So… should I be ashamed that I hadn’t discovered Arcade Fire until now, or thrilled that I finally have? I guess it depends on your perspective, and, at least to a certain extent, on your opinion of indie rock. I say ‘to a certain extent’, because my opinion of indie rock is not really that high. I’ve come across a few songs I like (such as Band of Horses’ The Funeral or Death Cab for Cutie’s I’ll Follow You Into the Dark), but I’ve never found a band that consistently appealed to me… until now. Arcade Fire is an excellent blend of a fuller, more catchy musical style, beautiful artistry, and thought-provoking lyrics. The band also consistently creates a very unique atmosphere. The stories told by the lyrics are somehow simultaneously vague enough to invite personal interpretation and precise enough to ensure that the artist’s creative meaning is clear. The music projects layers of anxiety and creeping despair that somehow can’t stop a kernel of hope shining through.
So far, I’ve tried to avoid posting more than one song of the day for a single artist. Today, however, I felt that I should post two of my favorite songs from my newest favorite band. Both songs encapsulate why I have come to love the music of Arcade Fire.
The first is Keep the Car Running, from Arcade Fire’s 2007 album Neon Bible:
Arcade Fire – Keep the Car Running
The other is The Suburbs, from Arcade Fire’s most recent album of the same name:
JOSH ARCADE FIRE HAS BEEN ONE OF MY FAVORITE BANDS FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS
how do you not know about them ;____; The Suburbs album is the best, listen through it all but the other albums (neon bible and funeral) are great too.
Heh, why am I not surprised at the range of your musical tastes?
And to be fair (both to my musical ego and Arcade Fire’s reputation), I had heard of them before, just never seriously dug into their discography. I agree the Suburbs is an amazing album, though I’m a little torn between the Suburbs and Neon Bible as my favorite. Funeral is on my to-be-listened-to list, but I haven’t had enough free time to soak it in properly this week *coughACTcough*.
haha xD Funeral has some truly classic songs, but it’s less cohesive and atmospheric than Neon Bible and Suburbs. Definitely worth checking out as soon as possible.