How much are you willing to bet that Arcade Fire release a different, good album today to admonish all those suckers who took EN seriously— Laura Snapes (@laurasnapes) July 28, 2017
― Number None, Saturday, 29 July 2017 19:24 (six years ago) link
that would have been the only possible trick to make the anti-marketing marketing gimmick worth it, though IIRC Old Man Gloom and Akron/Family beat them to it
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Saturday, 29 July 2017 19:51 (six years ago) link
It's not a bad album really if you don't pay much attention to lyrics, there's at least 4 decent songs in there.
― dance cum rituals (Moka), Saturday, 29 July 2017 21:38 (six years ago) link
"at least 4 decent songs in there" a pretty weak endorsement.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 29 July 2017 21:56 (six years ago) link
Unless you're talking about, like, a single 30 minute song.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 29 July 2017 21:57 (six years ago) link
It's a short album
― Frederik B, Saturday, 29 July 2017 21:59 (six years ago) link
I'm not even a huge U2 fan but these chumps aren't even in the same league as U2, "I Will Follow" alone is worth more than every note of Arcade Fire and that's if U2 quit after their first big single
― Universal LULU Nation (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Sunday, 30 July 2017 00:40 (six years ago) link
U2 > AF
Don't think it requires a poll but curious on seeing the arguments. Also why are we all comparing these two bands? Is it having a self-righteous prick as a frontman? Because musically speaking they seem to be more inspired by Springsteen.
― dance cum rituals (Moka), Sunday, 30 July 2017 07:01 (six years ago) link
U2 is aight but they would be much better if a little person ran out and punched Bono in the dick at some unspecified point during each of their gigs
― davey, Sunday, 30 July 2017 11:05 (six years ago) link
arcade fire is more Eddie & the Cruisers
― Universal LULU Nation (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Sunday, 30 July 2017 11:28 (six years ago) link
Ouch
― dance cum rituals (Moka), Sunday, 30 July 2017 13:20 (six years ago) link
You're not totally wrong:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYDAF6NbgKc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEZockGkEyY
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 30 July 2017 13:41 (six years ago) link
― yesca, Sunday, 30 July 2017 14:03 (six years ago) link
I judge an Arcade Fire album by how good the Regine cuts are, so Reflektor was already a bit of a disappointment. No leads from her, but 'Joan of Arc' was fun.
...so here we are, and omg I find 'Electric Blue' really grating???
― KevRus, Sunday, 30 July 2017 22:07 (six years ago) link
no one was lying about how bad "Chemistry" is, wow
I sorta think "Sprawl II" ruined this band by making them think they should try for that sort of thing as the rule rather than the exception
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Sunday, 30 July 2017 22:11 (six years ago) link
Listened to this a couple of times now and really haven't liked it, for much the same reasons as other people are saying, I think. Poor lyrics, a lot of filler and some actually bad/embarrassing songs, a nasty smug, arrogant vibe prevailing.
― brain (krakow), Monday, 31 July 2017 11:46 (six years ago) link
this really reminds me of that terrible, disappointing Aeroplane album from a few years back.
I've been cold on a lot of AF stuff in an 'I'm not feeling this, but I get why people like it' kind of way. This is almost like they're actively trying to be crap.
― Shat Parp (dog latin), Monday, 31 July 2017 12:58 (six years ago) link
Yeah, the filler is obviously filler-like, instead of just less good versions of the singles. But I'm still making my mind up, and at this point I kinda love Peter Pan and Chemistry. It really helps the rhythm group to go full dub, they never figured out how to play this stuff live.
― Frederik B, Monday, 31 July 2017 13:05 (six years ago) link
this album is like watching a software tutorial on YouTube presented by some stoned guy who spends the first 5 minutes cracking bad jokes and humming to himself.
― Shat Parp (dog latin), Monday, 31 July 2017 13:09 (six years ago) link
Arcade Fire are selling $110 fidget spinnersNovelty toy contains a copy of the band's latest album, Everything Nowhttps://consequenceofsound.net/2017/07/arcade-fire-are-selling-110-fidget-spinners/
― dance cum rituals (Moka), Monday, 31 July 2017 18:19 (six years ago) link
Reflektor was pretty crap too though.
― piscesx, Monday, 31 July 2017 18:41 (six years ago) link
oooof
http://thequietus.com/articles/22936-arcade-fire-s-everything-now-reviewed-track-by-track
― The Harsh Tutelage of Michael McDonald (Raymond Cummings), Wednesday, 2 August 2017 16:14 (six years ago) link
there are a few U2 comparisons upthread and my other thought on that is i think Arcade Fire these days seem to be making a lot of empty gestures that don't really hit very hard. i think the context for Achtung Baby and Zooropa was a lot more compelling as well, the whole European sensibility that permeated those two albums (plus Passengers) was genuinely fascinating and often very haunting. the songs were very personal for the most part but the sense of place and time was palpable.
― nomar, Wednesday, 2 August 2017 16:43 (six years ago) link
I agree with that. They are also, as I've noted many times, not the least "ironic." They are indeed personal and often quite affecting in their emotionally honesty, imo.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 2 August 2017 17:19 (six years ago) link
quietus piece was good. much better thought-out than the rather cruel takedown of Animal Collective they did last year.
― frogbs, Wednesday, 2 August 2017 17:29 (six years ago) link
There’s an overton window of pop culture and we need to give it a good shove away from this pap. Or, to put it another way: we don't have to put up with this shit. It's really not good enough. You deserve better, we all do.
I'm very glad someone said it
But I'm not sure some of you really do deserve better?
― imago, Wednesday, 2 August 2017 17:33 (six years ago) link
heard the title track blasting out of a car window and would say it qualified as noise pollution
― Week of Wonders (Ross), Wednesday, 2 August 2017 17:45 (six years ago) link
look forward to FJM getting this treatment
― niels, Wednesday, 2 August 2017 20:48 (six years ago) link
If you bought this album you certainly deserve better for the money spent
― octobeard, Wednesday, 2 August 2017 21:38 (six years ago) link
count me as one of those who never saw what was the big deal w these guys
the "concept" for this is weak as fuck. someone bought them some wind breakers with a logo on it? wow deep man.
― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Wednesday, 2 August 2017 21:49 (six years ago) link
― octobeard, Wednesday, August 2, 2017 3:38 PM (fifteen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
you deserve a one way bike lane into the middle of the ocean
― sleepingbag, Wednesday, 2 August 2017 21:54 (six years ago) link
Norman Records @normanrecords · 9h9 hours ago Finally listening to the new Arcade Fire. Full apologies if you are one of the people we sold it to.
― djh, Wednesday, 2 August 2017 22:12 (six years ago) link
Also, is there any excuse for using (a) woodwind that sounds like the panpipes on The Fast Show and (b) this combination of piano, strings and chanting choir that desperately demands we feel emotional in that Coldplay-Snow Patrol way
Didn't we establish earlier that Wake Up did it first and it's Coldplay and Snow Patrol and a trillion indie bands the ones copying the emotional peak choir thing (which I've always fucking hated btw)
― dance cum rituals (Moka), Wednesday, 2 August 2017 22:43 (six years ago) link
it's all just watered down Hey Jude bullshit
― nomar, Wednesday, 2 August 2017 22:52 (six years ago) link
Which is also a terribly annoying song.
― dance cum rituals (Moka), Wednesday, 2 August 2017 22:54 (six years ago) link
Might be a bubble/perspective thing, but I've not seen a fall from grace in this spectacular car crash way as with this Arcade Fire LP for quite some years. And Joan Crawford was otm (reviewers telling a band simply "no, just no"). And not just that one review, or Dorian Lynskey's, but the Quietus review one-ups it and basically brands Win Butler as a misogynist creep (and Anne Wood makes a strong case tbh).
I suppose the fan base are praising AF for their 'daring' effort and sticking up for them fiercely? Regardless, this album is bombing in every respect, except for youtube comments by fans I suppose.
― Le Bateau Ivre, Wednesday, 2 August 2017 23:02 (six years ago) link
from the quietus:
This is a song of yelling that might have a distant ancestor in Billy Joel’s 'We Didn’t Start The Fire', but it is not as good.
damn
― nomar, Wednesday, 2 August 2017 23:23 (six years ago) link
There should be a thread for when writers try to do a takedown and fail to realize they are describing a sample. I don't think anyone would call Francis Bebey 'woodwind that sounds like the panpipes on The Fast Show' if they knew it was Francis Bebey, not Arcade Fire.
― Frederik B, Wednesday, 2 August 2017 23:25 (six years ago) link
was reminded of the Quietus review reading the YA book scandal thing... I can definitely relate to a lot of the reviewer's criticisms wrt Win's bad lyrics, but all the same perhaps it's a bit too personal in its mean-spiritedness? I dunno, Signs of Life is not a great song but maybe this is not a wholly fair description:
This is mean-spirited conservatism that thinks it’s edgy and cool, with the added bonus of sexist undertones
― niels, Tuesday, 8 August 2017 20:48 (six years ago) link
AF publicist boasted on Facebook when the album debuted at number, something like "three number ones in a row, suck it, haters!" Which of course invited people to post all these other shitty bands that have had multiple number one albums in a row.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 8 August 2017 20:51 (six years ago) link
the publicist is supposed to be some sort of meta "joke"
― Number None, Tuesday, 8 August 2017 21:34 (six years ago) link
can't remember if i posted this in here already but that p4k review is an incredible piece of music criticism and one of the best things they've ever published. i haven't heard the record so my jaw dropped when the author mentioned a lyric about a fan "committing suicide to Funeral."
― flappy bird, Tuesday, 8 August 2017 21:36 (six years ago) link
win butler ✔ @DJWindows98Hey guys. Taking an extended break from this thing, will miss the opinions and the 1 liners :)))) talk later when I got something to say 🌐3:00 PM - Aug 7, 2017
― nomar, Tuesday, 8 August 2017 21:40 (six years ago) link
Yeah, I've been worrying how this band will take a backlash... They've had one coming for a while now, and even if I like Everything Now more and more, it's a weird album and they fucked up the rollout severely. I'm not sure I see them course correcting gracefully.
I get that Win is becoming more and more punch worthy, and people want to take it down, but focusing the critique on him has the unfortunate side effect of belittling what the rest of the band, including Regine, is contributing to the music.
Nobody actually commits suicide to Funeral, btw.
― Frederik B, Tuesday, 8 August 2017 21:48 (six years ago) link
I forgot that Reflektor got a fucking 9.2 on p4k. I would've guessed the backlash would've happened in 2013.
― flappy bird, Tuesday, 8 August 2017 21:55 (six years ago) link
& focus on Win over other band members is obviously because of the lyrics, which appear to be the most loathsome aspect of this record for a lot of people, other than the bad/boring songs. So even if he had co-writers in the band, he bears the brunt as the lead singer.
― flappy bird, Tuesday, 8 August 2017 21:56 (six years ago) link
It's kinda too simple to say he is the lead singer. Regine also sings lead on a song, and joins him on several songs, including Signs of Life. It still diminishes her contributions.
― Frederik B, Tuesday, 8 August 2017 22:02 (six years ago) link
I really like Reflektor, but yeah, 9.2 is ridiculous, and something that invites course correction.
― Frederik B, Tuesday, 8 August 2017 22:03 (six years ago) link
If you sing lead on every single song except for one, you're the lead singer. Does Regine write the lyrics for the songs that she sings backup on? Do they co-write their lyrics? I genuinely don't know. If Win sings lead & writes lyrics on his own, he's the lead singer.
― flappy bird, Tuesday, 8 August 2017 22:05 (six years ago) link
the album review for the new one is the only negative notice i've ever seen them get on PF. they're still posting a new AF story every day.
watch: Win Butler taste tests pasta saucesArcade Fire releases cover of Father John Misty songArcade Fire announces new line of band member papier mâché head Halloween masks
― nomar, Tuesday, 8 August 2017 22:08 (six years ago) link