BY MIKEY MIGO
Sometimes you just miss out on something. Everyone you know sees a movie, a television show, or hears a song that you just missed out on. It's not your fault. It happens to everyone. No matter how much music I take in, there's always going to be songs, albums, and even entire discographies that I've never heard. I accept this, but with this column I have an excuse to rectify some of those missed bands. I tend to go for bands that are held in high acclaim and have three to six albums in their discography. Over the past "First Impressions", I've heard some bands that I ended up enjoying a lot like "Simon and Garfunkel", "The Smiths", "Elliot Smith", and "Eagles of Death Metal". At the same time, it's also been hell to sit through multiple albums of bands that weren't my cup of tea like "Kings of Leon", "The Cars", and "Portishead". Regardless, it's still worth it. Like it or not, I get a chance to hear what the band has to offer and form an educated and informed opinion of their work. We all like what we like, but there's no reason to be close minded to art.
You're already a fan or you've seen them mentioned. Arcade Fire is becoming one of the biggest bands in rock and somehow I've missed the boat. At their level of popularity, I'm sure I've heard their music on the radio, on tv, or in general passing. I just didn't adsorb it or pay attention. This is my chance to catch up on the three studio albums of Arcade Fire and give an honest first impression. Do they stack up to the hype or will I shrug them off like some other "biggest bands" out there? Basically, let's take a listen, absorb, and analyze…
Funeral
(2004 | Duration – 48min)The album starts off with a very somber piano and into a building song called "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)". I see that four songs are in the "Neighborhood" series on this album. This isn't a bad song. It sounds familiar and has my ears at ease, but I still can pin point a good comparison based on this one song. The vocals kind of remind me of Frank Black, but again it's only after one song. We'll have to see as we carry on. For a first song, it definitely leaves me wanting to hear more. "Neighborhood #2 (Laika)" is next and it's similar to the first track. It has its own thing going on, but it's still within the realm of the first song. If this is the "kind" of music they make, then my first question is if their music all sounds exactly the same. Like I said, these two songs aren't EXACTLY the same, but I can already see repetition as being an issue. I'm hoping they prove me wrong. It's almost laughable as "Une année sans lumière" does just that. It drops to a down tempo chill out song that's nothing like the first two songs. So maybe it's a "Neighborhood" thing. "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)" is a poppy tune and kind of reminds of Modest Mouse. I don't like Modest Mouse and I'm not real big on this one. It sounds well done and cool, but the vocal delivery ruins it. We wrap up the "hood" with "Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles)". It starts off with an eerie sound, best described as the calm before the storm. It had a old gritty and plucky sound to it and it's pretty damn good. At first it wasn't for me, but I found myself way into it by the end. We trail off into "Crown of Love" a majestic and ear pleasing downward-up tempo accompanied by a great arrangement. I can't get over the "full" sound that I'm getting over my head phones. Next we hit up the single "Wake Up", which I know oh so well. I don't live completely under a rock and have heard this song. Even so, I get Direct TV under my rock and have heard this song plenty of times on the Dan Patrick Show. How could you NOT like it? Up next is "Haiti". It sounds familiar, but I'm fairly certain I've not heard it before. This goes into "Rebellion (Lies)". It's not bad, but by this point my mind is still processing the past two songs. The album closes with "In the Backseat", a beautifully sung song that gives a haunting vibe that builds and sways into droning guitar accompaniment. It builds and drops back to somber melodies. About half way in, it builds into a full blown rock orchestra. The vocals start to remind me of Bjork. I don't like Bjork. Thankfully, it's different enough to make me not like it. It's a strong song it fizzles out and fades away leading the ears into silence. It's as if the walls around this album were knocked down and the sound was allowed to be fully heard. That makes no sense, but the point is that it's great stuff. This album is loved by a lot of fans and critics and I can completely get why. There's not much out there like Arcade Fire. Most folk put this album on top of their decade lists and I'd have to agree. This album is pretty magical and I'm down right ashamed of myself for missing the boat on Arcade Fire. This album will be listened to again (and again).
Neon Bible
(2007 | Duration – 47min)I'm fairly certain I've heard at least a few songs off this album in passing. But I couldn't tell you anything about it. I want to stay positive and think it's because I was preoccupied in conversation or intoxicated. If this album is anything like the last album I'll be happy. If it evolves, then I'll be amazed. We look to conquer the sophomore jinx starting with "Black Mirror". It's a rumble-filled head nodder and has a darker vibe than anything on the last album. Still, it fills the ear to a standing room only capacity of cohesive sound. It almost reminds me of Bowie. I love Bowie. "Keep the Car Running" makes you want to smoke cigarettes outside of a sock hop. It's got an old school groove going for it. It feels like music that would be on a John Hughes movie trailer from the 80s. Next is the title track "Neon Bible". It's a short little ditty. It's stripped of sound and it lets the vocals echo for miles over the simplistic beat and melody. It's like a dark song lullaby. The sound of a church organ is heard as "Intervention" begins. It's a great song. It's like if Elvis Costello sang over Muse track. It's epic and "pitter-patters" right through the journey. Then it's like you're pulled into a time machine. The 80's synth pop of "Black Wave/Bad Vibrations" doesn't really do it for it. It bores me, but then cuts into what feels like a completely different song. The second Will takes the lead vocals the song gains power. It feels like it's building up to an explosion and it kind of delivers. On its own, the second half of this song COULD HAVE BEEN my favorite on the album. I don't get why they couldn't have been separate songs. The song "Ocean of Noise" isn't just a witty title; it's a great explanation for how this song starts. It then morphs into a smooth Roy Orbison meets Tom Waits track. I'm not well versed in either of those guys, but I love this song. This track is wonderful. "The Well and the Lighthouse" is probably a really good song to hear on its own when you have your music on random. It takes over a minute for the last song to wear off before you start to really open your ears to this one. It's probably the weakest track on the album so far, but it's still good. That's how good this album is. The oddly titled "(Antichrist Television Blues)" is a fast passed, take no shit, blues-rock song. It's rambley and you can't help but move a little with the melody. "Windowsill" is one of those songs that just punches you in the chest. It's got the ingredients of "timeless rock song", but for some reason it's holds back JUST enough to rob us from something beyond "great". Then "No Cars Go" starts off like we're going to listening to the audio of a Disney movie and then it cuts into a pleasant-enough rock song. It tries to be as epic as "Wake Up" from the first album, but with only about 75% the awesomeness. That's still pretty good. The album ends with "My Body Is a Cage". It's a soulful and somber build as the music grows bigger and bigger with each verse line. It's a great ending to the album. I liked this album a lot and when I said at the top that I've heard this before… I don't remember it. "Neon Bible" isn't as good as "Funeral", but it's not without its key tracks. I loved the second part of "Black Wave/Bad Vibrations", "Windowsill", "My Body Is a Cage", and "Ocean of Noise" the most. Oddly enough none of those tracks made the cut when the band selected their four singles. You can hear the band evolve, and that's all I can ask for. Good music that evolves and takes new chances is crucial in a band maintaining a lasting respect. So far, so good.
The Suburbs
(2010 | Duration – 64min)The third and most recent Arcade Fire album is "The Surburbs". Critics are all on this album's preverbal nuts and I've not talked to any normal folk about it yet. So far when the band is hyped up, they've lived up to it. Who am I to be pessimistic? The album starts off with the title track, "The Suburbs". It's an upbeat song with lyrics that shuffle along like a David Byrne hit. The second song is "Ready to Start", but believe me "It's already been brought!" It's good stuff. "Modern Man" is awesome stuff. It channels everything good in music and puts it out in a throbbing guitar driven piece. The guitar kind of reminds me of a portion of the "Jesse's Girl" track from back in the day. I kept waiting for them to scream out "It was Jesse's Girl!"… but no luck. "Rococo" is next. It's a dirty sounding acoustic track with Disney super power sounds sprinkled in the background. I like it, but the whole "Ro-co-co" chorus thing seems to be trying a little too hard to be amazingly clever. Dammit, it's just clever… not "amazing". This isn't "cu-cu-ca-chu" or anything. It then goes into a violin on speed sounding intro and marches into "Empty Room". It comes and goes before I can form an opinion. But I know I instantly like the muddiness of "City with No Children". You flow into "Half Light I" and go into a daze. The music here is beautiful. It's enough soft enough to be a lullaby, but enthralling enough to stay away. "Half Light II (No Celebration)" rocks even harder. I like both, but if I were to sew these two songs together I'd cut down the first part to an intro for the awesome "II". The opening of "Suburban War" goes into a wall of sound. The vocals echo and the whole arrangement feels like a hundred songs released during the 80's. I like it, but is THAT what "indie" is? Songs that sound new wave, but are just stripped down or produced to harsh detail? It reminds me of a Talking Heads B-Side and then something like a "Night Ranger" song. I don't know about this one. "Month of May" is a rocker. It's really different in comparison to anything else they put out. I'm tired of typing comparisons of this album and band to David Byrne and Talking Heads, but it's not really giving me much of a choice. "Wasted Hours" sounds like something Byrne released 10 years ago. Then the chorus comes and wipes that idea clean. It's such a unique and slow delivery that it stands out. A lot. "Deep Blue" is good, but muddy and boring. It's good, but my focus is gone and I'm sleepy. "We Used to Wait" has a cool piano loop over and over that remind me of 80's TV for some reason. I'm just not feeling it. "Sprawl I (Flatland)" is just there. "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" wakes me up. It's catchy and fun. The synth is addicting. I bet this ends up a single. We finish off with the title track… again, "The Suburbs (Continued)". It's a very down trot and echoy song and just about officially puts me to sleep. It's a rather fragile way to end this album. I enjoyed the first half of the album a lot more than the second half. There were some bright spots. I did like some of the "Sprawl" series. Starting with the last few tracks, this album starts to sound the same and get tiresome. My brain tells me it's good, but my ears are like "whatever." It looks like I'm going to have to listen to this album again in the near future just so I can take in the last few songs again. They deserve fresh ears. But this could be a problem. The first two albums were around 45 minutes and then this one is over an hour. I'm wondering if they've overstayed their welcome on this one. I'm going to flat out say it. This album would be A LOT better with about ten to twenty minutes cut off. It's far from bad and a lot closer to "pretty awesome", but a tighter album would of made for a better first impression and listening experience.
The Verdict
(2003-Present)I love the fact that this band uses a male and female vocalist, there's electric, acoustic, piano, synth, accordion, xylophone, recorder, organ, and pretty much any music instrument they can get their hands on. You can't help but imagine the studio looked something like the Brian Wilson parody scenes in "Walk Hard". The music is like what you imagine a Spike Jonez or Wes Anderson movie sounds like with the sound off. I can totally see the appeal of Arcade Fire. They won me over. I'm going to listen to these albums more in the future and probably fall in love with stuff I didn't care for today during this first impression. This band has managed to evolve over three albums and do things that most musicians would cower from. There are times songs do some a little too similar and plenty of tracks that sound a little too similar to songs by artists that obviously influenced the band. They have their own thing going, but there had to be at least two or three times that I rolled my eyes due to the fact something sounded like Bowie or Byrne. Not bad influences at all, but I'd like to see them stay away from the carbon copy songs. They prove they can with ease so it's not a problem. Lyrically, it sometimes feels as if they try too hard. They're just so talented. At least enough to let the "self loathing hipster" stuff slide. I am a little angry with myself. I could have been enjoying the first two albums for a few years now, but better late than never.
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