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).”

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 (which includes the full 30 minute short film directed by Spike Jones).

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.

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.

Record Store Day

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.

Record Store Day

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

Arcade Fire

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.

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.

Hi Guys,
This is Win from Arcade Fire. If you are having a hard time deciding what to get your friends and family for gifts this year, give them our money! For any donation you make to Kanpe this holiday season, the band will match it. We will also send a nifty little post card, signed by Regine and I, to put under the tree, or wherever you put your gifts (it’s not our business). For any silicone valley jerks who might try to bankrupt us, let’s put the upper limit at 300,000$… Have a great holiday!
Luv, Win

Go to ArcadeFire.com to donate & thanks!

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.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Arcade Fire’s award-winning album The Suburbs is available on CD, LP, and digital download in the Merge store, as is the extended CD+DVD version, The Suburbs Deluxe.

The Suburbs & The Suburbs Deluxe are available now in the Merge store.

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

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.

Celebrating of the one-year anniversary of The Suburbs in August, Merge will release The Suburbs Deluxe on Tuesday, August 2! A select group of independent record stores are helping to share the excitement with a series of special giveaways during release week. Visit these stores for the chance to get your hands on a poster, CD or LP personally autographed by Arcade Fire!

Amoeba – Los Angeles, CA
Bull Moose – Portland, ME
Cactus Music – Houston, TX
Criminal Records – Atlanta, GA
Dearborn Music – Dearborn, MI
Disc Exchange – Knoxville, TN
Ear X-Tacy – Louisville, KY
Earshot – Greenville, SC
Easy Street – Seattle, WA
Electric Fetus – Minneapolis, MN
Fingerprints – Long Beach, CA
Galaxy – Hamilton, OH
Good Records – Dallas, TX
Graywhale – Taylorsville, UT
Grimey’s – Nashville, TN
Love Garden – Lawrence, KS
Magnolia Thunderpussy Records – Columbus, OH
Main Street Music – Manayunk, PA
Monster – Charleston, SC
Music Millennium – Portland, OR
Music Saves – Cleveland, OH
Other Music – New York, NY
Park Ave CD – Orlando, FL
Record Exchange – Boise, ID
Repo Music – Philadelphia, PA
Mad Platter – Claremont, CA
Schoolkids Records – Raleigh, NC
Sonic Boom – Seattle, WA
Sound Fix – Brooklyn, NY
Sound Garden – Baltimore, MD
Strictly Discs – Madison, WI
Twist & Shout – Denver, CO
Vintage Vinyl – St. Louis, MO
ZIA Records – Phoenix, AZ

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.

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.

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.

Please consider this your first update from Jay and Madonna in the Merge Records basement! We’re happy to be serving you wonderful people.

First things first: to celebrate Dinosaur Jr’s Bug tour, we’re giving away five signed, Bug LP jackets. Comment on this post with your favorite song from the album or your favorite Dinosaur Jr show moment and retweet this blog post with the hashtag #mergebuggiveaway to win! Five winners will be chosen by a panel of experts and contacted by 6/30 when the tour is over.

In addition to the Wild Flag preorder that just went live (oh lawd there are so many of you people that want this album), we’ve got Stephin Merritt’s Obscurities (also, 69 Love Songs, its 33 1/3 book, and the Strange Powers documentary about Stephin himself), an Archers of Loaf re-issue of Icky Mettle, from Arcade Fire, The Suburbs Deluxe, and a brand new full-length record from long time Merger, Richard Buckner. Our Blood is the first time he’s ever released vinyl!

Just because a band has graduated from Merge doesn’t mean that we’re not interested in helping them sell more records; we’ve got The Cakekitchen’s Kangaroos in my Top Paddock LPs for sale, but only a few (less than 10). Merge staffers have snapped the first few of these up, so get yours from us before we don’t have any more!

In case you missed them…we’ve got wonderfully soft and lightweight Merge Records tee shirts back in stock, in light blue. Printed on 50/50 Royal Apparel heather tees, these will keep you cool in more ways than one this summer. Be sure to admire Reed, our model / intern.

That’s gonna wrap it up!

~Jay & Madonna, your Merge Records Web store customer service team. Keepers of the flame.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sound Opinions will air the full acoustic session from Arcade Fire beginning tomorrow. Visit SoundOpinions.org for more information.

The Suburbs Deluxe is available for preorder on CD + DVD in the Merge store, and The Suburbs is available now on CD, LP and digital download.

Sound Opinions is the world’s only rock and roll talk show. Hosted by Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot, Sound Opinions airs on radio stations around the country, is downloadable as a weekly podcast, and can be streamed at their website. Visit SoundOpinions.org for more information on how to listen.

Also, watch a 30-minute documentary on Arcade Fire hosted by Fucked Up’s Damian Abraham for Canada’s MuchMusic.

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.

More videos at YouTube.com/ArcadeFireTube3

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.

Click to listen to official streams of both songs:

Arcade Fire – Speaking in Tongues (feat. David Byrne) by Merge Records

Arcade Fire – Culture War by Merge Records

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 and hailed as “absolutely f–king gorgeous” by INDIEWIRE at its U.S. premiere at this year’s SXSW festival, 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.

Arcade Fire have more US dates this summer including a newly announced show on June 8 in Charlottesville, VA.

Arcade Fire on tour:
Jun 8 Charlottesville, VA  nTelos Wireless Pavilion
Jun 10 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo Music Festival
July 30 Moncton, NB Magnetic Hill Music Festival
Aug 14 San Francisco, CA Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival

Congratulations to Google & Radical Media for winning the award for Best Use of Video or Moving Image at this year’s Webby Awards for The Wilderness Downtown! The project also won the “People’s Award” for Net Art. The Wilderness Downtown features the song “We Used to Wait” from Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs.

Open Google Chrome and experience The Wilderness Downtown!

The Suburbs is available on CD, LP and digital download in the Merge store.

photo by Peter Sutherland

From TheCreatorsProject.com:

I never expected to be watching Arcade Fire play from backstage, but when the production team called for “all hands on deck,” no one could argue. There to assist with the grand finale—launching some 2,000 LED-enhanced blow-up beach balls into the crowd—we were all giddy at the prospect of taking part in their performance. The idea for the visual spectacle, developed by director Chris Milk (who the band previously worked with on “The Wilderness Downtown”), was to release these balls in time for Arcade Fire’s encore and use the embedded LEDs and IR transmitters to light paint all over the audience.

A crane positioned at the top of the stage was set up to let the balls drop during the band’s last song, “Wake Up,” and our job was to throw them into the crowd and make sure they stayed there. There was also a giant cage to the right of the stage filled with hundreds more that we were responsible for tossing into the audience, which proved to be no easy task given that they were an unwieldy two or three feet in diameter. When the the balls finally did drop, the entire place turned into an epic ball pit, with these giant balls flying all over the place, changing colors all the while from red to blue to orange to pink. (My apologies to the people in the front who may have been pummeled in the face with a beach ball or two—my bad!). Standing on stage and taking it all in, it certainly was a sight to behold.

The interactive visual performance, entitled Summer Into Dust continues online. Those lucky few who managed to catch a ball can log on to the accompanying website and continue the experience. Each ball comes with a URL where fans can locate a user manual online and connect their ball to a greater community

The shows kicked off April 9 in Denver and include previously announced sold out appearances headlining Coachella this weekend as well as an April 22, 24, 25 three-night stand at Chicago’s UIC Pavilion. The band’s headlining appearance on May 6 at Jazz Fest  in New Orleans will be the tour’s final date.

The Suburbs is available on CD, LP and digital download in the Merge store and all of your favorite music stores!

For further information, check arcadefire.com and follow them on twitter!

Arcade Fire on tour!
April 13 Phoenix, AZ Comerica Theatre *
April 14 Las Vegas, NV The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel *
April 16 Indio, CA Coachella (Sold out)
April 18 Santa Fe, NM Santa Fe Convention Center*****
April 20 Kansas City, MO Starlight Amphitheatre **
April 22 Chicago, IL UIC Pavilion (Sold out) **
April 24 Chicago, IL UIC Pavilion (Sold out) **
April 25 Chicago, IL UIC Pavilion (Sold out) **
April 27 Indianapolis, IN The Lawn at White River State Park **
April 28 Memphis, TN Orpheum Theatre
April 30 Dallas, TX Gexa Energy Pavilion ***
May 3 Austin, TX The Backyard ****
May 4 The Woodlands, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion ****
May 6 New Orleans, LA Jazz and Heritage Festival
* Local Natives Support
** The National Support
*** Okkervil River Support
**** Explosions in the Sky Support
***** The Love Language Support

Caribou’s Swim and Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs are both available now on CD, dbl-LP and digital download in the Merge store.

Congratulations to Caribou & Arcade Fire on their wins!

The shows kick off April 9 in Denver and include previously announced sold out appearances including an April 16 Coachella headlining set, an April 22, 24, 25 three-night stand at Chicago’s UIC Pavilion. The band’s May 6 Jazz Fest headline in New Orleans will be the tour’s final date.

The April 9-May 6 run is Arcade Fire’s latest in support of its critically acclaimed third album The Suburbs, which recently took Album Of The Year, top prize at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards.

The Suburbs is available on CD, LP and digital download in the Merge store and all of your favorite music stores!

For further information, check arcadefire.com and follow them on twitter!

Arcade Fire on tour!
April 9    Broomfield, CO    1st Bank Center    *
April 11   Orem, UT    The UCCU Center    *
April 13   Phoenix, AZ    Comerica Theatre    *
April 14   Las Vegas, NV    The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel *
April 16   Indio, CA    Coachella    (Sold out)
April 18   Santa Fe, NM    Santa Fe Convention Center
April 20   Kansas City, MO    Starlight Amphitheatre   **
April 22    Chicago, IL    UIC Pavilion   (Sold out)  **
April 24    Chicago, IL    UIC Pavilion      (Sold out)  **
April 25    Chicago, IL    UIC Pavilion      (Sold out)  **
April 27    Indianapolis, IN    The Lawn at White River State Park    **
April 28   Memphis, TN    Orpheum Theatre
April 30    Dallas, TX    Gexa Energy Pavilion    ***
May 3    Austin, TX    The Backyard    ****
May 4    The Woodlands, TX    Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion    ****
May 6   New Orleans, LA    Jazz and Heritage Festival
*  Local Natives Support
**  The National Support
***  Okkervil River Support
****    Explosions in the Sky Support

Delany B & Beatrice K celebrating the win!

Arcade Fire were nominated for three Grammy awards including Album Of The Year and Best Alternative Music Album for The Suburbs and Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals for “Ready To Start.”

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

Congratulations to ARCADE FIRE!!

Caribou is nominated for Best New Artist and Electronic Album of the Year. These are the first ever Juno nominations for Caribou!

Arcade Fire is nominated for Album of the Year, Group of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Alternative Album of the Year, Producer of the Year, and Recording Package of the Year. They will also be performing at the Juno Awards Ceremony on March 27.

Good luck to Caribou & Arcade Fire!

Caribou’s Swim and Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs are available now on CD, dbl-LP and digital download in the Merge store.

and here’s a whole bunch of other favourites, in no order whatsoever.
The Walkmen – Lisbon
Superchunk – Majesty Shredding
Weekend – Sports
Avey Tare – Down There
Beach House – Teen Dream
LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening
Menace Ruine – Union Of Irreconcilables
Sun Araw – On Patrol
Warpaint – The Fool
Supersilent – 10
Les Savy Fav – Root For Ruin
Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
Spoon - Transference
Best Coast – Crazy For You
Nails – Unsilent Death

The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards will air on February 13. For a full list of nominees, visit Grammy.com.

Congratulations, Arcade Fire!

The Suburbs is available on CD, dbl-LP, and digital download in the Merge store. Watch footage from Arcade Fire’s Madison Square Garden performance at their YouTube page, too!

Watch videos of both songs & the digital short featuring Arcade Fire at the Merge blog!

Click here to view the embedded video.

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

You can now watch the trailer version of the newly-released interactive video featuring “We Used to Wait.”

Taking its name from a lyric from the aforementioned song–“so when the lights cut out, I was lost, standing in the wilderness downtown”–“The Wilderness Downtown” exemplifies the Google “Chrome Experience” and HTML5 technology, cueing the opening of multiple browser windows, visually incorporating viewers’ childhood addresses (if they are available via Google Street View), allowing the viewers to write and share messages to their younger selves and more.

“The Wilderness Downtown,” an interactive film by Chris Milk featuring “We Used To Wait” from Arcade Fire’s new album The Suburbs can be experienced now at http://thewildernessdowntown.com/. Order The Suburbs on CD, dbl-LP, and digital download now in the Merge store.

Back in the physical world, Arcade Fire’s October 7 and 8 shows at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium have sold out completely, with all of the approximately 12,000 tickets going  within hours of on sale. Popular demand has also necessitated the adding of a second show at the Greek Theater in Berkeley CA, where the band will now perform October 2 and 3.

ARCADE FIRE ON TOUR FALL 2010:
9/22  St. Paul, MN   Roy Wilkins Arena
9/23  Winnipeg, MB   MTS Centre
9/25  Saskatoon, SK   Credit Union Centre
9/26  Calgary, AB   Stampede Corral * SOLD OUT
9/28  Vancouver, BC   Pacific Coliseum  * SOLD OUT
9/29  Seattle, WA   Key Arena
9/30  Portland, OR   Memorial Coliseum
10/2  Berkeley, CA   Greek Theatre * SOLD OUT
10/3  Berkeley, CA   Greek Theatre
10/5  Big Sur, CA   Henry Miller Library * SOLD OUT
10/7  Los Angeles, CA   Shrine Auditorium   * SOLD OUT
10/8 Los Angeles, CA   Shrine Auditorium   * SOLD OUT
10/10  Mexico City (MX)   Palacio de los Deportes
10/12  Monterrey (MX)   Banamex Theater

The next installation of North American dates will begin September 22 at the Roy Wilkins Arena in St. Paul MN, swinging through western Canada, the pacific northwestern U.S., and California before concluding October 12 at Monterrey, Mexico’s Banamex Theater.

The September-October shows will follow a current run of dates including a recent two-night stand at New York’s Madison Square Garden, a headline set at Lollapalooza and an upcoming August 14 headline at Toronto’s Olympic Island. Following that and prior to the band’s return to North America, Arcade Fire will make a select number of UK and European appearances, including headline stands at the Reading and Leeds festivals in the UK.

Arcade Fire on tour:
8/14 Toronto, ON – Olympic Island
8/27 Leeds, UK – Leeds Festival
8/28 Reading, UK – Reading Festival
8/29 Saint Cloud, France – Rock En Seine
9/2 Bologna, Italy – I-Day Festival
9/22   St. Paul, MN   Roy Wilkins Arena
9/23   Winnipeg, MB   MTS Centre
9/25   Saskatoon, SK   Credit Union Centre
9/26   Calgary, AB   Stampede Corral
9/28   Vancouver, BC   Pacific Coliseum
9/29   Seattle, WA   Key Arena
9/30   Portland, OR   Memorial Coliseum
10/2   Berkeley, CA   Greek Theatre
10/5   Big Sur, CA   Henry Miller Library
10/7   Los Angeles, CA   Shrine Auditorium
10/8  Los Angeles, CA   Shrine Auditorium
10/10   Mexico City (MX)   Palacio de los Deportes
10/12   Monterrey (MX)   Banamex Theater

Arcade Fire appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart last night and played “Ready to Start” from The Suburbs. They also played “Month of May” and illustrated how tiny Jon Stewart is compared to Win!

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart airs on Comedy Central at 11 PM EDT / 10 PM CST. Check your local listings for channel information and set your DVRs.

The Suburbs is available on CD, dbl-LP and digital download (with special digital artwork) in the Merge store. And you should also check out this one-day special happening through twitter @earlybird!

photo by Alicia Korenman

Some of the Merge staffers got together and watched the Arcade Fire stream at Pinhook in Durham. Did you have a gathering or did you just watch the action in your PJs? Send us your photos today for a chance at a Merge prize pack!

Watch Terry Gilliam take total control of Arcade Fire backstage at MSG, too! The Suburbs is in stores now!

Watch full song archives from the Arcade Fire live stream last night from Madison Square Garden at Arcade Fire’s YouTube page.