Merge Records

Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire
The novelist Thomas Wolfe coined the famous adage "you can't go home again." The members of Arcade Fire know this, because they tried. But when memories of youth stem from suburbs constructed for convenience, not permanence, those childhood memories become that much harder to trace.

Montreal's Arcade Fire explored the theme of neighborhoods on their 2004 breakthrough album Funeral (chosen by Rolling Stone as the #1 album of the '00s). In 2009, during a year off after a world tour for 2007's Neon Bible, frontman Win Butler received an email from an old friend he grew up with in the suburbs of Houston, Texas. "He sent us a picture of him with his daughter on his shoulders at the mall around the corner from where we lived," says Win, "and the combination of seeing this familiar place and seeing my friend with his child brought back a lot of feeling from that time. I found myself trying to remember the town that we grew up in and trying to retrace as much as I could remember."

At the same time, other band members of a similarly suburban origin across Canada had revisited their childhood environs and, in some cases, found there was not much left: buildings were boarded up, if they still existed at all; new roads and rivers had magically appeared, altering the landscape that now only existed in faded photographs. When they reconvened, the first song they wrote was The Suburbs' title track.

"We started working on the song, and once that started to sound like music, it felt like we were making an album," says Win. As the songs of The Suburbs started to take shape, a cohesive group of songs emerged, drawing on themes of loss and renewal, of drawing inspiration from scarcity, of generations past and future, of responsibility and maturity, of hoping that something pure can last.

These aren't unusual themes for the band - some of these songs would fit in easily on their debut 2003 EP, Us Kids Know. But if Funeral was driven by youthful exuberance and Neon Bible absorbed the weight of the world, The Suburbs, like its namesake, revels in open space, reflections on long drives, and contemplating possibilities. There is more breadth and beauty than on any previous Arcade Fire recording, featuring sparse pop ("Modern Man"), icy new wave epics ("No Celebration"), anthemic punk ("Month of May"), and lush balladry ("Suburban War"). Yet, they still sound hungry on hard-driving tracks like "Empty Room" and "Ready to Start," and with lyrics decrying wasted time, arms folded tight, and cities with no children.

The seven-piece band still believes that it takes a village to perform a song, but there is plenty of room to breathe on any given track; tiny details are doled out bit by bit. That attention to detail, that refusal to accept easy answers, embodies much of what the Arcade Fire does. This fiercely independent band has faced pressure from every corner of the music industry but carved out something beyond the grasps of the major-label system with great success, a combination of Internet word-of-mouth and old-fashioned live show impressions.

"We were lucky to be left to our own devices," says Win. "That afforded us a lot of control over our own destiny, which a lot of bands that are my heroes either never got or only got late in their careers. We've felt fortunate because - what else do you want? We're making records the way we want, and it's a great position to be in."

~Michael Barclay, July 2010

www.arcadefire.com
07/28/10
Arcade Fire has partnered with American Express, VEVO, and YouTube to present a live stream of their August 5 performance at Madison Square Garden in the new series “Unstaged: An Original Series from American Express.” Featuring surprise musical guests and directed by Terry Gilliam (Brazil, 12 Monkeys), the performance will be live-streamed beginning at 10 p.m. EDT from the world’s most famous arena and will coincide with the band’s highly anticipated third album release, The Suburbs, on August 3.

Watch two special trailers for the event at Arcade Fire’s newly launched YouTube channel!

The August 5 live-stream performance by Arcade Fire will give audiences a visually stunning home viewing experience.  Additionally, viewers can access the Arcade Fire live-stream at: www.youtube.com/arcadefirevevo.

Music enthusiasts can digitally connect to these live music experiences in ways that further blur the line between an at-home and in-concert experience:

Choose Your Cam: The audience will be able to control their viewing experience throughout the concert performance by switching between the main director’s stream and a second camera to capture alternative vantage points, from backstage to the front row.

Digital “Happenings”: Featured artists will collaborate with the online audience in creative ways. In the case of Arcade Fire, fans will have the opportunity to submit photos of their suburbs which may be get featured on stage during the band’s performance of one song off their new album, The Suburbs.

“Unstaged: An Original Series from American Express,” is a new partnership with American Express and VEVO, the web’s leading premium music video and entertainment service, and YouTube, to live-stream five concerts over the course of the year. Bringing both the in-concert and at-home viewing experiences to entirely new heights, “Unstaged: An Original Series from American Express,” will feature some of the music industry’s most breakthrough artists playing at landmark venues across the country, tap some of today’s most influential filmmakers to direct the live-streams, and use digital and social media to connect the online audience to the live shows in unexpected ways.

The Suburbs is available for pre-order on CD, dbl-LP and digital download now in the Merge store.

07/13/10
At their first ever show in Quebec City,  Arcade Fire announced last night that they will match donations made to the newly founded KANPE up to one million dollars.

Singer Win Butler told 45,000 fans on to the historic Plains of Abraham that “everyone who donates to KANPE, our band will match it up to $1 million,” adding “Please take our money from us!”

The band was then joined by members of the Haitian ensemble Ram, who came from Port-Au-Prince especially to play this show, for an emotionally charged rendition of “Haiti” from its 2004 debut Funeral.

Earlier the same day Arcade Fire’s Regine Chassagne, joined KANPE director Dominique Anglade at a press conference launching the KANPE initiative in Quebec.

To make a $5 donation text STAND to 30333.

For further information on KANPE, visit Kanpe.org.

06/01/10
Arcade Fire has announced its first U.S. headline dates since 2007’s Neon Bible tour. Pre-Sales will go live at arcadefire.com tomorrow at 10 AM EST for the following dates:

August 1 – Boston, MA – Bank of America Pavilion
August 2 – Philadelphia, PA – Mann Center for the Performing Arts w/ Spoon
August 4 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden w/ Spoon
August 6 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion w/ Spoon
August 9 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
August 11 – Atlanta, GA – Verizon Wireless Amphitheater at Encore Park w/ Spoon

Spoon is confirmed as special guest on the New York, Philadelphia, DC and Atlanta dates, which bookend the Arcade Fire’s previously announced August 8 Lollapalooza appearance and the release of the band’s third full-length studio album, The Suburbs, out August 3rd on Merge Records.

Arcade Fire will donate $1 from every ticket sold to Partners In Health, an organization helping impoverished communities around the world combat disease and poverty. Please visit www.pih.org for more information.

Arcade Fire’s new album, The Suburbs is available for pre-order on CD and double-LP now in the Merge store. Preorders will ship to arrive on or around the August 3, 2010 release date. Preorders will also receive download codes for 320-kbps MP3s of “The Suburbs” and “Month of May” via email once the order is complete.

ARCADE FIRE
LIVE 2010
* = w/ Spoon
7-June  Sherbrooke QC – Theater Granada
8-June  Sherbrooke QC – Theater Granada
30-June Rättvik, Sweden – Dalhalla
2-July  Tromøy, Norway – Hove Festival
4-July  Werchter, Belgium – Rock Werchter
9-July  County Kildare, Ireland – Oxegen Festival
12-July Quebec, Canada – Quebec City Summer Festival
13-July Ottawa, Canada – Ottawa Bluesfest
31-July    Montreal, QC – Osheaga
1-Aug    Boston, MA – Bank of America Pavillion
2-Aug    Philadelphia, PA – Mann Centre for the Performing Arts *
4-Aug    New York, NY – Madison Square Garden *
6-Aug    Washington, DC – Merriweather Post Pavilion *
8-Aug    Chicago, IL – Lollapalooza
9-Aug    Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
11-Aug    Atlanta, GA – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre *
14-Aug    Toronto, ON – Olympic Island
27-Aug  Leeds, UK – Leeds Festival
27-Aug  Reading, UK – Reading Festival
29-Aug  Saint Cloud, France – Rock En Seine
2-Sept   Bologna, Italy – I-Day Festival

05/27/10
The Arcade Fire is set to release its third full-length studio album, The Suburbs, on August 3rd on Merge Records. Pre-order The Suburbs now on CD and double-LP in the Merge store now and receive “Month of May” and “The Suburbs” for download immediately.

Written, arranged, performed and produced by the Arcade Fire and co-produced by Markus Dravs, The Suburbs was recorded around Montreal and New York over the past two years.

A double A side, limited edition 12” will be available in record stores from May 27th 2010, featuring the tracks “The Suburbs” and “Month of May.” Both songs will be available for immediate download with pre-orders placed in the Merge store and at arcadefire.com.

The Arcade Fire’s 2004 debut Funeral featured strongly in Album of the Decade Polls around the world including NME, Pitchfork, Guardian, Mojo and Rolling Stone. Their 2007 follow-up Neon Bible, debuted number 2 in the U.S. Both records were nominated for Best Alternative Album Grammys.

A number of live shows by the band have already been confirmed leading up to and beyond the album’s release, including headline appearances at the Reading and Leeds Festivals at the end of August. Further dates will be announced shortly.

Formed in Montreal, the Arcade Fire is Win Butler, Régine Chassagne, Richard Reed Parry, William Butler, Tim Kingsbury, Sarah Neufeld and Jeremy Gara.

02/03/10
Arcade Fire, Partners in Health, the NFL, Merge Records and Bank Robber Music have collectively agreed upon a unique 100% for charity Super Bowl licensing of “Wake Up” from Arcade Fire’s 2004 album Funeral. All proceeds from the use of the song on the live Superbowl broadcast and subsequent airings on the NFL Network will go directly to Partners In Health’s Stand With Haiti relief efforts.

For further information on Partners In Health’s efforts regarding the Haiti crisis, go to StandwithHaiti.org or visit ArcadeFire.com.

07.31.2010 Montreal, Canada Osheaga Festival
08.01.2010 Boston, MA Bank of America Pavillion
08.02.2010 Philadelphia, PA Mann Centre for the Performing Arts w/ Spoon
08.04.2010 New York, NY Madison Square Garden w/ Spoon
08.05.2010 New York, NY Madison Square Garden w/ Spoon
08.06.2010 Washington, Merriweather Post Pavilion w/ Spoon
08.08.2010 Chicago, IL Lollapalooza
08.09.2010 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium Sold Out
08.11.2010 Atlanta, GA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre w/ Spoon
08.14.2010 Toronto, Canada Olympic Island
08.27.2010 Leeds, UK Leeds Festival
08.28.2010 Reading, UK Reading Festival
08.29.2010 Domaine National de Saint-Cloud, France Rock En Seine
08.31.2010 Berlin, Germany Tempodrom
09.02.2010 Bologna, Italy Arena Parco Nord
Arcade Fire [cd/ep] [self released; reissued July 12, 2005 by Merge]

"Neighborhood" (the Arcade Fire) b/w "My Buddy" (the Alvino Rey Orchestra) [7"] June 20, 2004 [Merge]

Funeral [cd/lp] October 5, 2004 [Merge]

"Cold Wind" b/w "Brazil" [7"] - August 9, 2005 [Merge]

Neon Bible March 6, 2007 [Merge]

The Suburbs August 3, 2010 [Merge]

Rebellion (Lies)


from Funeral
DOWNLOAD 

Neighborhood #2 (Laika) (video)


Quick Time moviefrom Funeral
STREAM

Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) (live video)


Live at Local 506 - Mergefest, July 28, 2004from Funeral
STREAM

Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) (video)


Windows Media videofrom Funeral
STREAM

Rebellion (Lies) (video)


Quick Time videofrom Funeral
STREAM

Rebellion (Lies) (video)


Windows Media videofrom Funeral
STREAM

Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) (video)


Quick Time videofrom Funeral
STREAM

Rebellion (Lies) (video)


Quick Time moviefrom Funeral
STREAM

Neighborhood #2 (Laika) (video)


Windows Media videofrom Funeral
STREAM

Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) (video)


Quick Time videofrom Funeral
STREAM

Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) (video)


Windows Media videofrom Funeral
STREAM

Keep The Car Running


from Neon Bible
DOWNLOAD 
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On Tour

Arcade Fire [+]

July
31 Montreal Osheaga Festival
August
01 Boston, MA Bank of America Pavillion
02 Philadelphia, PA Mann Centre for the Performing Arts
04 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
05 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
[see all]

Lou Barlow [+]

August
17 Milford, CT Daniel Street
18 Washington, DC Rock N Roll Hotel
19 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle
20 Asheville, NC Grey Eagle
21 Nashville, TN The Basement
[see all]

Richard Buckner [+]

July
31 Baltimore, MD Ram's Head Live
September
08 Asheville, NC The Grey Eagle
09 Columbia, SC Columbia Museum of Art
10 Raleigh, NC Hopscotch Music Festival
11 Charlotte, NC Evening Muse
[see all]

Caribou [+]

September
15 Ottawa, ON Babylon
18 London, ON Victoria Park Bandshell
24 Cincinnati, OH Midpoint Music Festival
25 Champaign-Urbana, IL Pygmalion Festival
October
04 Seattle, WA Showbox at the Market

The Clientele [+]

September
06 Seattle, WA TBA
07 Portland, OR Doug Fir
09 Oakland, CA New Parish
10 San Francisco, CA Independent
11 Los Angeles, CA Echoplex
[see all]

Fucked Up [+]

July
30 Moscow Aktzal
August
06 Hertfordshire Standon Calling
07 Kent Hevy Festival
08 Blackpool Rebellion Festival
09 London Hoxton Bar & Grill
[see all]

Let's Wrestle [+]

September
04 Los Angeles, CA FYF Fest
05 Santa Barbara, CA Club Mercy Presents
06 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
08 Seattle, WA Neumo's
09 Vancouver, BC Rickshaw Theatre
[see all]

The Love Language [+]

August
28 Wilmington, NC The Soapbox
September
03 Atlanta, GA The Earl
04 Charlotte, NC Visulite Theatre
11 Raleigh, NC Hopscotch Festival
12 Nashville, TN Exit / In
[see all]

Polvo [+]

August
12 Pittsburgh, PA Brillobox
13 Toronto, ON Lee's Palace
14 Montreal, QC La Sala Rossa

The Rosebuds [+]

September
10 Raleigh, NC Hopscotch Festival

She & Him [+]

August
26 Salt Lake City, UT Twilight Music Series
28 Omaha, NE Anchor Inn
29 St. Louis, MO LouFest
30 Kansas City, MO Uptown Theatre
September
01 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
[see all]

Spoon [+]

August
02 Philadelphia, PA Mann Centre for the Performing Arts
04 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
05 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
06 Washington, DC Merriweather Post Pavilion
07 Chicago, IL Lollapalooza
[see all]

Superchunk [+]

September
16 Durham, NC The Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University
17 Washington 9:30 Club
18 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
19 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
21 Boston, MA Royale
[see all]

Teenage Fanclub [+]

September
22 Toronto, ON The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern
23 Toronto, ON The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern
24 Montreal, QC Le National
25 Boston, MA Royale
27 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
[see all]

Telekinesis [+]

August
31 St. Louis, MO Firebird
September
01 Urbana, IL Canopy Club
02 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
03 Detroit, MI Magic Stick
04 Toronto, ON El Mocambo
[see all]

Versus [+]

August
12 Brooklyn, NY Rock Shop
13 Toronto, ON Lee's Palace
14 Montreal La Sala Rossa
September
21 Boston, MA Royale
22 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero Theatre

Wye Oak [+]

August
17 Milford, CT Daniel Street
18 Washington, DC Rock N Roll Hotel
19 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle
20 Asheville, NC Grey Eagle
21 Nashville, TN The Basement
[see all]
see all tour dates

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