2017 Arcade Fire LP

I don't particularly like them, enjoy a few previous songs, but the new single is ridiculous yet not bad. It's catchy but there are some very silly aspects (the mentioned abba hook, the flute breakdown - borderline spinal tap territory, the everything now chanting part that sounds like simple minds' alive and kicking prechorus...).

Funeral and Suburbs are both great, the second is probably the better "album." Neon Bible has its moments but I don't play it much. Reflektor, I'm honestly not sure I've listened to the whole thing.

I wrote upthread the sample was Hancock, but it's of course this tune:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m56H4E5bZLk

Love it.

I first heard that song through ILX, and imagine Win Butler did the same. Though apparently it's on a pretty influential compilation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzwicesJQ7E

They've always incorporated New Order into their music but the beginning foundation of this track is about as obvious a nod as it gets.

the "first record" reference is clever but I can't help think the new Killers single trumps them for cheese appeal

decent song but subtlety was never a strong point with these guys huh

I like the Francis Bebey sample

Funeral is their best album because it doesn't sound like a DFA b-sides compilation heard through a thin wall, and neither was it recorded in a big echoey church

haha

rly loving the new track

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-w1GeH8KPU

Lmao nailed it

Just listened and am having trouble not hearing Creature Comfort as a bit of InBetween Days over Love Missile F1-11, but it's pretty damned flashy. I'm a little dazzled right now.

Just got a pop-up ad for a combination fidget spinner/USB drive combo promoting the new album. I assume it is part of their high-concept gag marketing push?

Incidentally, there seems to be broader industry stuff afoot. AF sign to Columbia, War On Drugs sign to Atlantic ... why do these bands need to jump indie ship now, when it would seem that the majors (as such) have less to offer than ever?

AF has less to offer than ever, too, so it might be a good fit? Idk.

Incidentally, there seems to be broader industry stuff afoot. AF sign to Columbia, War On Drugs sign to Atlantic ... why do these bands need to jump indie ship now, when it would seem that the majors (as such) have less to offer than ever?

Arcade Fire can already sell out arenas, win Grammys, etc. They've sold millions of records at this point, certainly more than many major labels, and all on an indie that I assume gives them very favorable royalties. I wonder what more they really want and, again, what a major can give them that Merge can't? If anything, the last AF album was affiliated with a (different) major, Capitol/Universal, and fwiw was the group's lowest selling album in the US (though not by a huge margin).

Anyway, maybe answering my question, here's some 2013 piece about how hard it's been for indie-isa bands to break the glass singles ceiling:

http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/128-reflektor-debuts-at-1but-why-havent-arcade-fire-conquered-the-singles-chart/

Arcade Fire can already sell out arenas, win Grammys, etc. They've sold millions of records at this point, certainly more than many major labels, and all on an indie that I assume gives them very favorable royalties. I wonder what more they really want and, again, what a major can give them that Merge can't?

I'm pretty sure Merge know jack fucking shit about how to properly promote anything.

If you just want to make Art, that's probably okay. If you want to become a global brand, it's not.

#realtalk

By what metric can the band be judged even more successful beyond even bigger record sales, which no one save a handful of acts are garnering? Short of hiring Max Martin or some other writer/producer ringer, not sure there's anything a major can offer. I'd love to hear your (or anyone's) alternative perspective.

I never liked this band--far too overwrought and anthemic, kind of an indie-but-stadium U2 vibe. But a friend played me the song with the Francis Bebey sample/interpolation and it sounds a lot more fun than what little I remember of them previously. I mean, if indie rock has to exist, at least it can be more of a Talking Heads/Knight Rider theme song/Daft Punk/Stereolab/LCD Soundsystem-inspired thing(aka third hand dance/funk/pop) than a Beat Happening/God Speed You Black Emperor hybrid. With all of the terrible stuff involving Barney the Purple Dinosaur level twee singalongs and "Hey! Ho!" and clapping Urban Outfitters bullshit I have to hear on the Pandora at work, I'll take this over that.

This is why I don't want to hear indie rock, though--it just brings out my crotchety old man qualities.

I never liked this band--far too overwrought and anthemic, kind of an indie-but-stadium U2 vibe.

One interesting narrative I've seen crop up with the last two records is this idea that somehow they are just now taking on dance music - I don't think people with these opinions have been listening closely enough. If you go back and listen to "Neighborhood #1" and "Crown of Love", both of them explode at their climaxes with straight up disco rhythms, and "Neighborhood #4" is straight up indie extended mix electronic driving beat music.

Since that record I've had a bit of love hate with the band. On 'Funeral' I felt like they really balanced that anthemic and earnest quality with some decent poetry and inspired songwriting. Fast forward to 'Reflektor' and you have sloppy groove numbers with some really obnoxious art nonsense. They just don't have the taste to cash the checks they write with some of these lyrics and creative statements, and while I like "Everything Now" it is really teetering on the brink of goofy.

By what metric can the band be judged even more successful beyond even bigger record sales, which no one save a handful of acts are garnering?

Shakespeare gotta get paid, son.

According to this post from 2014 booking AF costs around 1,000,000 to 1,500,000. That puts them on the same league as Bruno Mars, Rolling Stones, Elton John, Aerosmith... they didn't need the big label money.

https://consequenceofsound.net/2014/06/still-want-to-book-your-favorite-band-heres-how-much-itll-actually-cost/

I get that. But by a really rough estimate they've sold maybe 4 million records to date, maybe more than that, all more or less on Merge. Figure a generous profit split with Merge and that's a huge hunk of change. Factor in sold out tours, festival dates, etc., and the band is doing really, really well. Now, while I concede it's possible in this day and age that a major could somehow match what the band got from Merge, at least in theory, I really don't see how a major can give the band more than Merge got them. I dunno. Back in the day a move to a major could be beneficial, from a financial or distribution or promotion vantage, but now, at this stage, it seems a parallel move at best. Maybe I'm missing something? Is it a coincidence that after a long, seemingly successful run Spoon also left Merge not long ago?

xpost

i've seen the occasional mention in interviews lately that some major labels are now offering 'indie' bands more favourable deals than they used to, so that may be part of the war on drugs etc signing to them

especially considering that, it seems like a natural enough move for arcade fire since they were playing arenas last tour and all

According to this post from 2014 booking AF costs around 1,000,000 to 1,500,000.

That puts them on the same league as Bruno Mars, Rolling Stones, Elton John, Aerosmith... they didn't need the big label money.

When people ask "what can a major provide?" the answer is a corporation-backed marketing and advertising machine. If you think that's something you can just get by Getting on the Internet with Dreamweaver and YouTube then you probably need to ask yourself why Facebook and Google both have market capitalizations of > $400bil and what powers those efforts. There are obvious outliers to this model but outliers always exist and it's dangerous to use them as examples of change or models you should base your decisions on.

BTW, I'm not arguing against indie labels and indie sensibilities - they are obviously more important than ever in our dumb popular culture. I'm just talking about the reasons for why an artist or group or team signs up for that kind of arrangement. When you suggest that Arcade Fire make more than enough money I think their actions should communicate to you that they don't think so.

Daft Punk are not on Soma anymore either.

Is "Everything Now" an obvious single? It feels out of place in 2017 and not in a game changer kind of way. It lacks the immediacy needed for mainstream breakthrough material imho. Not that that's a bad thing.

If a major label got interested it wasn't for their potential as a singles band, but for the success of the band as a live act and all the indie cred that Funeral got them. They're looking at the albums charts not the singles one is what I'm trying to say.

Also I don't know what the hell I'm talking about but when you've accomplished so much without the help of a big label it seems like the best move is not to sell everything to a major label but to merge for distribution rights worldwide. Take for example what Major Lazer or MIA did with "Lean On" and "Paper Planes" respectively. Both huge worldwide hits created on an indie label (Mad Decent, XL) but handled distribution and promotion worldwide by major labels (Warner, Interscope)

But then it's all nonsense without knowing the actual numbers and clauses behind each deal. If Arcade Fire did it, it must have been for the better.

I just hate so much the damage big labels did for music in the past 30+ years that it saddens me to see one of the biggest acts in the indie scene to jump boat and join the enemy. They were the chosen ones dammit.

I have heard (take it with a grain of salt obviously) that key members had been dying to leave Merge at the earliest opportunity and that the relationship between Merge and said members was not particularly...good. (Notice Merge were not thanked in their Grammy speech.)

10 years in, many millions of dollars at stake, I could totally see someone bristling and wanting a change. Like I noted above, even Spoon is off Merge now, back to Matador, the label that way back when first signed them before they left, disastrously, for a major label. The question remains, though, at this point what can a major label offer them that Merge could not? Maybe Merge itself was the problem, not the services it provided.

If a band's needs exceed a label's resources, both parties get frustrated.

Sure, but again, I've been wondering out loud what a major label can offer Arcade Fire that Merge cannot. Obviously money seems like the number one culprit, but I really can't conceive of a major label offering more favorable terms than whatever the band gets on Merge. As for promotion, distribution, that sort of thing, I really don't feel like Merge has been lacking. At least, I don't see how anybody could make those claims, considering the band's sales, sell out tours, that sort of thing. They will never be lacking for success. Could be just old fashioned irreconcilable differences.

*makes an overt throat-clearing sound*

http://alchemisteating.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/566x642xglass-of-water.jpg.pagespeed.ic.Ku3oLTsPTw.jpg

I actually don't know the reasons behind the new move but "irreconcilable differences" and/or "they didn't mention Merge on a speech" are not the reason. I've been to Merge offices and know their staff and know what they're capable of, and the same with Columbia. "Money" is not it, Columbia is a big label with staff and connections, Merge is a small label that otherwise puts out Caribou records. Idk, we're talking about the difference between a staff of twenty and a staff of hundreds. It's not just about who offers more money

It also might have something to do with Live Nation but I don't follow that side of the business because it makes me feel shitty

I referenced the speech only as a potential indicator of discontent, not the cause/source of ~beef~ or w/ever

I do understand the confusion, I mean the last three albums on Merge were all released in all possible formats, in multiple editions, with distribution everywhere (though I guess there was major label help with that?), with elaborate artwork and marketing campaigns, what I have to assume were substantial recording budgets, etc. In terms of actual, material differences, it's not really clear to me either where the advantage lies.

"Reflektor" was helped by a major, and sold less than "The Suburbs" (which itself has sold significantly more than "Funeral").

xpost I trust your opinion more than most, but still can't figure this out (as far as armchair weekend distraction goes). Staff of dozens, staff of hundreds - they can't really become more popular a draw as a live act, I don't see them selling significantly more records. So I think it has to be about money, at least indirectly, which means it could very well be about Live Nation, like one of those 360 deals. (Though of course a 360 deal gone bad is one of their cheeky ironic marketing narratives this time around. It's all getting a bit meta.)

Band moving from one well run label run to another well run label does not seem like a topic worth this much speculation. YMMV.

Arcade Fire signing with SST would be entertaining.

They are the most successful indie band working right now and possibly the most successful indie band of all time (?). I think speculating how and why indie lost one of its most iconic bands to the major labels is worthy of discussion and speculation.

zpost

Band moving from one well run label run to another well run label does not seem like a topic worth this much speculation. YMMV.

I'm interested in this not really because of the specific band, more as just general trivia on the state of the industry

wrote speculating/speculation twice please ignore.

I mean it wouldn't be the first time an indie label jumps to a major label. There's quite a few important rock albums that came from indie bands jumping ship: Nevermind, Goo, Dookie, The Downward Spiral, The Moon & Antarctica, Elephant, Fever to Tell...

Imagine if Nirvana, Green Day, Sonic Youth and Nine Inch Nails had remained on an indie label back then? They wouldn't be 1/10 as popular as they are now. The internets changed the rules of the game so that's why I'm curious about the change of heart, it seemed like the correct move in the past 15 years or so was to move from a major label contract to an indie or self owned one.

Most of those major label jumps came after one or two independent releases, not four highly successful releases that have collectively sold millions. As noted, not sure what Merge has not been able to do that a major could do better.

Yes that's my point, I think, seems at this point that having AF in your label benefits more the label than the band.

Saw the band Monday night and they were great, as usual. The high-concept BS of the marketing campaign was largely abandoned (short some occasional fake ads or goofy pre-recorded used car salesmen schtick to buy merch), and the in-the-round setup worked pretty well. The band's theatricality remains really effective, and their passion (affected or not) is pretty infectious. Still don't like the new songs, but they definitely sound better when there are less of them to listen to. I do wish the band were smarter, which would make its attempts to act smart more effective (a la Peter Gabriel or someone equally presentation-aware), but they sure know how to put on a cathartic show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvqNWYggnVA

this is really not good lol

hoo boy

....

good god this is lame

"inspired by the current climate of the country, with a hopeful message to the youths"

poor youths. this is teh cringe.

embed still is sufficient lol

have never seen a band with a more mid life crisis vibe

should have retired after The Suburbs

this isnt that bad, it sounds like slower andrew wk

also reminds me of this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GhPUAVgHZc

this isnt that bad

I mean yeah on the surface it's a decent song musically speaking, but devvvine really nails it with the "midlife crisis rock" label. Win Butler has sounded desperately try hard since Reflektor, and Everything Now was straight cringe and utterly, lyrically tone deaf. I'll admit this is a marginal improvement though but I wish they'd focus inward again.

priors: i dont have any strong emotional attachment to their earlier work, so i have no expectations

i'm just not really sure who this is speaking from the perspective of or who it's speaking to

i know they said it's a message for the youths but it is not speaking their language and it is not clear what the message is

nope, nevermind, I get what you meant about midlife crisis rock, that's it otm