Comments on: we know a place where no cars go

we know a place where no cars go

ZachsMind — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 01:35:20 -0800

"Not much chance for survival, if the Neon Bible is right." Presented by Arcade Fire which is a band that hails out of Montreal. Okay. So I'm easily entertained, but you will believe a turkey can roast marshmallows. Requires flash.

By: wemayfreeze

wemayfreeze — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 01:43:44 -0800

It's nice, but it's no Arcade Fire and the Boss! !!! Well, it might be, not having seen any video of the absolutely massive collab.

By: thetruthisjustalie

thetruthisjustalie — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 02:05:04 -0800

There is a pretty excellent version of that Neon Bible song on Take Away Shows. Features the tearing of pages out of a magazine in place of a snare.

By: Brittanie

Brittanie — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 02:17:30 -0800

This is the first time I've heard their music, and I really like it. Thanks for posting.

By: chuckdarwin

chuckdarwin — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 02:53:55 -0800

Cool site.

By: fearfulsymmetry

fearfulsymmetry — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 03:53:15 -0800

They rock... especially as there's about 96 people in the band and it should be a big sludgy mess.

By: DenOfSizer

DenOfSizer — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 04:09:23 -0800

Don't all Canadian bands have a population density like Bangladesh's? They like, get more government money that way or something?

By: Slack-a-gogo

Slack-a-gogo — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 04:12:05 -0800

Arcade Fire is a band I really didn't want to like - my first impression was that were were a bunch overly pretentious art students with more style than substance. But I was first won over by their fantastic live take on the Talking Heads "This Must Be the Place", and then I picked up the first album, which I appreciated more with every listen. There are so many subtle bits in their arrangements that 10 plays into an album I still notice new things.

By: caddis

caddis — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 04:32:06 -0800

They have been overly hyped, almost enough to make one despise the term "indie", as if the term itself lends credibility to a band, but they don't suck.

By: loiseau

loiseau — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 04:34:47 -0800

It's flashy (yuk yuk) but it doesn't do anything for me. Their earlier websites were way more inventive, when it was (ex-) members of the band creating them.

By: uandt

uandt — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 04:37:20 -0800

By: chuckdarwin

chuckdarwin — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 04:45:08 -0800

I can sort of imagine that the backgrounds of these people and the process of joining their subcultures is quite similar. "I hate Jews, so I'm going to help a bunch of fascists take over Europe and commit genocide..." is not remotely similar to "gee, I feel really ostracised by mainstream culture, so I'm going to dress funny and listen to arty, literate bands from Canada..."

By: rokusan

rokusan — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 04:51:05 -0800

That's the biggest Godwin leap I've seen in months. Hipsters to Nazis in one easy step. Kudos.

By: Flashman

Flashman — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 04:55:14 -0800

I used to kind of like them, until they stole my basketball at the USC gym.

By: Slack-a-gogo

Slack-a-gogo — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 05:11:19 -0800

Good lord Flashman - you can't go around hating every band that steals athletic equipment. That's just part of the rebelious rock and roll lifestyle - groupies, trashing hotel rooms, not using napkins, drug abuse, and stealing various sporting goods.

By: LondonYank

LondonYank — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 05:21:31 -0800

I never understood why people hate hipsters until I went to an Arcade Fire show. The show was pretty good but all the indie-dorks treating it like some kind of religious experience just ruined it for me. The only time I've felt more hating at a concert was while watching some Hitler-crazed nazi crowd at a white-power show a few years back. Never mind your silly Godwin, but I know exactly what you mean. When AF were starting their last tour (in support of Neon Bible) and they did those tiny church shows, the YouTube videos that came out afterwards were pain-making. All of the giddy chatter and hushed awe of the assembled hipsters totally destroyed any desire I had to be among them. For god's sake, people, it's just a band, not the Second Coming. It was embarrassing. Saying that, I am seeing them in November, for the third time. So, I am pretty much throwing stones from a giant glass house.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 06:14:10 -0800

That's the biggest Godwin leap I've seen in months. Hipsters to Nazis in one easy step. Hey, maybe it's not so big a leap... I mean, Arcade Fire, Reichstag Fire? Huh? Huh? What, you think that's just a coincidence?

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 06:16:13 -0800

For god's sake, people, it's just a band, not the Second Coming That is so true. Everybody knows that Sigur Ros is the Second Coming.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 06:39:15 -0800

come again?

By: fearfulsymmetry

fearfulsymmetry — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 06:40:47 -0800

I just remembered this concert clip/interview from the Culture Show which points out the near religious fanaticism they whip up in their fans. (And a cover of Guns of Brixton at the end) Your favourite band isn't god.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 06:43:01 -0800

The show was pretty good but all the indie-dorks treating it like some kind of religious experience just ruined it for me. maybe you should just concentrate on your own reaction to the music, and concern yourself less with those around you. (but yeh, i hear where you're coming from)

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 06:51:51 -0800

near religious fanaticism they whip up in their fans. as opposed to all those girls screaming at the beatles gigs, right? i'm sure it's never happened before. never at a cure gig. never at U2, nor the stones or bob marley. nor any one of thousands of bands with any following. so what? when people are youngish & impressionable, they can sometimes put the bands that play their favourite bedroom or ipod music up on a massive pedestal. come concert time, it does become like a bit like a religious event. it has been before, so it shall be again. and people who are uglier than you and i - they take what they need, and just leave.

By: goodnewsfortheinsane

goodnewsfortheinsane — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 06:53:46 -0800

No "arcadefire" tag?

By: mikeh

mikeh — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 06:55:34 -0800

Funny, I saw them live a couple weeks ago in Kansas City and, while the reaction may have been different closer to the stage, the crowd seemed completely normal where I was standing. The best part had to be some guy I overheard who was commenting on openers LCD Soundsystem: "Yeah, they were pretty great, but I'm here to see The Fire!"

By: goodnewsfortheinsane

goodnewsfortheinsane — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 06:59:06 -0800

so what? when people are oldish & cynical, they can sometimes put the bands that play today's youth's favourite bedroom or ipod music behind a giant magnifying glass of shit. come death, there will not be a contemporary band left you care about. Not to be a prick or anything, but what's wrong with a bit of rock & roll magic? I weep thick black Morrissey tears for those who lost the ~~ability~~ will to be enchanted. Or maybe there's just too much caffeine in your bloodstream, and a lack of real spice in your life.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 07:09:35 -0800

huh? i actually like TAF, although my fave is *in the back seat* - the girl has so much better a voice than the guy. they should let her sing more. i was only describing the *get off my lawn* mentality of others who weep at people getting all religious over their favourite bands. i think it's a great thing. personally, i'm very much looking forward to *the cat empire* in two nights' time - another religious experience, but more of a dionysian one!

By: goodnewsfortheinsane

goodnewsfortheinsane — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 07:20:12 -0800

I wasn't addressing you in particular, UbuRoivas, just the general sentiment.

By: bobot

bobot — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 07:23:43 -0800

Apparently, those of you who are disgusted by fans put Arcade Fire on a pedestal have never been to a Bruce Springsteen show. "They're not booing, they're saying BRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCE"

By: bobot

bobot — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 07:23:57 -0800

fans *who*, I should say

By: Electrius

Electrius — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 07:34:23 -0800

I have a confession: I really, really hate Arcade Fire. I want to enjoy this cool flash thing but being forced to listen to "Ne-on Bi-ble / Not much chance for sur-viv-al" chanted over what seem to be sloths messing around with guitars isn't really my idea of fun.

By: sparkletone

sparkletone — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 07:49:22 -0800

The show was pretty good but all the indie-dorks treating it like some kind of religious experience just ruined it for me. Yeah, man. Fuck people who enjoy things. Especially when they clearly enjoy them way more than I do! Did they also run over your dog in the parking lot afterwards after keying your car?

By: sparkletone

sparkletone — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 07:51:04 -0800

Apparently, those of you who are disgusted by fans put Arcade Fire on a pedestal have never been to a Bruce Springsteen show. Co ugh.

By: psmealey

psmealey — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 07:58:51 -0800

Arcade Fire! Neat site! Moody music! Obtuse lyrics! Arty aesthetics! Canadian! I still don't get it! My loss.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 08:00:43 -0800

I saw Arcade Fire play a good while ago, before there was any hype, before they had put out any recordings. They were first on of 3 or 4 bands at a smallish venue (The Horseshoe Tavern) and most everyone was there to see the much louder Constantines, though Jim Guthrie was also playing that night, and maybe Royal City as well. At the time, those three bands were among the best live players in the counry, imo. Arcade Fire kicked major fucking ass. It was certainly one of the best live performances I've ever seen and absolutely was the best show I'd seen by a band I'd never heard of. A friend of mine was in the audience and she owned a fantastic record label. I said, "You're signing these guys, right? You've got to put this out" but she said it wasn't happening and was a little avasive. I thought she was out of her mind as it was clear they were going to be huge. A short while later she revealed to me that she was shutting down the label in order to move the the USA and become a full time manager (for another respected indie musician). I don't much listen to Arcade Fire these days (Neon Bible was disappointing) but that show will definitely be remembered a good long time--I don't even remember the other performers' shows that night. In short, my point is that I do not think they're a band that is overhyped without justification. Even when they were unsigned, unknown, and unrecorded, they were among the best live bands I'd ever seen.

By: chuckdarwin

chuckdarwin — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 08:23:04 -0800

Neon Bible was disappointing It's a bit of a let-down, that much is true. My wife is a much bigger fan than I am, and she hasn't even bothered to buy it.

By: Alex404

Alex404 — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 08:52:16 -0800

In short, my point is that I do not think they're a band that is overhyped without justification. Even when they were unsigned, unknown, and unrecorded, they were among the best live bands I'd ever seen. I think there's truth in this too. A friend of mine who's taste in music I think is quite respectable saw Nickleback years ago before they were ridiculously huge and said that they blew everyone off the stage. She didn't want to buy the CDs or anything, but she said they did put on an awesome live show. Same with Muse too, now that I think of it. A lot of people I know who would never think of buying their CDs still say that their live shows are still completely jaw dropping. Hype can probably come from at least one of three things: Albums, Live Shows, or Advertising. Many bands go to shit when they start to become recognized, but they probably got to that point off the merit of something - unless of course they were just some industrial project. And fuck that shit.

By: Ambrosia Voyeur

Ambrosia Voyeur — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 09:27:38 -0800

That guy has some long, long arms.

By: dougzilla

dougzilla — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 10:03:35 -0800

For me, the striking thing about their music is how they synthesize elements of various disparate musical styles (the Boss, Celtic, Bowie, punk, Gainsbourg, etc) and come up with something new that I really like. I took my 10 year old daughter to see them at an outdoor show in Vancouver in June. She was dancing around pumping the air with her fist yelling, "they are really good". We were both blown away by the music and the stagecraft. She is not a hipster and neither am I, but I guess we could change.

By: wemayfreeze

wemayfreeze — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 11:39:08 -0800

It's not the fact of a pedestal, it's the height. They're good, yes. But the fervor they elicit isn't really justified. Bruce has earned—and continues to earn—everything he's got. I like the Arcade Fire, too, just not enough to brave the crowds of the converted. And they were so much better before Funeral, when I saw them at the Tavern at Hampshire College! I bought the 3-song tape they were hawking, thereby cementing my indie cred for another decade at least.

By: juv3nal

juv3nal — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 12:46:30 -0800

So, I am pretty much throwing stones from a giant glass house. kristallnacht

By: DenOfSizer

DenOfSizer — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 17:27:23 -0800

Nice one, juv3nal. Why do we have to be so hung up about pop music in this country? Why can't we be like Britan or Japan and just accept the river that is pop music and revel in it?

By: mrgrimm

mrgrimm — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 18:33:51 -0800

Neon Bible was disappointing It's a bit of a let-down, that much is true. My wife is a much bigger fan than I am, and she hasn't even bothered to buy it. Well, duh. I didn't *buy* it. I downloaded it and paid for a concert ticket. Much more honorable. Neon Bible is very good. I didn't like it as much as Funeral at first either, but it's very good. Just my2c. Throw out "My Body is a Cage" and I'd say it's better. I used to kind of like them, until they stole my basketball at the USC gym. UC Berkeley!! I can understand the sentiment (I suppose), but it seems silly not to like a musical artist/band because you don't like his/her fans. It's not like professional sports (mostly same players in different uniforms). I loved the Unicorns, but I'm not sure I'd like hanging out with their fans ... and as mentioned, I do like Springsteen but can't stand the "BRUUUUUUUUCE" appeal. That said, I'm not clicking on any of the links. HA!

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 23:56:57 -0800

For the record, I'm no hipster, and prior to happening across the neon bible website by chance I'd never heard of Arcade Fire before. I just thought the flash was cool. But it's ..educational to learn this band generates so much fervor in some, and animated apathy in others.

By: loiseau

loiseau — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 15:23:36 -0800

mrgrimm: I loved the Unicorns, but I'm not sure I'd like hanging out with their fans ...
It may interest you that Alden ex- of the Unicorns and Brendan ex- of Arcade Fire have started a band called Clues... they have an album already recorded but I'm not sure when it's being released. They've been mixing for-freakin-ever.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 16:30:37 -0800

Why can't we be like Britan or Japan and just accept the river that is pop music and revel in it? heh heh. I live in Japan, but I'm more given to avoiding that particular river rather than reveling in it. It's mostly pretty damn horrible music! J-pop, that is.

By: mike3k

mike3k — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 13:26:22 -0800

Thanks for introducing me to them. After listening to a few clips I bought two of their albums in eMusic, including Neon Bible.