arcade fire in the same manner. They arent placating our generation. They arent making fun of us. They are talking about escaping this crap that we live in everyday and moving to a utopia.

And excuse me for bringing up revolution in a thread about "RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE"! Wow, sorry to interupt the thread. I didnt know that talking about politics and revolution didnt fit when discussing a band whose stated goal was to ignite a revolution.

I really dont know what your getting at. Rage made music and according to Morello got back together to start a revolution. I didnt chip any revolutionary crap. Morello did. And as for Arcade fire, listen to their songs, read a Win Butler interview, and its clear they are wanting fans to dance and have a good time, but they also are speaking DIRECTLY to and about the world we live in right now.

When Win Butler says "Children, wake up, hold your mistake up
Before they turn the summer into dust" I have a feeling he isnt just talking about something silly, he is talking about something real.

I have high hopes for this band. And I feel I am not alone in this. Its great to have a band that actually cares.

funeral was inspired by the death of a loved one and about coping with loss. there was nothing political about it. you need a dose of reality man. you're more out of touch with it than i was when i was campaigning for ralph nader and smoking enough pot to make the whole world peaceful.

soulsinging

Cheguevara6 wrote:

I think thats why the hype for this band is so cool. Its not filler, its not marketing hype. These guys are the real deal.

I get so excited about it, because maybe you have been living in a cave for the last few years but with the exception of pearl jam and a few others the music scene has really sucked. I felt a part of the early 90's grunge movement. It changed my life. The music was honest and real. Then it died out. And its been crap in music for awhile. Then Arcade Fire comes out, and makes these two brilliant records that are full of rockin tunes, and they have a message of that children know better than adults and that adults are screwing up the planet. Thats really seductive to me, and really appealing and I think it would be naive not to think their are others who feel the same way.

I like feeling good about music. And its nice to see a band that deserves recognition, actually get it.

adults stink and children should rule the world? i've got a song for you... you'll love it. it's right on point with your message... adults are so cruel and they just dont get how HARD it is to be a teenager in the richest country in the world. so this one's for you man... it says everything you've been wanting to say:

parents just dont understand- will smith

Jeremy1012

soulsinging wrote:

so this one's for you man... it says everything you've been wanting to say:

parents just dont understand- will smith

ooh... burn. I wouldn't have gone that far
I kind of agree though

musicismylife78

so when you listen to "wake up" or "windowsill" or "no cars go" you get the feeling that Win Butler is talking about something else? I get the strong feeling of youth vs adults or young vs old on both albums. Its clear Fineral was inspired by deaths in the bands families but to argue that 'wake up" isnt an explicit call for youth to rise up is frankly crap. Absolute bunk and poppycock.

As for arcade fire not being political, have you even read an interview with the band, and have you even looked at their lyrics? To say "I dont wanna fight a holy war...i dont wanna live in america no more" thats about as political as one can get. "I live in an age that calls darkness light".

Either your high as a kite or you cant read or interpret basic political protest music. Its blunt. It isnt hidden. Win butler came out specifically and told fans to protest the war. To say arcade fire is not political is ignorant and misleading.

Sure they are no rage against the machine, every song isnt a protest song.

But if you dont get the feeling by listening to funeral or neon bible that both albums have a feeling of protest, a feeling that they believe youth are oppressed by adults who could give a crap, and that theya re urging youth to rebel, if you dont get that feeling by reading basic lyrics, maybe you are listening to a different band than I am.

"wake up" is clearly win butler's stated belief, that appears in song after song. This isnt tough stuff to understand. Frankly, if you dont want to hear the feelings of youth rebellion, dont yell at me, and dont pretend arcade fire arent singing about it.