Arcade Fire discussion - Who the fuck is Arcade Fire?

[French Dip]

So Pink Elephant just came out and it's really bad. I love this band for their very meaningful lyrics and they just don't have it anymore. I have listened to their first 3 albums, Funeral, Neon Bible, and Suburbs, as well as their first EP, countless times. I saw their unscripted performance on the Grammies and was instantly hooked. Reflektor was a 9.5 for me, still amazing but with some minor hangups. Everything Now was notably slower for me, I'd give it an 8.5. WE was so forgettable I can't even name songs from it, and Pink Elephant is actually bad. I saw these guys play on the Reflektor and Everything Now tours and I just can't believe they're doing this poorly now. They used to write the most intricate, powerful stuff. Window Sill was the first piece of art that put into words my feelings about commercialization and excessive advertising in everyday life. Now Pink Elephant's "Stuck In My Head" sounds like Jordan Peterson telling me to clean my room.

Win always had an ego, but it always seemed like that ego was dead set on making amazing music. I know he cheated on Regina, and that there are more damning allegations made against him that he refuses to acknowledge, although I don't know much about either situation. Reflektor's "We Exist" made it clear they are at least somewhat political and left leaning. Do you think these things have anything to do with their decline? These guys were once my unquestioned top band of all time. They expressed a lot of things that I felt growing up in a normal American suburb. I'm just trying to understand what the hell is happening to them.

Also, general Arcade Fire discussion. What songs mean the most to you? How'd you find out about them?

 

[The Backwards Man]

The only song of theirs I'm super familiar with is Ready to start. Heard it on the radio a few times over the past decade and a half and it's been in some of my playlists since.

I'm just trying to understand what the hell is happening to them.

They're probably just getting old and tired.

 

[Chad Holdenford]

Funeral is a masterpiece from beginning to end.
Neon Bible is a decent follow-up.
The Suburbs is hella overrated, but with some excellent moments.
Reflektor was a boring forgettable mess, save for You Already Know and Afterlife.
Everything Now is by far their weakest album.
WE was a decent return to form IMO, even if it was kinda-sorta their obligatory "return to roots" album.
I have yet to listen to Pink Elephant. From the reviews I have read, it's... not very good.

I'm just trying to understand what the hell is happening to them.

They're no longer the indie darlings they once were, even if they retained some of their respect and following. Plus, the whole thing with Win Butler being accused of sexual harassment, and apparently him and Regina failing to have children (at least AFAIK) and trying to adapt to the new wave of social commentary. It happens to pretty much every band that rises to the spotlight and then appears to fade away.

I don't really mind their political leanings because other than their songs, I have never seen any of the members go out of their way to annoy people with unnecessary preaching. Though I do remember that Win was once in a "compose and perform one song per day" viral challenge of sorts, and he penned a song about how a governor down here in Brazil was the sole culprit in the crisis of water shortage his state was in, solely based on the opinions a few soyboys gave him, when the truth was more muddled and complicated than that.

 

[dcss]

What songs mean the most to you? How'd you find out about them?

Laika and Un Annee Sans Lumiere are my two favorite AF songs. When I was in the 4th grade, I went over to my friend's house, and his dad was playing Laika on a huge speaker. You could hear it from every corner of the house, and I was mesmerised at the lyrics "when daddy comes home, you always start a fight, so the neighbours can dance [under] the police disco lights". Their new stuff is shit tho

 

[The King-In-Chains]

Saw them during the Reflektor Era; was the loudest concert I'd ever been to. Beating out Meshuggah and Slipknot purely in terms of dB/LKFS.

They had a solid run up to Reflektor IMO, I always viewed them as a more commercially successful Grizzly Bear during the Indie boom. They managed to strike hard at the right time with the Urban Outfitter-milieu of movies and hipster culture.

 

[ZsaZsaBinks]

They're no longer the indie darlings they once were, even if they retained some of their respect and following. Plus, the whole thing with Win Butler being accused of sexual harassment, and apparently him and Regina failing to have children (at least AFAIK) and trying to adapt to the new wave of social commentary. It happens to pretty much every band that rises to the spotlight and then appears to fade away.

They have a son.

I don't really mind their political leanings because other than their songs, I have never seen any of the members go out of their way to annoy people with unnecessary preaching. Though I do remember that Win was once in a "compose and perform one song per day" viral challenge of sorts, and he penned a song about how a governor down here in Brazil was the sole culprit in the crisis of water shortage his state was in, solely based on the opinions a few soyboys gave him, when the truth was more muddled and complicated than that.

That’s a good thing, because we all know how unhinged their type is politically.

 

[Angry Shoes]

Funeral is absolutely unreal and probably one of the most influential albums of the 00's indie wave, for better or worse. I kind blame it for the huge amounts of stomp-clap-hey bullshit that followed from other bands in the 10's. It's like they listened to Funeral and only focused on the bad parts rather than the actual beauty and soul of that album.

Saw them during the Reflektor Era; was the loudest concert I'd ever been to. Beating out Meshuggah and Slipknot purely in terms of dB/LKFS.

They had a solid run up to Reflektor IMO, I always viewed them as a more commercially successful Grizzly Bear during the Indie boom. They managed to strike hard at the right time with the Urban Outfitter-milieu of movies and hipster culture.

They were on fucking fire during the Reflektor tour. I was worried they would just play new music but they played every song you'd want to hear them play live.

 

[French Dip]

Funeral is absolutely unreal and probably one of the most influential albums of the 00's indie wave, for better or worse. I kind blame it for the huge amounts of stomp-clap-hey bullshit that followed from other bands in the 10's. It's like they listened to Funeral and only focused on the bad parts rather than the actual beauty and soul of that album.

They were on fucking fire during the Reflektor tour. I was worried they would just play new music but they played every song you'd want to hear them play live.

They had an open invitation to wear a costume to the Reflektor tour. One of the symbols they use is the antenna symbol used in electrical engineering, because Win's grandfather was a ham radio operator (one of their songs is inspired by it, the one about writing letters). I got a blank white shirt and did that symbol in electrical tape on the back, and attached neon blue LEDs all over the shirt. It was crude but matched the aesthetic of the show well. For the Everytging Now tour I took a bit more time to prepare. I got a microphone and wired it up to strips of LEDs that changed color and intensity based on the loudness of the music. It worked very well for still being thrown together. I love their concerts.

 

[A Very Big Fish]

I like Keep the Car Running. I don't remember where I heard it, and never felt the need to listen to their other songs, but that one is good.