(Arcade Fire releases third album)
Among the Alternative / Indie Rock bands that came out of the mid-2000s, Arcade Fire is one of the most successful, both commercially and critically. Both the band’s first and second albums—Funeral (2004) and Neon Bible (2007), respectively—were chartbusters. Singles off these albums were massive hits especially for the Alternative / Indie music enthusiasts—songs that include “Rebellion (Lies),” “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out),” “Keep the Car Running,” and “No Cars Go.”
Critics and pioneering artists praise Arcade Fire’s music and live performances. For instance, British artist David Bowie and Irish band U2 have expressed their admiration for the Canadian band. Arcade Fire’s music is instrumentally spectacular not only studio-wise but also during live concerts because of the band’s having more than the usual number of members playing diverse instruments.
Formed in 2003 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Arcade Fire sticks out from many of its contemporaries because of its use of (in addition to the usual guitar, bass, and drumkit) many other instruments not usually employed by typical Rock bands—such as piano, violin, viola, cello, double bass, xylophone, glockenspiel, keyboard, French horn, accordion, harp, mandolin, and hurdy-gurdy.
In its less-than-a-decade music career, Arcade Fire has released three critically acclaimed and high-selling albums the latest of which is The Suburbs, released in August of this year, 2010. Notable songs from this album are “Ready to Start,” “City with No Children,” and “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains).”
The current members of Arcade Fire are the husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, Richard Reed Parry, William Butler, Tim Kingsbury, Sarah Neufeld, and Jeremy Gara.
Final Note
If you’re a fan of Arcade Fire or interested enough to watch the band live, your chance is here! Arcade Fire is slated to perform at MTS Centre on September 23, in support of their new album.
