With bands like Vampire Weekend and Arctic Monkeys making mediocre follow-up albums, will the same happen to Fleet Foxes?

Vampire Weekend just came out with a new single “Cousins” — and what a disappointing pile of shit! You’d figure that after making their debut album with so many great tunes, they’d be bound to make a more brilliant follow-up album. Unfortunately, with “Cousins” it sounds like the sun just rose on a Monday morning for this skeleton crew. To be fair, Vampire Weekend are not the only band that seem to be facing this problem. Throughout the decade a whole lot of new Indie bands with brilliant debut albums have been popping up—where they have barely been able to create a worthy-enough follow up.

The list goes on and on with bands and artists that got their big break this decade on both sides of the pond. In Britain, bands like The Libertines and Arctic Monkeys each released debut albums that were universally adored by critics and new fans alike: Up The Bracket and Whatever People Say I Am, That Is What I Am Not—the latter of which is currently the UK’s fastest-selling debut album (note:  Britain’s Got Talent star Susan Boyle recently topped this accolade with her I Dreamed a Dream album). Nevertheless, these two bands–led by the apparent songwriting genius’ Pete Doherty and Alex Turner – never seem to have been able to top their debuts with their later works. Even the most recent Arctic Monkey’s release Humbug still sounds more-or-less the same despite the incorporated Americana tinged sound and their longer hair, which I guess is supposed to make them look more mature both personally and musically.

The same has also occurred with North America-based bands. Arcade Fire is a shining example of this… or perhaps more a murkily shining example — since their brilliant debut is entitled Funeral. Nearly every single track on the album is unique in its own way with rich, atmospheric mix of instruments and especially the songwriting. From the quietly swaying “Crown of Love” to the mildly-demented rocker “Neighborhood # 3 (Power Out)” to the uplifting “Wake Up,” this band of Canadians probably created the best album of the decade. Unfortunately, this would make it nearly impossible for them top their debut–as they would release Neon Bible –an album which did have its charm but nowhere near the inspired power of Funeral.

The Fleet Foxes are currently facing this conundrum. With their impeccably produced and written self-titled debut album and their Sun Giant EP, the band no doubt recognizes that these works will probably be the bane of their music career. The Fleet Foxes album is just as good, if not better, than Arcade Fire’s debut. However, it is clear that there has been no report of their recording a new album’s worth of material, despite their performing new songs on their seemingly never-ending tour. Fortunately the band seems to acknowledge this with their cautious approach, as they have stated in their latest MySpace blog entry that they won’t be recording for a while. With this in mind, I have faith that this band will somehow be able to successfully reinvent themselves and pull off another brilliant album –unlike the aforementioned groups.

There is no doubt that fame and the sleazy music industry machine, as well as the over-exposure these groups get because of our era of YouTube,have led to the follow-up disappointments that these bands have produced. With the immediate fame that comes with making a classic debut, the hunger to continue pushing the musical boundaries is gone. There are little-known bands out there with followings that should be bigger like Rubblebucket, who, through constant touring and writing of new songs have proven to be constantly growing musically and performance-wise. This is something all the great artists have done ranging from Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd to guys like Radiohead and Wilco.

Great artists start out decent and then they develop and become great.

–Charlie Weeks

Lo tenia rezagado entre mis bookmarks cual niño aban….va no…es demasiado temprano para abrirme las puertas del infierno un poco más.

Arcade Fire Presents

Neon Bible, Interactive Video

No, no hago listas.

Ya estoy viejo para agobiar con la romería de una lista interminable.

Pero si me llevo ciertas cosas de esta decada dificil de nombrar.

Para empezar, The Arcade Fire.

Canadienses, de Montreal, llevan sobre sus espaldas todo el empuje que la prensa especializada les otorgo, y cierran los 2000 figurando en todas las encuestas dentro del Top 10 por su disco debut, Funeral.

De ellos yo elijo las cuatro canciones suyas que mas me impactaron.

Dos son de Funeral, dos de su segundo disco, Neon Bible.

Pump up the volume and enjoy !

De tijd vliegt. In maart 2007 kwam Arcade Fire’s recentste album Neon Bible uit. Erg mooie plaat, maar dat kennen we nou wel. Na 2 jaar worden de fans hongerig en moet er weer een vers album in elkaar worden gezet. Zo werkt dat nou eenmaal in de muziekwereld en dat heeft Arcade Fire gelukkig begrepen. Daarom zijn ze as we speak hard aan het werk in de studio.  Wanneer het album ongeveer af is kon bassist Richard Parry nog niet zeggen, maar het zal wederom veel strijkers gaan bevatten, wat goed nieuws is natuurlijk.

In september al zei Marcus Paquin, een technicus die meewerkt aan het album, dat “It’s going to be wonderful, It’s been an amazing experience.”

Grootste gevaar voor Arcade Fire? Bandleden als Richard Parry die zich dreigen te verliezen in sideprojectjes waar eigenlijk toch niemand op zit te wachten. Richard: focus je nou maar eens op Arcade Fire!

Mooi wijsje van het vorige album (Neon Bible):

Beeem, meus maquiavélicos sonhos de postar tudo do Arcade aos poucos vem se concretizando [A quem quero enganar? Falta taaanto]. Enfim, aqui trago o debut da banda, o álbum Funeral que é extremamente profundo e trás bastante críticas ao modo frenética de vida urbano em faixas como Neighborhood #3 [Power Out] e fala também sobre um pouco da vida privada dos membros, como em Haiti. Muitos familiares dos membros morreram durante o processo de gravação do álbum, o que causou bastante apelo emocional nas faixas e no nome do álbum. Aqui para download o álbum Funeral       Download

1 – Neighborhood #1 [Tunnels]

Some more fun interactive art  videos and websites:

Have some fun, and paint like Jackson Pollock on this flash website:

http://www.jacksonpollock.org/

Even someone with the blackest thumb like me can’t kill their virtual flower garden

Paint Like Picasso here:

http://www.mrpicassohead.com/create.html

Check out the interesting interactive video for Arcade Fire’s song “Neon Bible” , warning that it doesn’t seem to play too smoothly however. There is another one for the song “black mirror”

Interesting art pieces from Creaktif design studio can be seen here

The most wonderful and beautiful flash games can be found on the website,  Orisinal.com, my favorites are bubble bees and bum bum koala.

Finally I’d love to share one of my favorite videos plus a new one freshly discovered, from Vancouver Film School:

Check out their youtube film channel, I love their classic animation playlist

Livemitschnitt des Les-Eurockéennes-Festivals in Belfort, Frankreich,
vom 1. Juli 2007.

Neon Bible was released, I think, an eternity ago, or 2007 I can’t remember which. More than two years between releases in this indie world could be disastrous but luckily Arcade Fire hasn’t exactly been stagnant during that time and has been able to keep their name in the loop.

TwentyFourBit has had their ear to the ground and by putting all the pieces together have concluded that there just might possibly be a new album in the works along with a tour in 2010.

Here’s what TwentyFourBit is basing their speculation on.

Evidence #1: The Box’s Richard Kelly tweets of an “album release schedule” conflict.

Sure, you can listen to samples from the AF-penned score on the The Box’s official site, but what about an official soundtrack release? The Playlist asked that very question recently, speculating on possible issues with the film (pushed back release date, etc.), but the real clue lies in director Richard Kelly’s response to the non-troversy on Twitter:

The band is hard at work recording the new Arcade Fire album.

They will release the score at some point, when it does not conflict with their album release schedule for their record label.

How could there be an album release scheduling conflict for the score of a movie coming out this year unless they have something planned shortly? I’m just sayin’.

Evidence #2: Official tour availability switched to “2010: TBA.”

Now we’re only speculating here, of course, and just because the band is open to touring next year doesn’t mean they have an album planned, but it all seems to be lining up, doesn’t it? Not to mention, here’s Win Butler to NME this past summer: “None of us want to take three years making a record. It could be that we’ll play live [soon] and maybe we’ll end up bashing it out fast. We’re in the middle of writing, things are coming together, it’s a great feeling.”

Track 5: Black Wave / Bad Vibrations:

Lately I’ve been listening to Arcade Fire obsessively. It is funny because I didn’t like them at all when I first heard them years ago, but they grew and grew, and now I think of them as a staple. In fact they are so creative I think of them as one of the bands I want to inspire my own music. Each of their songs is so different with minute complexities and unique musical quirks that make them unlike other bands. The story telling nature of their lyrics also sets the bar high for me.

My suggestion you, the masses, is get both this album, “Neon Bible” and Arcade Fire’s first album “Funeral” and listen to them once a month for a year. By the end of that year, I bet you’ll be saying “screw this once a month bullshit, I’m putting it on repeat”!

Here are my 5 favorites from the album, with “Black Wave / Bad Vibrations” being my current favorite (although my favorite seems to be switching from week to week).

Track 2: Keep the Car Running
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEZockGkEyY

Track 4: Neon Bible
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nX8h6v3cUA

(Also check out the Elevator Version! … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjxef8AfVQg)

Track 5: Black Wave / Bad Vibrations
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LZ9z71ErWA

Track 7: The Well and the Lighthouse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU7M61xjDts

Track 10: No Cars Go
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83KR_UBWdPI

Click here for other album suggestions!

Click here for more info on Arcade Fire – “Neon Bible”.

The MP3 album may be purchased here:

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

wah! its been a while. school has been taking up all my time and MONEY. (thank you college.)

anyway…here’s a couple great songs by great people.

1. The Arcade Fire – Wake Up

i’ve been listening to the arcade fire a lot lately. this is one of my favorite songs from them, next to neon bible.

2. Landon Pigg – High Times

this song is just great. it’s fun. and i love landon pigg. i couldn’t believe that he was on late night with jimmy fallon last month! i remember a couple years ago when he was just getting started! so proud of that boy!

in other news, check out what my friends of Judgement Day have in store for you!

read their latest blog HERE!

also, they have an AMAZING opportunity to tour with Dredg in Europe!! they leave like…soon! so for all my friends in europe, check ‘em out! you won’t regret it!

Oct. 16th
@ Razzmatzz
Barcelona, Spain

Oct. 18th
@La Boule Noire
Paris, France

Oct 19th
@ Trix Club
Antwerp, Belgium

Oct 20th
@ Melkweg
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Oct 21st
@ Den Atelier
Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Oct 23rd
@ Klub Stodola
Warsaw, Poland

Oct 24th
@ PPC
Graz, Austria

Oct 25th
@ Rockhouse
Salzburg, Austria

Oct 26th
@ Arena Wien
Wien, Austria

Oct 28th
@ Blackout Club
Roma, Italy

Oct 29th
@ Zoe Club
Milano, Italy

Oct 30th
@ Kaufleuten
Zürich, Switzerland

Nov. 1st
@ Konzerthaus
Dortmund, Germany

Nov. 2nd
@ E-Werk
Köln, Germany

Nov. 3rd
@ Schlachthof
Wiesbaden, Germany

Nov. 4th
@ Theaterfabrik
München, Germany

Nov. 6th
@ Huxley’s
Berlin, Germany

Nov. 7th
@ Grosse Freiheit 36
Hamburg, Germany

Nov. 9th
@ Vega
Copenhagen, Denmark

Nov. 11th
@ Scala
London, United Kingdom

get more information at www.stringmetal.com

hope you all are doing well!

peace&love always.

keep in touch with me:

twitter

myspace

youtube

Charcoal-Ray

Nicht weniger als ein phänomenales Debüt ist den kanadischen Arcade Fire mit ihrem ersten Album Funeral im Jahr 2004 geglückt. Das Duo, oder Quartett, oder Septett, manchmal scheint man sie gar nicht zählen zu können, machte sowohl bei Kritikern als auch ihren eigenen Vorbildern wie David Bowie dermaßen Eindruck, dass man bald darauf meinte, allerorten würde jedermann das Album kennen, in kleinen Menschansammlungen plötzlich jemand das „Wake Up“-Gröhlen anstimmen oder Win Butler gar selbst mit seinem Megaphon eine neue Republik ausrufen. Zumindest fühlte es sich so an. Weit weniger Tamtam gab es in diesem Frühjahr um den Nachfolger Neon Bible. Satt kann man von dieser Band nicht so leicht werden, aber die große Welle ist spürbar abgeebbt. Irgendwie auch gut so.

Dabei steht Neon Bible qualitativ Funeral wenig nach, bloß hat die Entwicklung der Band den Blickwinkel verschoben. Wo Funeral Wolkenbrüche atmete und Kinderchöre in Dachgeschossluken die Revolution besingen ließ, sind sie auf dem Nachfolger eben ein paar Jährchen älter und jagen den Cumulus-Monstern lieber verschmitzt hinterher, mit selbst gebastelten Zwillen nach den auf- und abschwellenden Gesichtern schießend. Mehr Konfrontation, mehr Geradlinigkeit und Auseinandersetzung mit der Gegenwart steckt hierin, auch in politischer Hinsicht. Das familiäre Zu-Grabe-Tragen ist überstanden, nun wird am Fundament der Gesellschaft gerüttelt. Dass einem dabei nicht das endlose Gähnen kommt, liegt bloß daran, dass die Musik nicht geringes Vehikel für Agitationslyrik wird, sondern diese auf ihren Wogen mitnimmt. In diesem Hochgefühl gefangen möchte man sich so manche Textzeile nicht nur auf ein T-Shirt schreiben, sondern auf die Stirn tätowieren lassen. Wahrheit klingt so viel schöner.

Das können sie sehr gut, als populärste Vertreter eines ganz eigenen Sounds kanadischer Bands, der undefinierbar Rock, Folk, Klassik und starke Melodien vermischt. Das Mastermind-Ehepaar Win Butler und Régine Chassagne scheut sich dabei auch nicht, Epik und Bombast aufzufahren. Alles in zeitgemäßer Form, keine Spur von Mittelalter-Jahrmarkt oder bräsigem Waldschrat, wenn etwa E-Gitarre Akkordeon und Orgel entgegentritt. Von diesem Kampf kann man nur profitieren.

Insgesamt ist sie aber doch straighter geworden, die Bibel, weniger Singalongs als noch auf Funeral sind zu finden. Dafür gibt es Bruce Springsteen-ishe Songs wie „Keep The Car Running“ oder „(Antichrist Television Blues)“, die dank mitreißender Rhythmussektionen auch gerne so aufhören dürfen, wie sie angefangen haben, denn müde wird man vom Mitlaufen sicher nicht. Mit „No Cars Go“ perfektioniert man das sogar, recycelt dreist ein Stück der selbstbetitelten 2003er EP, und führt es mit neuen Arrangements seiner wirklichen Bestimmung zu. Jeremy Gara gibt mit seinem ‚military drumming’ angemessen zackiges Tempo vor und es darf kollektiv und voller Überschwang ge-HEY!-t werden. Das motiviert zum Zwergenaufstand, wo der auch immer gerade stattfinden mag.

„The Well & The Lighthouse“ streut in dieses Konzept noch einige hin und her strudelnde Harfen, die sich mit Streichern gegen die angeranzten Gitarren durchsetzen möchten. Wins bissige, dennoch zerbrechliche und dem Kippen oft nahe Stimme wirkt dabei häufig wie die des einfachen Mannes. Nicht der geübte Sophist, gemachte Rockstar oder etwa ikonische Selbstdarsteller präsentiert sich hier, sondern eine gemeinschaftliche Stimme vieler vermischter Laute. Dem folgt Régine mit ihrem Kinderorgan, der nur halb gewachsenen Aufmüpfigkeit, die, selbst wenn sie es nicht wollen würde, eine eigenartige Form der unbeschwerten Freude versprüht. Das akustisch lachende zu Wins weinendem Auge, wenn man so will. Schade nur, dass sie auf Neon Bible kein ganzes Stück bekommt, denn wo die Kleine die Hauptrolle übernimmt, stehen meist Highlights auf dem Programm. Diesmal hat es nur für die erste Hälfte des Zwillings „Black Wave/Bad Vibrations“ gereicht, was angesichts des legendären Funeral-Finales „In The Backseat“ und schwarzem Kalypso „Haiti“ auf Funeral nur noch ein Viertel ihrer vormaligen Präsenz ausmacht. Ihr Halbstück füllt sie aber gekonnt und wie immer meisterlich; Das neo-poppige Intro pendelt aberwitzig vor und zurück, als würde die Kanadierin auf einer scharlachroten Schaukel über dem Nichts hin und her schwingen, mit den Beinen zu verwunschen piepsender Elektronik wippend, bis die schwarze Welle mit Win hereinbricht und nur noch ihre Backingvocals das Überschwemmen begleiten. Und um das düster-maritime Gespann auch gut überleiten zu lassen, schließt das von jazzigen Rhythmen und Synthisounds gestärkte „Ocean Of Noise“ an. Das Driften in den schwarzen Fluten ist einer jener Genüsse, die dem geübten Schwimmer abverlangen, die Arme sinken und das warme Salzwasser die Kontrolle übernehmen zu lassen. Selbstredend gibt es dann auf der so passierten Insel das ganze Programm aus verspieltem Klavier, uriger Bläserkapelle und dem wehmutsvoll hinterher blickenden Chor. Besonders der versteckt in den Tiefen umher schwimmende Bass ist hier eines der herausragendsten Klangfischchen, die es zu ertauchen gibt. ’Land unter!’ ist ein Versprechen.

Diese idyllischeren Momente sind seltener geworden, nur das Titelstück, seinem Thema zuspielend als kleine, an Gebetsgesang erinnernde Meditation, schaltet wirklich einige Gänge zurück. Ansonsten dürfen Soundwummen par excellence erwartet werden, wie beim Opener „Black Mirror“. Das weiße Rauschen und die halbversteckten Vocals stehen vor einem unheilvollen Scherbenhaufen aus elektronischem Pfeifen und stetig gezupfter Gitarre. Auf- und absteigende Geräuschbauten, die durch kleine, gequälte Ausbrüche über den sieben Jahren Unglück kurz die Haltung verlieren und in sich zusammenfallen wollen. Die große Melodramatik lässt sich nicht nur in den unheilschwangeren Texten finden, auch akustisch inszenieren Arcade Fire diese Momente stimmig und zielsicher, gleich dem geordneten Chaos, in dem sich alles sofort wieder finden lässt. Natürlich scheiden sich an so etwas mit großer Vorliebe die Geister, so wie das Fanlager sich über der wuchtigen Kirchenorgel von „Intervention“ die Haare rauft. Den einen kann sie nicht laut genug ein, den anderen ist ihre bloße Anwesenheit schon ein Dorn im Ohr. Dabei trägt sie das überladene Stück erst in jene Höhen, in die es unzweifelhaft getragen werden möchte. Den verkündenden Win stützen abermals Régines sirenenhafte Backingvocals, was das Ganze auch zur einer utopischen Nationalhymne für einen redlichen Arbeiterstaat machen könnte.

Bei all dem epochalen Ausmaß könnte ein Song wie „Windowsill“ fast untergehen. Der Slowcomer überrumpelt weniger als viele seiner Gefährten, sondern geht mit verständnisvollem Ohr neben dem Lauschenden her, kommentiert das Gesagte hier und da, richtet in ruhigen Momenten seinen Blick gen waldiger Hänge und Gärten im Zwielicht. Dreht das als Video und lasst es auf MTV laufen, es wäre Bankrott und Sieg über eine zur leeren Hülle gewordene Generation der Wertelosen, die hier mehr mitfühlend als mit erhobenem Zeigefinger angeprangert wird.

Dem Finale gebührt es dann auch, noch ein letztes Mal die ganze Palette an Monumentalität herauszuholen. Zunächst flankieren dezente Orgel und stumpfe Bassdrums Wins phlegmatisch ausbuchstabierte Erkenntnisse, die bitter und doch erhaben über den augenlosen Blicken der immer mehr dröhnenden Kulisse thronen. Darin muss man aufgehen können, die Extreme sind damit ausgelotet und perfektioniert. Wenn man gewillt ist, findet man in ihm Choral und Abgesang für die Ewigkeit, wenn nicht, sträuben sich vor Furcht die Nackenhaare. Das Olymp erschütternde Finale ist einem Titan würdig und vertont mehr als passend den Mensch als Spielball des Schicksals. Vor extensiver Orgelwucht und bleischwerem Drumming bleibt kein Entkommen.

Wie eingangs angemerkt, als Fan hat man wenig Beschwerdegrund an der Neon Bible. Auch wenn insgesamt die Stücke geradliniger und weniger Ideen auf engerem Raum versammelt sind (wahrscheinlich, weil Owen Pallett aka Final Fantasy nach der Funeral ausstieg, seine Hand fehlt hörbar), haben die Kanadier nichts verlernt und einen weiteren Strudel aus bombastischer Antihelden-Epik, Folk-schwangerem Rock und verzückenden Streichersätzen geschaffen. Die naiv rebellierenden, kollektiven Mitsinger sind weniger geworden und auch Régine lässt mehr Solo-Präsenz an den Vocals missen, dafür bergen jedoch die geradlinigen Nummern einen eigenen Charme, der es schwer macht, Empfehlungen herauszupicken, denn die Favoriten liegen individuell wild gestreut. Mit Funeral gemischt ergibt sich trotzdem ein homogener, erweiterter und stilsicherer Katalog. Die Kompositionen bieten in ihren weiten Roben abermals Raum für Freude, Melancholie oder Reflexion, oft auch alles auf einmal. Der damit erzeugte Zustand konstanter Verwirrung ist der richtige Nährboden für kleine euphorische Momente, in denen sich die Anspannung entlädt. Nur unter immensem Druck wird Kohle zu Diamanten. [25. August 2007]

9/10

Band: Arcade Fire (Kanada)
Album: Neon Bible
Label: City Slang Records
Laufzeit: 46:59 Minuten
Veröffentlichung: 5. März 2007

Trackliste:

1. Black Mirror
2. Keep The Car Running
3. Neon Bible
4. Intervention
5. Black Wave/Bad Vibrations
6. Ocean Of Noise
7. The Well & The Lighthouse
8. (Antichrist Television Blues)
9. Windowsill
10. No Cars Go
11. My Body Is A Cage

Arcade Fires Homepage: http://www.arcadefire.com/
Neon Bible-Homepage: http://www.neonbible.com/
Arcade Fires MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/arcadefireofficial

“No Cars Go” live beim Rock en Seine Festival 2007:

“Ocean Of Noise” live beim Rock en Seine Festival 2007:

“Neon Bible” live im Aufzug für die Blogotheque:

”My Body Is A Cage“ live beim Glastonbury Festival 2007:

After discussing music at length with a friend last night, I was reminded of this incredible video of the Arcade Fire performing “Neon Bible” in an elevator. This song totally gets me…it’s so beautiful…and it’s got such powerful words.

“A vial of hope and a vial of pain,
In the light they both looked the same.
Poured them out on into the world,
On every boy and every girl.

It’s in the Neon Bible, the Neon Bible
Not much chance for survival,
If the Neon Bible is right.

Take the poison of your age,
Don’t lick your fingers when you turn the page,
What I know is what you know is right,
In the city it’s the only light.
It’s the Neon Bible, the Neon Bible
Not much chance for survival,
If the Neon Bible is right.

Oh God! well look at you now!
Oh! you lost it, but you don’t know how!
In the light of a golden calf,
Oh God! I had to laugh!

Take the poison of your age,
Don’t lick your fingers when you turn the page,
It was wrong but you said it was right,
In the future I will read at night.
In the Neon Bible, the Neon Bible
Not much chance for survival,
If the Neon Bible is true.”

Really sweet to see them pull this off in such a cramped space:

These past few days have been honey-dripping slow for myself personally, and my absence on Friday can only be explained by a majority of albums I just thought weren’t worth my while.  I’ve truly scoured the net for hours on end looking for some hidden gems, and with the inadvertent closure of some of ‘Highly Evolved’s’ best music resources, things have been gobb-smackingly quiet. I delightfully awoke this morning to find myself adrift and at ease. Comfortably, I oozed towards the desk chair and opened up my browser. I know, I know, comments aren’t usually important, but I’d just like to blow my own trumpet and announce that I got a response for one of my reviews from THE ACTUAL ARTIST/S THEMSELVES!!!

So!

Further details, check out my review on “Dirty Days” by ‘Flea Market Poets’. Enough of that, onwards, and I’ve been patiently listening to “Headworms” for the better part of five-days now. “Headworms” is an album full of surprises, eclectic musical compositions, and is a refreshing mix of acoustic, alternative, with a touch of indie, some electronica, and albeit minor, shoegaze. Check this:

"Headworms" - 'Uzi & Ari'

Last night was a total blast – 6-hours of blissful entertainment, emphatic bass, and a general assortment of drunk and hallucinating individuals and assorted fellows: and what an eighteenth! I got into some heavy music conversations with my partner, Michael Hodder, and the discussions ranged throughout the night into the very wee-hours of the morning. The general conversation consisted mainly of our shared pain about our limited music resources:

“… I’m completely shattered,” I’d began.

“Utterly shattered…” he’d reply.

And that was that. Somewhere, although the mind wavers at this current hour, “Headworms” cropped up unexpectedly. Although the connections between ‘Arcade Fire’ are thready at best, ‘Uzi & Ari’ share with them one unique quality – and unmistakably, that’s time. Some albums, more specifically some tracks, just hit you like a ton of bricks. You either like them or you don’t, to be honest. For me, my introduction to ‘Arcade Fire’ dates back a few years ago with “Neon Bible”, and it took me a solid month to really appreciate all its qualities. In this sense, “Headworms” isn’t an album that you’ll suddenly like overnight, it takes dedication, and coming full-circle, it takes time.

Maybe I’m just trying to find an album so desperately to review, I’m unsure, but “Headworms” keeps you at the end of your tether, forever climbing upwards. Each and every time you listen, a totally new aspect of a track, say, or the lyrics, is realised – new perspectives come into focus. “Headworms” is an album full of exploration and re-discovery.

Musically, ‘Uzi & Ari’ bare a strange likeness to another one of my favourite bands, ‘Sigur Rós’. Okay, okay, lyrically, they’re worlds apart, but composition-wise, ‘Sigur Rós’‘ multi-instrumentation is something that ‘Uzi & Ari’ do share quite frequently. Where ‘Sigur Rós’ maintains a consistent post-rock-esque vibe with their music – their awe-inspiring vocalisation and spine-tingling guitar – ‘Uzi & Ari’ complement with string and brass for a generous mixture of sound. Of course, no two artists are ever truly the same, but these core elements – despite their differing incarnations – are fundamentally the same. With “Headworms”, you can expect both elec. and acou. guitar, and what drew me to the similarity between this and ‘Sigur Rós’ in the first place is the utilisation of brass, like the tuba, or the trumpet, from a perspective other than jazz. It’s really great, I thoroughly enjoy the dark, foreboding nature of the tuba, it’s a fantastic scene-setter and  mood-maker.

“Missoula” opens for “Headworms”, and it’s a sudden introduction, with its quick, tickling-strum of acou. guitar, building synth, and violin. What keeps the track together on a whole is not the instruments, but the vocals.

“… All good… children… go to heaven…”

Are the lyrics that make up the violin-orientated chorus. It’s these juxtaposing sounds which make “Missoula” such an interesting track – where the acou. guitar keeps this emphatic pace, the violin creates tension, anxiety and crescendo. With the arrival of percussion, an explosion of elec. guitar at the 3-minute mark sees a strong contrast with the track’s beginning. With the clash of acou. and elec. instrumentation, this wonderful anti-crescendo sounds its finish. This mind-blowing introduction is only the tip of the iceberg.

Where “Missoula” utilised a mixture of acou. and elec., together with the key-instrument violin, “Wolf Eggs” sees a shift from acou. back to synth. Here, the focus isn’t just the vocals, but the xylophone, the tuba. Again, much like “Missoula”, these instruments come together to bring into focus the final crescendo that is “Wolf Eggs”.

I’m going to jump all the way to “Headworms” itself, which is probably the most ‘Sigur Rós’ influenced song that ‘Uzi & Ari’ have to offer – and that’s mostly because of the flitting distortions between left and right channels, together with distant percussion and eerie-vocalisation. The lyrics:

“… worms inside our head…”

Are fittingly disturbing – and the music reflects that same quality. The ghost-like, ethereal quality of the track itself – not to mention the entire album – makes it my favourite because it touches on a myriad of instruments to create these epic soundscapes. I’ll finish by quoting from their www.last.fm summary:

“Rioting quieter than most, Uzi & Ari seems to essentially be the solo project of one Ben Shepard, of Salt Lake City… These songs are well fleshed-out by an assortment of accomplished musicians, each lending their own nuances to proceedings, but at this album’s core beats the heart of a single man only…”

It has taken me a short time to fully understand the creature that is “Headworms”, and in such a short time-span, it will probably take even longer for me to fall in love with it completely. It’s a rare album because of its refined quality and it’s dark, despondent nature, and where some albums have incongruously-placed tracks, here I cannot find any.

So!

Stand-out tracks: “Missoula”, “Wolf Eggs”, “Headworms”

Rating: 4/5

Until when,

The Enantiomorphic God

I think this song is a commentary on the commerce of religion. (You know, rich priests, televangelists, megachurches, etc.) It is certainly open for interpretation though.

I am mostly just posting this song because if you haven’t seen the video below, you’ve got it. All of Arcade Fire, in and elevator, performing “Neon Bible”. I find the bass drum (the elevator itself) and snare (magazine ripping) are particularly amusing. Overall I think I have liked this song more and more because of this video:

Song Recommendations

If you like this song, I also suggest:

• The Decemberists
• Grizzly Bear
• The Shins

I also suggest the music genre:

• Baroque Pop

Click here for more info on Arcade Fire – Neon Bible – “Neon Bible”.

The MP3 may be purchased here:

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

- Arcade Fire are fronted by husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne. (Win was at a function where Régine was singing jazz. They fell in love and started a band that year.)

- They are a big band of multi-intrumentalists who swap duties on all, maybe more, of the followed instruments to create their big, full, moody sound: piano, violin, viola, cello, double bass, xylophone, keyboard, French horn, accordion, hurdy gurdy, harp, mandolin, pipe organ, and they have used full orchestras and military choirs.

- Their sound and passion landed them a contract with Merge Records before the end of their first year together, and The Funeral remains Merge Records bestselling album of all time. The Funeral also took #8 in Bob Mersereau’s authoritative book,  Top 100 Canadian Albums of All Time.

“Intervention” off Neon Bible (2007)

“Antichrist Television Blues” off Neon Bible (2007)

“Wake Up” off The Funeral (2004)

A internet acaba se mostrando uma ótima plataforma para a criatividade, principalmente no ramo musical. Como a tendência do momento é levar experiências únicas para o usuário e fazer com que ele participe disso tudo, surgiu uma nova modalidade de clipes. E para variar, como quase tudo na internet, isso foi explorado por bandas ‘cabeçudas’ e/ou alternativas.

Os clipes são das bandas Arcade Fire, Radiohead, Cold War Kids e até uma nacional. Vamos aos clipes…

Arcade Fire – Lançou em seu site o clipe de Neon Bible, que você pode interagir com as mãos do personagem. Foi um dos primeiros interativos que me recordo, por isso talvez seja até o mais simples deles. Apenas um flash que toca a música e libera uns momentos de interatividade, mas ainda assim bem legal.

Neon Bible - Arcade Fire

Radiohead – Bom, Radiohead é aquilo que todos já conhecem, ou pelo menos deveriam conhecer. Lançou o clipe para House of Cards, que não utilizou câmeras ou luzes. Basicamente o video é feito com dados, através de um programa que captura a distância de cada ponto da face do Thom Yorke como se fosse um topógrafo ou algo do gênero. São 64 lasers que capturam os movimentos faciais, como se fossem fotos, até 900 vezes por minuto em 360º. Daí você pode girar e escolher o ângulo que quiser para assistir, tendo a opção de outros dois cenários também.

House of Cards - Radiohead

Cold War Kids – Este monta um cenário como se fosse um palco, onde você pode colocar um mudo em um dos intrumentos/músicos ou trocar o seu instrumento. Dá para chegar a resultados muito legais de como ficar a mesma música. Bem divertido!

I've Seen Enough - Cold War Kids

Ecos Falsos - E você achando que isso era somente coisa de banda gringa? Temos um representante brasileiro também! A banda fez o que eles chamam de ‘guitar hero custo zero’ para sua música ‘Spam do Amor’ utilizando apenas uma boa idéia e o youtube. Onde o usuário tem que sincronizar 9 videos de acordo com as instruções que é passada por um video no meio. Com isso eles provaram que basta uma idéia boa e empenho na execução que você chega a um bom resultado.

Spam do Amor - Ecos Falsos

Todos os clipes são pesados para abrir, mas acredito que você vai gostar do que vai ver.

I chose Neon Bible as my best album in 2007 and I still don’t regret it. This is my post on This Winki’s expressing myself upon the disk. It’s nothing but terrible poetry:

I said my prayers on that gloomy midnight and walked out of the church. Stretched up my umbrella, it was cloudy. The streets seemed awakedned by my footsteps and the rain had slowly begun. I don’t know how many Sundays have come and passed, people gather and people leave. I don’t know if God has ever protected me. I just have this weird feeling. I turned left and took the road across the shore, as if I was dreaming. I fooled myself to start dreaming. I could see the lighthouse in the far away ocean. I could see it flicker and revolve around itself.

Dear God, I’m a God-fearing man. But haven’t seen anything from your side yet. The history repeats, the war conquers over all, the rain don’t stop. So, dear rain don’t stop hitting me. The moon and the cruel rain made the tidals higher. I suddenly found myself in an ocean of noise, noises from all through my life, melodies, prayers, whispering secrets. It was a rush of thoughts to my head.

Suddenly I realized a minor change in my brain, a slight change, a rapid eye movement somehow, one that I could not escape. My life, my wife and kids and all my false beliefs passing me by, but I enjoyed this redemption. I want to set myself on fire. I wanna burn my whole library. My library of hatred and politics, bombard them all and reset my mind, Mirror mirror on the wall, show me where them bombs will fall. I know a place where no planes go, I no of a place where no ships go and no car go.

There on the jetty, suddenly a small boat with oars appeared, the ocean was restless and so was I. I was walking home but where is my home? Do I belong anywhere in this city? Boarded the small boat and started paddling. Destination: The Lighthouse, the well was sometimes with me and sometimes against me, pushing me back and forth. The waves were washing me all over, they were washing my brain. Everything I was gifted.. Everything I was admired as good, everything I was punished as sin. Sin? Was I guilty for being put in this very road? Was it my fault? Dear God, I’m a God-fearing man. Dear God! Are you afraid of anything at all? Do you believe in Jesus Christ. The holiness is never found in an ocean in the midnight. What could be hiding and waiting for my arrival there in the lighthouse?

My hands went numb paddling for hours, my mind went numb calculating all the while. Keep the boat running, I know of a place where no planes go. I’m going to the lighthouse.

I jumped out of the boat as I reached the lighthouse, it was still rotating around. There was a doorway. Does anyone live here? I don’t see anyone. I climb up. I reach the top of the lighthouse. There’s a room I see with a table. There’s a black book in the middle of the table. This book is different from any other book I’ve ever seen, it looks like,… looks like it’s made of neon lights, as I open it up I see the words of wisdom, this is the holy bible, a neon bible! What does this neon bible mean to me on this gloomy midnight?

Suddenly I see the world revolving around me, there’s a long tunnel of light I see. I’m confused like I cannot tell. All my beliefs, all my religion is passing in front of my eyes, all I can see is darkness, my memories is clean from anything spiritual and religious.

I wake up! In my own bed, still gloomy, still dark, I cannot move, I cannot shake. I’m paralyzed. My body is a cage now. It’s all gone, all vanished. The neon bible was probably the answer to all this, it was somehow a soul remover machine. From this moment on, I have no idea whether things I do is wrong or right, and I’m not going to have life lines. It won’t matter to me anymore. It’s the neon bible. Not much chance for survival if the neon bible is right.

Speaking about Neon Bible is a bit hard for me personally for it may instantly become involved with prejudice and I was never about that. But anyway, I couldn’t help putting this album in my 5 star albums list (as well as choosing it as 2007’s album of the year). What I have conceived and interpreted from these pleasant streams of heartfelt sound will be kept confidential and stay untouched in my head. People can conclude different aspects of their subliminal state by listening to Neon Bible but those ones who can genuinely believe in this holy spell of disbelief are seldom seen.

Win Butler and Régine Chassagne may both be well-praised by what they accomplished on Funeral. So, in case of becoming immortal, Funeral was simply enough. It discussed family life and the traumas involved in the most honest possible way. The melodies were tender and aching simultaneously. The performance was timeless and most importantly the mood was as cohesive as a classic Charles Dickens masterpiece. Perhaps I’m going to need some extra space in another post to explain the genius songwriting of Funeral, but here I am to write on the next milestone Arcade Fire has succeeded in creating. If Funeral was Butler and Chassagne’s new born infant, Neon Bible is their grown up unfortunate son seeking something to believe and being desperate to find it. It’s more than conspicuous to see from the album title that Neon Bible is about faith and how we are all desperate to find it. No one could make a clear although dismal depiction of such a state better. The blackness that surrounds the Bible is the atmosphere that speaks for itself throughout the whole experience. Even the escape tale of “No Cars Go” that comes from the band’s self-titled EP has been created to fit in this work, not the EP! (although you hear it with much better instrumentation and mix this time). The first thing a superficial music ear expects from a huge band’s new album is the degree of its high fidelity. That’s typically what you hear on most Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead albums, in fact in their two recent works (In Rainbows and The Slip) being hi-fi and a purity (quality) in sound has been taken much more seriously than the music itself (don’t take them as low points, it’s just how they sound). On the other side of the story (the lo-fi) it’s all about experimentation and therefore it makes sense that way. Three good examples are Bee Thousand by Guided By Voices, The Microphones’ The Glow Pt. 2 and early four tape recordings of Devendra Banhart. When I first got Neon Bible through the internet I was suspicious if I have received the good quality one or not, the bit-rate was high but the sound was… you know! It was all in my mind until I bought an original copy from Bangkok and saw it’s surprisingly the same. I guess that was where I got the whole point. Arcade Fire is playing music to its most artistic state i.e. they are emphasizing on their beliefs, they are not screaming their guts out and the drums are not The Prodigy. Neon Bible is a hesitation trip (or temporary residency) in a God-forgotten city by the shore, far from anything to believe in, far from any religion to stick to and far from what you have been before. You physically wander around but literally you are walking in your subliminal mind. Is this another rapid eye movement hour or not? I cannot tell but I can tell you that this is about the time that you cannot even trust your soul for it has forsaken your body to a faraway lighthouse of lust and fatigue. The past has already destructed and the future is unwritten therefore you’re again left alone. The beginning state of this haunting trip is accurately spoken in the breathtaking opener “Black Mirror”: “I know a time is coming. All words will lose their meaning. Please show me something that isn’t mine but mine is the only kind that I relate to”. This black mirror that knows no reflection and knows not pride or vanity is somehow the wanderer’s reflection. A reflection that does not trespass your bright side, religion and faith is history now. “Keep the Car Running” is your unconscious and unaware soul leaning towards fleeing and running away from this madness. This restlessness is a key factor in Neon Bible. It never leaves you. Win Butler keeps this shivering coldness alive all across his pale voice, unlike what you heard on Funeral, he would rather keep his bravery encrypted inside his chest and out of reach therefore his high octaves are heard less.

The self-titled track is about the Bible itself (this Bible lacks the holy tag at the beginning, therefore it’s no longer worth worshiping and praising, in fact quite on the contrary). So it’s performed in a conservative sense. It’s like a whisper to an ear filled with denial, a lost catalog that warns you not to lick your fingers when you turn the page. “Intervention” is your unrevealed confessions; here in this obsolete town it’s a good opportunity to divulge it. “Black Waves/Bad Vibrations” is actually two Q&A tracks, the latter has probably the most appropriate title, it is somehow a defying respond to Beach Boys’ timeless “Good Vibrations”. Looks like Chassagne is giving survival hopes to his beloved man in French, she’s somehow rejecting all those psychedelic joy hidden in Brian Wilson’s schizophrenic existence, because there’s probably nothing left of that, all you are is this desperate creature seeking help in the midst of the midnight’s tidal waves. This dual song is the most haunting sound you hear on the album. And then comes “Ocean Of Noise”, a calm surrender from the mouth of an injured defeated soldier. If the ending orchestration doesn’t sound ethereal and superior, then what does? Breathtaking and marvelous at the same time. Another favorable masterwork comes right after this one. “The Well and the Lighthouse” is more adventurous than the rest. The restlessness has now returned with full power, your soul is not following you but you are hearing it from outside the well. That’s why you’re cold and shivering again. You’re anima is tenderly making a chorus with you, she’s completing your verses, but what is the spell of that lighthouse that keeps you apart, that prevents you from believing and is it that essential to believe in something (even love) after all this misery? Heaven is only in your head. The parentheses used in “(Antichrist Television Blues)” are here on purpose, since it’s a distraction point to that mentioned state, these murmurs are the scribbled lines caused an written by oblivion in your past, it has nothing to do with now and present. They’re somehow small evidence to the state you are now in this city. Working in a building downtown must have exhausted you and your soul. “Windowsill” is nothing but a continuation to that song in tranquility. It’s so exciting mentioning two other factors to this amnesia: MTV and World War II have been both used in the same way, has MTV been this destructing so far? Ask all indie music pioneers for a clearer answer. It can’t be that irrelevant, though. “No Cars Go” acts as the missing piece to this puzzle, Butler and wife have found shelter somewhere at last. The path of glory is somehow found. The orchestration becomes livelier and surfaces for the first time. It had been kept in depth until now. And the dismal closer “My Body Is A Cage” is still vague to me. Did Neon Bible really had to end up in sorrow? Are you the only veteran cripple soldier left? The church organ that you hear is nothing like good news. It burst into an ocean of sound with marching bands drums, the end.

(Originally posted on This Winki’s on September, 7th, 2008)

Neon Bible (2007)

Black Session (2007)

Funeral (2004)

Arcade Fire (2003)

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