Arcade Fire, Neon Bible

[El Sueno]

If you don't like something you don't like it, I don't think asking people to explain their appeal will convince you otherwise, El Sueno, and I don't think anyone here is going to try to either.

I think they're good because I like their songs, simple really.

Well I was hoping somebody would say "Yeah that's what I thought to begin with, but actually..."

or -

"I agree completely. You're very perceptive, brave and clever aren't you?"

 

[tastebud]

really don't like the new album, after living with it for a while. It's trying too hard to be epic but the songs aren't there. the gulf between the quality of albums 1 and 2 at Glastonbury was too fucking obvious

it took a while to grow on me but now i adore it.

 

[Dubversion]

they're not a simple band though, i like them because they're pretty deep & interesting whilst the music can be extremely emotional,

but whereas on the first album the emotion just hits you, hard, on the 2nd they seem to strive for it. and fall short

 

[Pieface]

Am I the only one who thinks that Win Butler looks like a young Rik Mayall?

He reminds a friend of the singer from the Kaiser Chiefs too.

I have to say, the look they have going on is fucking stupid. Men should never ever wear sleeveless tops unless they have a very good reason. Note that a sleeveless top is not the same as a vest - they can work very well

 

[Dubversion]

it took a while to grow on me but now i adore it.

i've kinda given up. if after 10-15 listens my opinion of it is actually declining, i figure i'm not going to like it.

doesn't mean i'm writing them off by any means - Funeral was too wonderful to be a one-off. i await album 3 keenly

 

[El Sueno]

Listen to the 'EP' and listen to 'Funeral' - both amazing. The latest album, 'The Neon Bible', just isn't in the same league.

Even though it seemed like I'd heard quite a bit of them, I guess I've only heard the latest stuff then.

 

[tastebud]

i've kinda given up. if after 10-15 listens my opinion of it is actually declining, i figure i'm not going to like it.

doesn't mean i'm writing them off by any means - Funeral was too wonderful to be a one-off. i await album 3 keenly

i was the same till about last week, but keep listening - and i really did overplay it. now it's fallen into place. it's different yeah, but still really incredible.

 

[perplexis]

really don't like the new album, after living with it for a while. It's trying too hard to be epic but the songs aren't there. the gulf between the quality of albums 1 and 2 at Glastonbury was too fucking obvious

I totally agree.
I said this (in different words) here pretty much as soon as I heard Neon Bible
E2A: though not about the Glastonbury bit, since I wasn't there.

 

[The_Reverend_M]

I see Dub's point big time ... they're trying to hard to be stadium/Bruce-bloody-Springsteen on the latest one!!

They didn't wear their influences so obviously on the ep/1st album ...

 

[tastebud]

musically it's no funeral, i agree but some of the lyrics... some really dark, emotional stuff... some of it genius. and vaguelly politically interesting at times too.

i'm a sucker for amazing lyrics.

 

[The_Reverend_M]

True, some of the lyrics hold up but without substantial musical backing it's easy to not give the lyrics the time they deserve.

 

[tastebud]

but that's one thing i love about the album, it's so dark & intriguing lyrically, at times but so uplifting & joyful to listen to. i fucking love the contrast. like leonard cohen or belle and sebastian (though of course b & s are nowhere near the af league but the concept is similar... for a couple of their tracks).

 

[RubyToogood]

I can't be arsed to read this thread because Arcade Fire aren't my thing*, but as a hurdy-gurdy player the fuckers are now going to haunt me everywhere I go. Since Saturday it's been an endless stream of people coming up to me and saying "Did you see Jonathan Ross on Saturday night?" Argh!

*I listened to their myspace and they struck me as yet another bog standard indie outfit.

 

[perplexis]

I can't be arsed to read this thread because Arcade Fire aren't my thing*, but as a hurdy-gurdy player the fuckers are now going to haunt me everywhere I go. Since Saturday it's been an endless stream of people coming up to me and saying "Did you see Jonathan Ross on Saturday night?" Argh!

*I listened to their myspace and they struck me as yet another bog standard indie outfit.

but also a bit , no?
They're not as bad as that, but I think they may have been overhyped.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

really don't like the new album, after living with it for a while. It's trying too hard to be epic but the songs aren't there. the gulf between the quality of albums 1 and 2 at Glastonbury was too fucking obvious

There's 2, possibly 3 thracks on it that I really like, other than that I'd tend to agree with you.

Weirdly enough though, one of them is "Keep The car Running", which is more stadium rock than anything else they've done IMO, dunno why I like it so much, although I am a sucker for a good bit of Mandolin

 

[pagan]

It's a slow burner but I love it.