Arcade Fire

[Soma.]

It does when you're dealing with the rank-centric hype-heavy hive mind of RM OB.

[Soma.]

But I value your words of wisdom, Stipulosa.

[harmless]

Its definitely Ross. I guess I just thought it had a deeper meaning. Meh, I think its rad.

I think it always does have a deeper meaning with the (shit is hot) Fire. They're never just "having fun", and that's what I love about them and miss about Pearl Jam, whose "fun" is so hollow these days.

these days? Implying at some point it was fun?


You're gonna have to work really hard to convince me that that live linking stuff is anything other than pretentious crap.

You seem disproportionately angry there, stip. I don't feel the need to convince you of anything. But no, I don't think it's pretentious crap, I think it's fairly obviously self-mockery. It's Arcade Fire taking the piss out of themselves, and fame (FAME! I'm gonna live forever!) in general. Put that up against the aforementioned African carnival aspects, and what you have is a pretty good satirical comparison of first-world and third-world society and problems. So they're having fun, whilst also having a deep and intelligent message. It's that deep and intelligent message that has really been missing from Pearl Jam, in lots of ways (not all ways) for a long time now. Pearl Jam have little desire to do anything satirical anymore. My idea of "fun" usually has a straight face.

[stip]

Halflight I is pretty nice. I don't know that i'd go back to listen to it much as a standalone track but if I liked the album more I'd like as part of the larger story of the record.

The last 90 seconds are really nice. Hmmm, the next time I make an arcade fire playlist I'll stick this one on it.

[Mike]

Halflight I is pretty nice. I don't know that i'd go back to listen to it much as a standalone track but if I liked the album more I'd like as part of the larger story of the record.

The last 90 seconds are really nice. Hmmm, the next time I make an arcade fire playlist I'll stick this one on it.

[stip]

Its definitely Ross. I guess I just thought it had a deeper meaning. Meh, I think its rad.

I think it always does have a deeper meaning with the (shit is hot) Fire. They're never just "having fun", and that's what I love about them and miss about Pearl Jam, whose "fun" is so hollow these days.

these days? Implying at some point it was fun?


You're gonna have to work really hard to convince me that that live linking stuff is anything other than pretentious crap.

You seem disproportionately angry there, stip. I don't feel the need to convince you of anything. But no, I don't think it's pretentious crap, I think it's fairly obviously self-mockery. It's Arcade Fire taking the piss out of themselves, and fame (FAME! I'm gonna live forever!) in general. Put that up against the aforementioned African carnival aspects, and what you have is a pretty good satirical comparison of first-world and third-world society and problems. So they're having fun, whilst also having a deep and intelligent message. It's that deep and intelligent message that has really been missing from Pearl Jam, in lots of ways (not all ways) for a long time now. Pearl Jam have little desire to do anything satirical anymore. My idea of "fun" usually has a straight face.

I'm hardly angry. I am not invested enough in Arcade Fire to get angry. If pearl jam or REM did that I'd be furious, though. I think it's awful, and if I was enjoying the record more when that stuff came on it would definitely have killed the buzz.

[harmless]

Yeah, I think those elements are fun as hell. I hate to think what Stip thinks of Qotsa's Songs for the Deaf.

The Suburbs is so much better, by the way. I don't want to kill any boners out there. Just saying.

The Suburbs felt too long for me. This album is much longer but feels right. But I don't feel the need to argue over best albums when it comes to Arcade Fire, I'd take any one of them with me onto a desert island to die.

[Soma.]

You've gotta have some sort of vendetta against Regina to not declare "The Sprawl pt. II" as anything less than soul-reinforcing brilliance.

[harmless]

Suburban War is my favourite track on there. Sublime.

[Soma.]

Yeah, I think those elements are fun as hell. I hate to think what Stip thinks of Qotsa's Songs for the Deaf.

The Suburbs is so much better, by the way. I don't want to kill any boners out there. Just saying.

The Suburbs felt too long for me. This album is much longer but feels right. But I don't feel the need to argue over best albums when it comes to Arcade Fire, I'd take any one of them with me onto a desert island to die.

I can't understand this at all, but each to his own. It has its rivers and valleys, but it flows perfectly to me. My favorite album of the past decade.

[Mike]

I'm glad Regine doesn't have a solo song on here.

[Soma.]

That's fair.

[harmless]

Its definitely Ross. I guess I just thought it had a deeper meaning. Meh, I think its rad.

I think it always does have a deeper meaning with the (shit is hot) Fire. They're never just "having fun", and that's what I love about them and miss about Pearl Jam, whose "fun" is so hollow these days.

these days? Implying at some point it was fun?


You're gonna have to work really hard to convince me that that live linking stuff is anything other than pretentious crap.

You seem disproportionately angry there, stip. I don't feel the need to convince you of anything. But no, I don't think it's pretentious crap, I think it's fairly obviously self-mockery. It's Arcade Fire taking the piss out of themselves, and fame (FAME! I'm gonna live forever!) in general. Put that up against the aforementioned African carnival aspects, and what you have is a pretty good satirical comparison of first-world and third-world society and problems. So they're having fun, whilst also having a deep and intelligent message. It's that deep and intelligent message that has really been missing from Pearl Jam, in lots of ways (not all ways) for a long time now. Pearl Jam have little desire to do anything satirical anymore. My idea of "fun" usually has a straight face.

I'm hardly angry. I am not invested enough in Arcade Fire to get angry. If pearl jam or REM did that I'd be furious, though. I think it's awful, and if I was enjoying the record more when that stuff came on it would definitely have killed the buzz.

The funny thing is, I would agree with you if we were talking about virtually any other band, and virtually any other album.

[Soma.]

I think Stip sniped her as being most in her element as an ethereal backup vocal entity. That's pretty accurate.

[Mike]

I think Stip sniped her as being most in her element as an ethereal backup vocal entity. That's pretty accurate.

Yup, that's where she works pretty well. I do like her in Half Light I but I like the song even more as soon as Win starts joining her.

[harmless]

I'm still not sure how much I like, or even remember, the third quarter of this record.

[Soma.]

The thought of you two agreeing on anything is the stuff of nightmares.

"How to be underwhelmed to death, with the knives of what I perceive to be a solid lyric, and other tales from the crypt."

[stip]

I feel like I heard the suburbs a few weeks ago on Harmless's recommendation.

This is fun at the start. I like the music. Not crazy about Win. Not sure about the chorus. I wish this one was shorter.

Less so than Half Light, but this would also be a song I'd be fine with as a linking song on a stronger record. Many of their songs feel like chains looking for an anchor.


I've never looked that closely at their lyrics, but the bits that jump out at me I find a little too judgmental. Like they're railing at a world where not everyone is gonna like Arcade Fire.

[stip]

You've gotta have some sort of vendetta against Regina to not declare "The Sprawl pt. II" as anything less than soul-reinforcing brilliance.

She likes Pearl Jam. If anything I should be standing up for her.


The verses in Sprawl are pretty good. I really dislike that chorus. Or at least the 'living in the sprawl' part. And for the most part I don't think she can carry a song.

[Soma.]

Shorter.

I like you, bro. But it is becoming increasingly apparent that you've never picked up a fucking instrument in your life. Not all songs are perfect capsules of formula. You're tearing me apart, Lisa.