Arcade Fire: A Band That Makes You Feel

The Arcade Fire has produced two full length albums, Funeral and Neon Bible. The first was not widely recognized and was filled with dark imagery, explosive ballads bordering on emo rock. Think of the first track of Funeral, Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels), its over the top imagery of what can be made out, is of escaping an unfriendly home to a neighbor house via tunnels and secret meeting places. This album seems to be influenced heavily by fellow Canadian band The New Pornographers, although much darker in content. The use of dual lead singers along with an incredible assortment of instrument usage conjures up memories of Mass Romantic. Neon Bible is in many ways a concept album taking one theme, not unlike The Killers’ Sam’s Town, Sam Robert’s Chemical City, or Green Day’s uber popular American Idiot. Like these albums, Neon Bible tells the listener a story in this case the story starts with the ironic image of the neon bible and simply expands upon it. In Neon Bible we can hear the need for escape in Keep The Car Running, a desire for truth in the title song, and what seems to be the heart of Arcade Fire’s misanthropic view of the world with Intervention mp3. Arcade Fire has recently released a live album/DVD entitled Miroir Noir (or for the French impaired Black Mirror). As a live album, Mirior Noir has a sort of ethereal quality by using song interludes comprised of fan calls to an Arcade Fire hotline. This hotline is what makes this live album stand out from other live albums and provides a kind of window in the mind of an Arcade Fire fan. The call segments are often strange given the hotline acts as a kind of Arcade Fire Anonymous and range from angry hate calls to fans heartfelt pleads to hear from their favorite band. There are also never before heard songs on this album such as Surf City East Berlin & Cold Wind. Arcade Fire continues to surprise all with its ability to create thoughtful music and inspire its listeners to feel great joy and complete distain. If anything at all, Arcade Fire has proven with Mirior Noir that it incites people to feel... something.