Arcade Fire

[FloorFiller]

…most under-rated track on the suburbs…really encapsulates the theme of feeling estranged…wish they'd play this sometime (and my favourite on the album, Deep Blue)...

Deep Blue has always been the weak point of the album for me. never liked it and (coincidentally, listening to it right now) still don't. just a bit of a dud for me

To be fair, the U2/Arcade Fire comparisons will be well justified when Win inevitably picks up a camera from the media lot at the front of the stage and takes a picture of them during Flashbulb Eyes. It's bound to fecking happen, and I shall sigh.

it's all the pomp and rockstar-ness of Reflektor as an album that really put me off it. the little 'do you like rock 'n' roll musEEK...' bit of Normal Person makes me cringe on record but when he replicates it live i want to throw up

[Toilet Duck]

Deep Blue has always been the weak point of the album for me. never liked it and (coincidentally, listening to it right now) still don't. just a bit of a dud for me

…it's the guitar crescendo from about 2.40 onwards that does it for me! Would be a boring old world if we all liked the same things though...

[Lubic]

Love the consistent and relatable nostalgic themes throughout The Suburbs, and the album is full of great tracks. The only songs I'm not that fussed about are Modern Man, City With No Children, and Wasted Hours. Trim it down and it might be my favourite AF album.

[Tuna]

I think Neon Bible is awesome from start to finish, but that's just me. I actually think The Suburbs is the weakest. Great album but one I go to the least.

Apart from the first side of Reflektor, yep, I agree. I think my problem with The Suburbs is that my favourite songs never get played, not even on The Suburbs tour. Although that is now also true of Neon Bible, I think the last half of it is the best run of Arcade Fire songs: The Well and the Lighthouse, (ATB), Windowsill, No Cars Go, MBIAC.

[evilduck]

That bit is really cringey, which is annoying because I do really like Normal Person.

I love The Suburbs but always get the feeling its a bit too long, but when it comes to try and pick songs to drop I can't quite do it.

[Toilet Duck]

Apart from the first side of Reflektor, yep, I agree. I think my problem with The Suburbs is that my favourite songs never get played, not even on The Suburbs tour. Although that is now also true of Neon Bible, I think the last half of it is the best run of Arcade Fire songs: The Well and the Lighthouse, (ATB), Windowsill, No Cars Go, MBIAC.

..and you were doing so well til you left Ocean of Noise out of the run of great songs on NB!

[Tuna]

I think Black Wave/Bad Vibrations is so much better so it sort of spoils the run for me

[AdamWillingham]

I don't get the We Exist hate, I actually really enjoy that song a lot!

[AdamWillingham]

for me the albums definitely go

The Suburbs > Neon Bible > Funeral > EP > Reflektor

I think I'm in the minority with having Neon Bible higher than Funeral but hey ho, opinions

[Toilet Duck]

I think Black Wave/Bad Vibrations is so much better so it sort of spoils the run for me

Second half is great, for some reason Regine's songs are bottom of my list of Arcade Fire songs (except In the Backseat)…I love Calexico though, so Ocean of Noise is probably my favourite on NB (closely followed by The well and the lighthouse)...

[FloorFiller]

I don't get the We Exist hate, I actually really enjoy that song a lot!

it's just a bit of a 'nothing song' for me. barely registers - it's just there

[GlastoSimon]

it's just a bit of a 'nothing song' for me. barely registers - it's just there

'You could say, it does nothing but exist...'

[AdamWillingham]

it's just a bit of a 'nothing song' for me. barely registers - it's just there

I feel like its weak compared to other Arcade Fire songs, but I still think it's one of my favourites off Reflektor

[evilduck]

I enjoy We Exist because of having to learn the dance for it at the Roundhouse. It brings back nice memories

[Zoo Music Girl]

it's all the pomp and rockstar-ness of Reflektor as an album that really put me off it. the little 'do you like rock 'n' roll musEEK...' bit of Normal Person makes me cringe on record but when he replicates it live i want to throw up

Oh yeah, so much this. I HATE that bit. Good song otherwise. That kind of thing makes them hard to defend to doubters though.

I kind of agree with Gonzo that when they're good they're bloody amazing but they do get it wrong sometimes. I'd never go as far as terrible and I think Funeral is perfect but the other albums lack consistency. That's why they'll never be one of my favourite favourite bands.

That said, they're awesome live and I can't wait to see them tomorrow or in three weeks...

Edited June 5, 2014 by Zoo Music Girl

[FloorFiller]

seeing Win perform Normal Person live with the spoken intro has lowered my opinion of that song so much recently (as well as the 'unplanned' bobble head stage invasions - his 'acting' that he's surprised to see them come on stage is almost unwatchable)

hope they keep that shit to a minimum at Glastonbury and just bash out the tunes. only an hour and forty five minutes - no time for all of this w*nkery with so many good songs in your catalogue

[Simpo]

seeing Win perform Normal Person live with the spoken intro has lowered my opinion of that song so much recently (as well as the 'unplanned' bobble head stage invasions - his 'acting' that he's surprised to see them come on stage is almost unwatchable)

hope they keep that shit to a minimum at Glastonbury and just bash out the tunes. only an hour and forty five minutes - no time for all of this w*nkery with so many good songs in your catalogue

Most gigs he says some sort of tongue-in-cheek disparaging comment at the start of Normal Person. And at recent festivals, the bobblehead moment has replaced the encore break, so don't worry too much about missing anything

I can sense your frustration with Arcade Fire, you can tell you could really really like them IF....

I LOVE all the extra stuff they're doing though, makes the shows seem a little more special and exciting. I wish more bands would be brave and step outside the box sometimes, especially when the spotlight is shining bright on them like AF.

Such as when Faith No More returned, were booked to headline Download Festival, and lots of (mainly younger) fans were completely bemused. So they come back at the big hard rock and metal festival, and the first song they play is THIS:

Love it!

[bocumaroy]

I can see why people don’t like that bit and how off-putting it could be, but I think I’m just at the stage where everything they do sort of works for me. It’s better if you don’t take it seriously. The stage invasions with the bobble heads, so what? It lasts about a minute, they get to bring people out on stage with them. They’re having fun.

I get the U2 comparisons, but I’m much more familiar with REM, and they remind me a lot of them in their later(ish), peak-popularity years. It’s overtly goofy and corny and distinctly uncool, which I love with both bands. Also Win’s eye make up is an obvious nod to Stipe.

I feel like its weak compared to other Arcade Fire songs, but I still think it's one of my favourites off Reflektor

I don’t hate it by any means, but it’s definitely one of my least favourite AF songs. But that applies to most of that first side of Reflektor. I like the lyrics and bassline, just feel it had the potential to be a much funner song, and actually ends up a bit boring. Prefer it to You Already Know, and I’d put it about level-ish with Flashbulb Eyes, Joan of Arc, and Normal Person.

There’s at least five songs on Reflektor that I love, which is why I don’t buy into their decline which has been suggested a bit recently.

Edit: What Simpo said.

Edited June 5, 2014 by bocumaroy

[LondonTom]

I think Neon Bible is awesome from start to finish, but that's just me. I actually think The Suburbs is the weakest. Great album but one I go to the least.

In answer to the fancy dress question, I'm contemplating a wig.

Nope I am Neon Bible lover, I'd put it as my favourite AF album actually. The others change around depending on what mood I am in ..but Neon Bible is always the top for me.

I even like Black Mirror which seems to have got hate on here!

it's all the pomp and rockstar-ness of Reflektor as an album that really put me off it. the little 'do you like rock 'n' roll musEEK...' bit of Normal Person makes me cringe on record but when he replicates it live i want to throw up

I like that bit! I think it starts off the song great and all those little bits throughout Reflektor are awesome, hints at them not being entirely comfortable with being that big "rock 'n' roll" band they seem to have become.

[FloorFiller]

i totally get what Arcade Fire are doing and appreciate the effort they've put in to their current live show. just sometimes it gets a little silly and imposing over what should matter - the music. but just as long as they play a solid set along with all of the silliness and fun then i'm fine with it. some of it is awfully cringe but hey ho

and i loved watching the videos of that Faith No More performance. was so psyched that they reformed and remember watching the video of their Download performance with a massive smile on my face. exciting that they've hinted at recording new material

[FloorFiller]

I like that bit! I think it starts off the song great and all those little bits throughout Reflektor are awesome, hints at them not being entirely comfortable with being that big "rock 'n' roll" band they seem to have become.

i get that that's what they were going for, but the whole 'we don't wanna be rock stars' thing is just a bit... tired? think that's why Flashbulb Eyes annoys me moreso than anything else - regardless of it being a bad song, the whole message behind it has been done to death. might as well have called it 'Put The Fucking Cameras Down'

[rjb94]

I even like Black Mirror which seems to have got hate on here!

Black Mirror's great! I wish they still played it from time to time

[bocumaroy]

I like that bit! I think it starts off the song great and all those little bits throughout Reflektor are awesome, hints at them not being entirely comfortable with being that big "rock 'n' roll" band they seem to have become.

I think there’s quite a lot of interesting duality and contradiction. They’re embracing it to an extent but also obviously very aware of how their perception and role is changing. Also that Jonathan Ross sample, another thing that I understand why people might find annoying, but I think it’s a pretty funny reference to the performance when Win threw a strop and broke the camera lens.

[nickharley]

i get that that's what they were going for, but the whole 'we don't wanna be rock stars' thing is just a bit... tired? think that's why Flashbulb Eyes annoys me moreso than anything else - regardless of it being a bad song, the whole message behind it has been done to death. might as well have called it 'Put The Fucking Cameras Down'

Maybe just my interpretation but with the common sight of cameras and smart phones being used constantly throughout gigs, the lyrics could be referring to music fans themselves (as well as building upon the idea of the press and being famous)?

[bocumaroy]

i get that that's what they were going for, but the whole 'we don't wanna be rock stars' thing is just a bit... tired? think that's why Flashbulb Eyes annoys me moreso than anything else - regardless of it being a bad song, the whole message behind it has been done to death. might as well have called it 'Put The Fucking Cameras Down'

Every message has been done to death though. They’re not clever or subtle lyrics, that’s the problem if anything, not the message, which is perfectly valid. It must be pretty annoying when you meet fans and all they want is your picture.

Obviously there’s a lot of that in it, but I also like to think of it as the way people mediate their experiences through social media and obviously constant photos at gigs etc. Win talks about exactly it in interviews so it was obviously on his mind to an extent. Of course that doesn’t make it any closer to a piece of lyrical genius, just a different perspective.