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
x-post: Afaict lyrics are credited to the entire band. And I'm not saying he is not an asshole - his behaviour during Here Comes the Nightime at the live show I saw a month ago was off-putting, as I've mentioned a couple of times - but the case of who is saying what is really complicated. And has kinda always been so with this band. In fact, I'd say that's one of the things people probably liked, how much 'we' there always was on earlier albums. And still is, but it is getting a bit different as they're getting older and older, and also still singing about 'boys' and 'girls' and 'kids'.
― Frederik B, Tuesday, 8 August 2017 22:15 (six years ago) link
x-post: Afaict lyrics are credited to the entire band.
but do you think all 27 members of Arcade Fire actually contribute to the lyrics. maybe Win & Regine do. but the way he talks about it, seems like Win writes his songs.
― flappy bird, Tuesday, 8 August 2017 22:33 (six years ago) link
To the earlier conversation about major label signing, notice that Win's smell you later tweet even has a brand logo in it. All this meta layer stuff, if true, is going to be lost on people because AF lack the nuance to pull it off.
― yesca, Wednesday, 9 August 2017 02:26 (six years ago) link
The Arcade Fire backlash began circa Neon Bible, and it was hardly surprising.
Their career trajectory: an overhyped debut that has maybe 4 passable songs on it, followed by an immense dud with one good song on it that also happened to be an old song, followed by 10 years of tripe.
― more Allegro-like (Turrican), Wednesday, 9 August 2017 16:11 (six years ago) link
'member when Ned posted the Scritti Politti guy's evisceration of AF, almost 10yrs ago? prescient
― rip van wanko, Wednesday, 9 August 2017 16:41 (six years ago) link
Sure wish I remembered that.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 9 August 2017 16:44 (six years ago) link
Neon Bible is their best album imo
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Wednesday, 9 August 2017 16:57 (six years ago) link
yeah i agree, neon bible has held up a lot better than funeral (maybe because its songs haven't been licensed and ripped off as endlessly as those on funeral). i listened to it for the first time in years the other day - it's great, and while the whole anti-organized religion thing seems so dorky and try-hard now, it was still relatively unusual in early 2007 at the end of the GWB administration. "Intervention" is one of their best songs. I always had a soft spot for the title track, too - maybe their most simple song, imo their most beautiful.
― flappy bird, Wednesday, 9 August 2017 17:05 (six years ago) link
perhaps there was indie backlash against them, but The Suburbs won fucking Album of the Year at the Grammy's in 2011. that was really shocking. and yeah, as discussed above, Reflektor got really good reviews for some reason.
― flappy bird, Wednesday, 9 August 2017 17:07 (six years ago) link
wtf is up with "everything now" sneaking into the NB tracklist on Spotify
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Wednesday, 9 August 2017 17:17 (six years ago) link
just crunched the numbers on this, that is not allowed
― flappy bird, Wednesday, 9 August 2017 17:42 (six years ago) link
I've never seen any backlash except via ilx and among small groups of similarly minded folks. Until now.
― Evan, Wednesday, 9 August 2017 17:43 (six years ago) link
looking forward to never having to hear about this band again tbh
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 9 August 2017 17:46 (six years ago) link
Too bad. If something sucks ILX is more likely to talk about it.
― Evan, Wednesday, 9 August 2017 17:48 (six years ago) link
they're also one of like a dozen arena rock bands that formed after 2000
― flappy bird, Wednesday, 9 August 2017 17:52 (six years ago) link
The Suburbs won fucking Album of the Year at the Grammy's in 2011.
Unfortunately, by the time that 2011 rolled around, stuff like this meant sweet FA.
― more Allegro-like (Turrican), Wednesday, 9 August 2017 18:23 (six years ago) link
In fact, by the time 2011 rolled around, "indie" music in general meant sweet FA, its popularity having died crushed by a landfill circa the release of Kings of Leon's 'Sex on Fire' ... in the '10s, only a small handful of already existing (or reformed) "indie" bands have put out decent work. Newer "indie" bands have pretty much had it from the get-go.
― more Allegro-like (Turrican), Wednesday, 9 August 2017 18:37 (six years ago) link
what is 'sweet FA'
― flappy bird, Wednesday, 9 August 2017 18:55 (six years ago) link
sweet failure analysis
― Gaspard de la Nuit: III. ScarJost (Sufjan Grafton), Wednesday, 9 August 2017 19:09 (six years ago) link
Fanny Adams (30 April 1859 – 24 August 1867) was a young English girl murdered by solicitor's clerk Frederick Baker in Alton, Hampshire. The expression "sweet Fanny Adams", or "sweet FA", refers to her and has come, through British naval slang, to mean "nothing at all".
In 1869 new rations of tinned mutton were introduced for British seamen. They were unimpressed by it, and suggested it might be the butchered remains of Fanny Adams. "Fanny Adams" became slang for mutton[6] or stew and then for anything worthless – from which comes the current use of "sweet Fanny Adams" (or just "sweet F.A.") to mean "nothing at all". It can be seen as a euphemism for "fuck all" – which means the same. The large tins the mutton was delivered in were reused as mess tins. Mess tins or cooking pots are still known as Fannys.[citation needed]
― nomar, Wednesday, 9 August 2017 19:11 (six years ago) link
in other words, Turrican, a little "too soon" maybe
― nomar, Wednesday, 9 August 2017 19:12 (six years ago) link
guys, if you found the album cycle offputting and the music not to compensate, I regret to inform you that you, my tiny child, have merely ~misunderstood the art~ http://www.vulture.com/2017/09/arcade-fires-win-butler-on-everything-now-album-rollout.html
― sick, fucking funny, and well tasty (katherine), Friday, 22 September 2017 12:54 (six years ago) link
(were there this many people during the Reagan and/or Bush years suggesting less-than-glowing reviews of their record sprung from The Forces That Elected Not My President?)
― sick, fucking funny, and well tasty (katherine), Friday, 22 September 2017 12:57 (six years ago) link
(by "this many" I suppose I mean "also any" but I suspect we're going to see more of this rhetorical move in the next three-to-seven years)
― sick, fucking funny, and well tasty (katherine), Friday, 22 September 2017 12:59 (six years ago) link
What a dumb interview (his answers, not the questions). So full of himself. What is the point of proving that if you intentionally spread misinformation about your band and music people will believe or further spread said misinformation?
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 22 September 2017 13:13 (six years ago) link
That said, their plan might have worked had a) the music indeed resonated and b) had they followed it up with some sort of full-U2 Zoo TV tour spectacle. Maybe there's still time for that, but grouchy Win "you don't get it, maaaan" interviews aren't helping things.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 22 September 2017 13:18 (six years ago) link
His lecture tour with Darren Aronofsky'll be great.
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 22 September 2017 13:53 (six years ago) link
"Bad On Purpose: The Made-You-Think/Mission Accomplished" Tour.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 22 September 2017 13:56 (six years ago) link
Lol Ned.
His answers are embarrassing.
― Le Bateau Ivre, Friday, 22 September 2017 13:57 (six years ago) link
Haha Josh
Easily my favorite bit is the "Well the FRENCH got us!"
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 22 September 2017 14:02 (six years ago) link
my least favorite bit is the way it throws out generalities about how broken music journalism is and how toxic the political climate is, things designed to make people nod along (particularly music journalists, perpetually looking for something, anything, anyone, to validate their despair at their earning potential), and uses those generalities to sneak through some real bullshit undetected. the dress code thing is a good example. the way Butler talks about it, you'd think the story was completely manufactured. (by the town of Macedonian teenagers who weren't good enough at fake news to reach the Trump leagues?) but it wasn't -- there was, in fact, an email requesting exactly what was reported. the guidelines, furthermore, are pretty much standard for anything that's going to be filmed -- logos have to be blurred out in post, solid white and red tend to film poorly -- but "look, this is how TV production works" is quite a different statement from "this email that clearly exists doesn't exist, how dare you report on it."
of course,
given he's outright said it there's a decent chance the postmortem interview will get a subsequent postzombie interview in which he says "hahaha, you journalists were fooled into being irritated by my deliberately irritating statements, gotcha!"
― sick, fucking funny, and well tasty (katherine), Friday, 22 September 2017 14:20 (six years ago) link
(this isn't just limited to arcade fire, obviously -- a side effect of aforementioned journalism climate is that PRs now have a fantastic strategy of calling anything that deviates from their manufactured narrative "fake news"). doesn't help that the most visible people who are the most visibly "skeptical" are right-wing cranks
― sick, fucking funny, and well tasty (katherine), Friday, 22 September 2017 14:25 (six years ago) link