Arcade Fire

[FuzzyDunlop]

Here comes the night time was fantastic live. The bass near the front was something else

[Amy Lawn]

Here comes the night time was fantastic live. The bass near the front was something else

Yeah, that was a great moment, then into Wake Up, with the band getting emotional and looking like they never wanted to leave that stage. Amazing scenes.

[Hugh Jass]

Saw them as "The Reflektors" in Camden just as they released the last album, they rarely play Crown of Love but did that night, it's been among my favourites since.

Funeral is in my all time top 5 albums.

[CHRLY]

Forgot about Sprawl II what an incredible track! To answer Fuzzy's question before, I think that followed by The Suburbs (continued) is a pretty strong way to finish a record!

[Amy Lawn]

Forgot about Sprawl II what an incredible track! To answer Fuzzy's question before, I think that followed by The Suburbs (continued) is a pretty strong way to finish a record!

I always go back to the footage of them doing Mountains Beyond Mountains on the Pyramid, it's true that Regine isn't the best live singer, but has anybody ever been that fucking happy on The Pyramid? She was having the time of her life there. My friend knew nothing of Arcade Fire before that show, the first thing she said to me afterwards was "that woman with the curly hair is amazing!".

[Festiboi69]

Love 'er

[tiffpietiff]

hey maybe they'll headline Glastonbury this year

[CHRLY]

Correct - it was bloody adorable, she was in her element.

[Lubic]

1 year on and here we are doing this again!

No Cars Go

Sprawl II

Power Out

Haiti

Suburban War

[Winslow Leach]

Stunning live and on record. I think I know

exactly what you mean, there's just something

about the 'oooooos' that have an effect on me.

I always see you and others on here singing LC's praises and I've never even tried them. Just shoved that very song on and I'm liking what I hear!

Join the small but rabid ranks of the LC! army and see the world!

[The Placid Casual]

1. Tunnels

2. Sprawl ii

3. Power Out

4. The Suburbs

5. No Cars Go

[dentalplan]

I always go back to the footage of them doing Mountains Beyond Mountains on the Pyramid, it's true that Regine isn't the best live singer, but has anybody ever been that fucking happy on The Pyramid? She was having the time of her life there. My friend knew nothing of Arcade Fire before that show, the first thing she said to me afterwards was "that woman with the curly hair is amazing!".

That's the main memory of the set for me. Just sums up the joy of the occasion.

[Winslow Leach]

Wait, we're doing top 5 Arcade Fire songs again? Well, if you insist:

Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels)

In The Backseat

Empty Room

Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)

Afterlife

Supersymmetry

Yeah, I know that's six. I couldn't choose between Afterlife and Supersymmetry. Disc 2 of Reflektor just flows so beautifully. And I totally agree with GETTOFFAMYLAWN, Tunnels might be my favourite opening track from an album ever. It sounds like a great big creaking contraption of a song that I just want to climb into and curl up inside.

[The Placid Casual]

Yeah, I know a few who didn't know anything of Arcade Fire, but were full of praise for them after that set. Regine in particular.

How good is this though?

[Winslow Leach]

I guess I have no choice but to get involved. Probably way off from last time...

(No particular order)

1) Empty Room

A fellow Empty Room appreciator! You've got taste.

I'm seeing sort of the opposite, round about the time they headlined Leeds festival, a lot of people I know got into them and went mental for The Suburbs, but Reflektor seemed to alienate a lot of people I know after the title track, it's not as accessible. I personally took a long time to get into it, I liked loads of the tracks when I first heard it, but thought it was a mish-mash of ideas and thought there was too much going on and not enough coherence, it's only very very recently that I've come to love it as an album rather than individual tracks, I think I was a bit dense for quite a while and wasn't really paying attention to how all the themes were coming together. I do love it a lot now though.

I had the same experience with Reflektor. What made it click for me was when I was bemoaning the lack of Regine's lead vocals on the album, and someone pointed out to me that actually her and Win's voices have never played off each other better than they there.

[Mardy]

In no particular order;

1. No Cars Go

2. No Cars Go

3. No Cars Go

4. No Cars Go

5. No Cars Go

[bocumaroy]

1. Tunnels

2. Power Out

3. In The Backseat

4. Intervention

5. Sprawl II

Could be completely different on any given day.

It's the way it builds! And the oooos, and those bloody lyrics, everything about it just feels incredibly dramatic, and emotional, and timeless, and important. It sets out the stall for what's coming, that imagery of the neighborhood being buried in snow just sets the scene so vividly, just puts you right there and gives you some context for where they're coming from. The record is so personal to them, but it begins by forcing your mind to paint this mental picture of where this is starting, goes on to talk about things we all know like love, death, childhood, family members, friends, it's not hard to see why that album means so much to people when it so effectively puts you in the picture from the get-go.

This. It's absolute perfection.

Just having a think about how lovely Regine is.

[bocumaroy]

I had the same experience with Reflektor. What made it click for me was when I was bemoaning the lack of Regine's lead vocals on the album, and someone pointed out to me that actually her and Win's voices have never played off each other better than they there.

Yeah, this is really true. Reflektor, Joan of Arc, It's Never Over, all amongst my favourite Regine vocals. I loved the album for a long while, and only really went off it through obsessive listening. The first side is the weakest thing they've ever done, but still has two of my favourite Arcade Fire songs. The second side is back at their usual level of brilliance.

Good band IMHO.

Edit: I think the Will Butler solo stuff is pretty boring though.

Edited March 7, 2015 by bocumaroy

[Winslow Leach]

Yeah, I know a few who didn't know anything of Arcade Fire, but were full of praise for them after that set. Regine in particular.

How good is this though?

Was definitely the highlight of the set, I think Sprawl II live always feels like more of a special moment than Wake Up does.

As good as they were at Glastonbury, I doubt I'll ever enjoy an Arcade Fire performance as much as Reading in 2010. It wasn't just that they played an absolute blinder, it was that for months I'd had to put up with people on the internet, and even a lot of my friends, going "Who the fuck are Arcade Fire? Why are they headlining? They sound shit. The Libertines should be headlining." So there was a real "us against the world" feeling in the crowd leading up to that set that gave it an energy I never really felt any other time at Reading, except perhaps for Common People in 2011. It just felt special, and there was a huge wave of vindicated smugness when they knocked it out of the park.

The jewel in the crown came after the festival, when a friend of mine who I know full well had been claiming Arcade Fire were crap before the festival, was suddenly claiming he'd always liked them.

[fightoffyour]

They're just fucking brilliant aren't they.

Just so happened I watched their set last night whilst this thread was re-surfacing.

I don't know about a top 5 right now but I love Reflektor disc 2, Afterlife is an incredible song.

As for LC!, For Flotsam is the best album opener.

[Winslow Leach]

As for LC!, For Flotsam is the best album opener.

You know, I think I may be with you there.

[CHRLY]

I do miss discussing Arcade Fire, used to be my home this thread.

[The 38 year old virgin]

In no particular order;

1. No Cars Go

2. No Cars Go

3. No Cars Go

4. No Cars Go

5. No Cars Go

unfortunately I've reached my quota of positive votes, but that song is close to making me weep. Absolute brilliance.

Excited we're doing this again

1 no cars go

2 tunnels

3 sprawl 2

4 rebellion (lies)

5 the suburbs

[TomViolence]

Was definitely the highlight of the set, I think Sprawl II live always feels like more of a special moment than Wake Up does.

As good as they were at Glastonbury, I doubt I'll ever enjoy an Arcade Fire performance as much as Reading in 2010. It wasn't just that they played an absolute blinder, it was that for months I'd had to put up with people on the internet, and even a lot of my friends, going "Who the fuck are Arcade Fire? Why are they headlining? They sound shit. The Libertines should be headlining." So there was a real "us against the world" feeling in the crowd leading up to that set that gave it an energy I never really felt any other time at Reading, except perhaps for Common People in 2011. It just felt special, and there was a huge wave of vindicated smugness when they knocked it out of the park.

The jewel in the crown came after the festival, when a friend of mine who I know full well had been claiming Arcade Fire were crap before the festival, was suddenly claiming he'd always liked them.

Couldn't agree more. The months of ridicule that preceded their set was crazy!

Everything fell into place perfectly, I also don't think they'll top that performance for me. What makes it better is all but one of my friends went to Pendulum and they've regretted it ever since

[trainwreck]

Always unpopular opinions I seem to have on this.

1. Half Light II (No Celebration)

2. (Antichrist Television Blues)

3. Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)

4. Neighborhood #3 Power Out

5. No Cars Go