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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





12/06/12
Congratulations to Arcade Fire on their Grammy nomination for “Abraham’s Daughter” from The Hunger Games in the category of Best Song for Visual Media.

Arcade Fire’s 2011 Album of the Year Grammy-winning album The Suburbs and the 2012 Grammy nominee for Best Recording Packaging The Suburbs Deluxe Edition are available now in the Merge store. Also, visit Sprawl2.com for the traditional & interactive versions of Arcade Fire’s exciting video for “Sprawl 2 (Mountains Beyond Mountains).”

05/23/12
Our 2012 Record Store Day releases from Richard Buckner, M. Ward and Arcade Fire are now available at all of our usual digital outlets including the Merge store, iTunes, Amazon & Spotify.

Richard Buckner“Willow” b/w “Lost” – Two new Richard Buckner songs! Stream “Willow” now at our SoundCloud page.

M. Ward“Primitive Girl” b/w “The Twist” & “Roll Over Beethoven” – “Primitive Girl,” the first single from his new record, as well as two non-album b-sides including long-time live favorite “Roll Over Beethoven.”

Arcade Fire“Sprawl II” b/w “Ready to Start” (Remixed by Damian Taylor & Arcade Fire) – The original versions of “Sprawl II” and “Ready to Start” can be found on Arcade Fire’s GRAMMY-winning album The Suburbs, but now you can add the remixes of the two songs by Damian Taylor and Arcade Fire to your collection.

 

05/11/12
On Saturday, May 19, Mick Jagger will be the host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live. Arcade Fire and Foo Fighters will join to perform as Jagger’s band for the musical numbers. Saturday Night Live airs live on NBC at 11:30 pm E.T.

In other surprise Arcade Fire appearance news, Will, Jeremy, Richard & Tim appeared as Phi Slamma Jamma at the National’s Crossing Brooklyn Ferry festival last weekend. BrooklynVegan has photos and video of the performance.

The Suburbs and The Suburbs Deluxe Edition are available now in the Merge store.

04/20/12
Record Store Day is this Saturday, April 21, and we have four very special releases to mark the occasion of one of our favorite days of the year! Also, Hospitality, the Love Language & M. Ward will visit independent record stores for celebratory in-store performances. The only way to get your hands on these releases is to visit your local independent record store on April 21.

In addition to our exclusive releases (listed below), Hospitality, the Love Language & M. Ward have special in-store performances planned for Saturday. M. Ward will be performing a sold out in-store at Fingerprints in Long Beach, CA. Hospitality will take time out of their tour with Eleanor Friedberger to perform at Horizon Records in the Bohemian Cafe in Greenville, SC at 1:30 p.m., and Stuart McLamb from the Love Language will visit Gravity Records in Wilmington, NC for a solo set around 3 p.m.

Merge exclusive Record Store Day releases available only at independent record stores:

Richard Buckner – “Willow” b/w “Lost” 7-inch

“Willow” b/w “Lost” is Richard Buckner’s first 7-inch ever and will be available exclusively on Record Store Day! Containing two new songs and a free download with purchase, the 7-inch will also include a digital-only cover of The Cars’ “Candy-O.” Watch video of Buckner performing “Willow” live at Horizon Records at RecordStoreDay.com.


M. Ward – “Primitive Girl” b/w “The Twist” & “Roll Over Beethoven” 7-inch

M. Ward’s limited-edition Record Store Day exclusive 7-inch comes less than two weeks after the release of his highly anticipated new solo album, A Wasteland Companion. The 7-inch features “Primitive Girl,” the first single from his new record, as well as two non-album b-sides including long-time live favorite “Roll Over Beethoven.”

Arcade Fire – “Sprawl II” b/w “Ready to Start” (Remixed by Damian Taylor & Arcade Fire) 12-inch

The original versions of “Sprawl II” and “Ready to Start” can be found on Arcade Fire’s GRAMMY-winning album The Suburbs, but this special 12-inch pressing marks the first physical release of the remixes of those two songs by Damian Taylor and Arcade Fire. The remix of “Sprawl II” can be heard in the dance motion-activated music video by Vincent Morisset at Sprawl2.com, while the “Ready to Start” remix has previously only been available as a bonus download with the deluxe film-bundled version of the album.

Destroyer – Destroyer’s Rubies dbl-LP reissue

Destroyer’s Rubies will be released on vinyl for the first time in the US! The double-LP reissue will be pressed in limited quantities on ruby red vinyl exclusively for Record Store Day and will include a free download of the entire album. Side 3 features “Loscil’s Rubies,” a 20-minute bonus track remixed by Scott Morgan, who also remixed the bonus tracks on 2011’s Kaputt double-LP. Listen to “3000 Flowers” from Destroyer’s Rubies via the Merge SoundCloud page.

 

03/05/12
Record Store Day is Saturday, April 21, and we have four very special releases to mark the occasion of one of our favorite days of the year! The only way to get your hands on these releases is to visit your local independent record store on April 21.

Richard Buckner – “Willow” b/w “Lost” 7-inch

“Willow” b/w “Lost” is Richard Buckner’s first 7-inch ever and will be available exclusively on Record Store Day! Containing two new songs and a free download with purchase, the 7-inch will also include a digital-only cover of The Cars’ “Candy-O.” Listen to “Willow” below via the Merge SoundCloud page.

M. Ward – “Primitive Girl” b/w “The Twist” & “Roll Over Beethoven” 7-inch

M. Ward’s limited-edition Record Store Day exclusive 7-inch comes less than two weeks after the release of his highly anticipated new solo album, A Wasteland Companion. The 7-inch features “Primitive Girl,” the first single from his new record, as well as two non-album b-sides including long-time live favorite “Roll Over Beethoven.”

M. Ward will be performing at Fingerprints in Long Beach, CA, on Record Store Day. If you live in the area, secure a spot for the show by pre-ordering your copy of A Wasteland Companion on CD or LP directly from Fingerprints.

Arcade Fire – “Sprawl II” b/w “Ready to Start” (Remixed by Damian Taylor & Arcade Fire) 12-inch

The original versions of “Sprawl II” and “Ready to Start” can be found on Arcade Fire’s GRAMMY-winning album The Suburbs, but this special 12-inch pressing marks the first physical release of the remixes of those two songs by Damian Taylor and Arcade Fire. The remix of “Sprawl II” can be heard in the dance motion-activated music video by Vincent Morisset at Sprawl2.com, while the “Ready to Start” remix has previously only been available as a bonus download with the deluxe film-bundled version of the album.

Destroyer – Destroyer’s Rubies dbl-LP reissue

Destroyer’s Rubies will be released on vinyl for the first time in the US! The double-LP reissue will be pressed in limited quantities on ruby red vinyl exclusively for Record Store Day and will include a free download of the entire album. Side 3 features “Loscil’s Rubies,” a 20-minute bonus track remixed by Scott Morgan, who also remixed the bonus tracks on 2011’s Kaputt double-LP. Listen to “3000 Flowers” from Destroyer’s Rubies below via the Merge SoundCloud page.


Richard Buckner – “Willow” (from Record Store Day exclusive 7-inch)


Destroyer – “3000 Flowers” from Destroyer’s Rubies

01/13/12
Arcade Fire will appear on Austin City Limits,  the longest-running music series in American television history, this weekend on your local PBS station. Check your local listings for station information and set the DVR! You can also watch online at PBS.org.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you haven’t yet, be sure to visit Sprawl2.com to watch linear and interactive versions of the new “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” video. Visit the Merge store to find 2011 Album of the Year Grammy-winning album The Suburbs on CD, LP and digital download as well as the 2012 Grammy-nominated The Suburbs Deluxe Edition on CD with DVD.

12/16/11
Arcade Fire surprised the world this morning with the launch of Sprawl2.com featuring “traditional” and “interactive” videos for “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” from the 2011 Album of the Year Grammy-winning album The Suburbs.

Visit the Merge YouTube page to watch a few fun “trailers” promoting Sprawl2.com and the Merge store for The Suburbs on CD, LP and digital download as well as the 2012 Grammy-nominated The Suburbs Deluxe Edition on CD with DVD.

 

12/01/11
For the 1-year anniversary of the release of Arcade Fire’s epic, 2011 Album of the Year Grammy-winning album The Suburbs, Merge released The Suburbs Deluxe Edition. Congratulations to Arcade Fire and art director Caroline Robert on their 2012 Grammy nomination for Best Recording Package.


The Suburbs Deluxe includes:
* CD: The Suburbs album, including an extended version of “Wasted Hours” and two non-album tracks “Speaking In Tongues” feat. David Byrne and “Culture War.”
* DVD: Scenes From The Suburbs (30 minutes), a behind the scenes documentary and the official video for The Suburbs’ title track.
* An 80-page booklet featuring stills from the film, behind the scenes photographs from the film’s production, and lyrics.
See an image here

Arcade Fire’s 2011 Album of the Year Grammy-winning album The Suburbs and the 2012 Grammy nominee for Best Recording Packaging The Suburbs Deluxe Edition are available now in the Merge store.

09/20/11
Congratulations to Arcade Fire! On September 19, they won this year’s Polaris Music Prize for Canada’s best album of 2011! The band was in attendance to accept the award.

The Suburbs Deluxe is in stores now and available online at your favorite digital outlet.

09/01/11
On Saturday, September 24, several members of Arcade Fire will participate in POP Montreal’s first annual POP vs JOCK Charity Basketball Game. Brothers Win and Will Butler will show off their prowess on the basketball court, and Régine Chassagne will provide musical accompaniment on organ during the game. Richard Reed Parry will also premiere his bicycle symphony titled “DRONES/Revelations” during the halftime show. All proceeds from this event will benefit DJ Sports Club, a non-profit in Montreal that offers programs in sports and education to youth between 7 and 17 years of age. Tickets and more information can be found here.

Although their POP Montreal appearance at Metropolis is sold out, the band will be playing a free hometown show on September 22 at Place des Festivals in Quartier des Spectacles.

The deluxe edition of Arcade Fire‘s Grammy-winning album The Suburbs is available now on CD+DVD and digital download from the Merge store and your favorite retail outlets.

07/29/11
On Tuesday August 2, to mark the 1-year anniversary of the release of Arcade Fire’s epic, Album of the Year Grammy-winning album The Suburbs, Merge will release a deluxe edition that will include two brand new tracks recorded during The Suburbs album sessions (“Culture War” and “Speaking in Tongues” featuring David Byrne), an extended version of album track “Wasted Hours,” Spike Jonze’s short film, Scenes From The Suburbs, and an 80-page booklet as well as other exclusive content.

The 30-minute film, inspired by The Suburbs, is directed by Spike Jonze and co-written by Spike Jonze, Will Butler and Win Butler.

The Suburbs Deluxe will include:
* CD: The Suburbs album, including an extended version of “Wasted Hours” and two non-album tracks “Speaking In Tongues” feat. David Byrne and “Culture War.”
* DVD: Scenes From The Suburbs (30 minutes), a behind the scenes documentary and the official video for The Suburbs’ title track.
* An 80-page booklet featuring stills from the film, behind the scenes photographs from the film’s production, and lyrics.
* Exclusive to physical copies of The Suburbs Deluxe reissue, a bonus download coupon offers an acoustic demo version of “Sprawl I (Flatlands)” and “Ready to Start” (Remix by Damian Taylor and Arcade Fire)

The Daily Beast is now streaming the entire album, including the two bonus tracks, through release day. Listen to The Suburbs Deluxe here.

There will be many release-week giveaways at select independent record stores! Visit our blog for details.

07/06/11
Destroyer‘s Kaputt and Arcade Fire‘s The Suburbs have both been included on the Polaris Music Prize’s Short List of Canada’s 10 best albums.

The Polaris Music Prize gala will be held Monday, September 19, at Toronto’s Masonic Temple and will feature live performances by this year’s Short List nominees. It will be webcast live on MuchMusic.com and broadcast on MuchMusic on Saturday, September 24, at 10 p.m. and midnight EST. The gala will also air on MusiquePlus at a date and time to be announced.

Previous Polaris winners have been Final Fantasy, Patrick Watson, Caribou, Fucked Up, and Karkwa.

The Suburbs Deluxe Edition CD+DVD is in stores on August 2 and available for pre-order from Merge now. Destroyer will play the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, IL on Saturday, July 16.

06/30/11
Arcade Fire take the stage at London’s Hyde Park at 8:45PM BST tonight (that’s 3:45PM Eastern Daylight Time), Thursday June 30. You can stream their entire set live at this link!

The Suburbs Deluxe will be in stores on August 2 and will include two new Arcade Fire songs. Visit iTunes to purchase both new Arcade Fire songs via digital download, or pre-order The Suburbs Deluxe Edition on CD + DVD in the Merge store to receive a download code for both songs.

The expanded CD version of The Suburbs sees the original album augmented by a longer version of the track “Wasted Hours (A Life That We Can Live),” as well as the previously unreleased “Culture War” and “Speaking in Tongues,” the latter of which features David Byrne on additional vocals. Highlights of the DVD portion include the complete half-hour short film Scenes From The Suburbs, directed by Spike Jonze; the companion documentary Behind The Scenes From The Suburbs; and the music video for the track “The Suburbs.” The package is rounded out by an exclusive booklet featuring lyrics and 80 pages of photos taken during the Scenes From The Suburbs film shoot.

"Neighborhood" (the Arcade Fire) b/w "My Buddy" (the Alvino Rey Orchestra) :: 7" (Merge) 2004
Funeral :: CD/LP (Merge) 2004
"Wake Up" :: 7 (Merge) 2005
Arcade Fire EP :: CD (self-released; Merge) 2005
"Cold Wind" b/w "Brazil" :: 7" (Merge) 2005
"Rebellion (Lies)" :: single/cd (Merge) 2005
"Intervention" :: 7" (Merge) 2007
"Keep the Car Running" :: 7" (Merge) 2007
Neon Bible :: CD/LP (Merge) 2007
"No Cars Go" :: 7" (Merge) 2007
"We Used To Wait" :: 7" (Merge) 2010
The Suburbs :: CD/LP (Merge) 2010
The Suburbs Deluxe Edition :: CD + DVD (Merge) 2011
"Sprawl II & Ready to Start (Remixed by Damian Taylor & Arcade Fire)" :: 12" (Merge) 2012

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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