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Saturday, January 5, 2008

Arcade Fire - No Cars Go

Happy New Year, I hope everyone enjoyed they’re excuse to get drunk yesterday.

A murder took place ten feet in front of me yesterday, well ten feet in front of, and thirty-two stories down from myself. At 10:00am or so I was sitting at my computer working on schoolwork when I heard a gunshot. I’m used to hearing gun shots, what with living down town and all, but in broad daylight? Sure enough five more consecutive shots rang out, and what do you know a drug deal gone wrong happened right out side of my building. Given where my apartment is, it would have happened right behind my bedroom wall facing me, and down roughly three hundred feet. Makes you think.

I guess I’m an unusual person, did not phase me in the least. I know I’m safe.

Anyway enough of that, lets talk about music. I guess I should try to keep up with the times a little better. It is difficult for myself since I wholly distrust the musical opinions of modern radio and music television, and frankly who can blame me? Cult, or Indie, or underground, or whatever losers who desperately want to believe they are unique call themselves, I often find some selectively good music still in this day and age. However word takes time to reach me since I do not spend an obsessive amount of time researching every last note of music that hits the stands. Nonetheless I do what I can and try to keep up with the times the best I can. Whatever month it was I talked about Interpol would have been an attempt at such.

The point is, since I’ve had a whole year to look back upon, I feel confident I can find something through the entire year of 2007 that I can preach as being great. In all fairness it was far from the worst year I’ve seen for new music radio programming, though in truth nothing truly spectacular steeped out and slapped me in the face boldly screaming “THIS IS AWESOME!” Nothing except for one album; Arcade Fire – “Neon Bible.”

Now since I don’t feel the need or in possession of the right to mail out an entire album, I will be forced to choose one song, which is unfortunate since the album, as a whole, is truly awesome.

For those of you who couldn’t fight your way through the masses of crap that came out this year to discover Arcade Fire, allow me to give you a crash course of what I know.

Arcade Fire is a Canadian group out of Montreal. They have several members, more then five at least, but I do not know the exact number. They are very unique in sound and style, which says a lot now of days primarily because there appears to be a stagnation of creativity for the last two decades. Also it should be noted the more music that is created the harder and harder it becomes to find something “else” that still qualifies as “new.” Regardless Arcade Fire can rightfully carry the moniker of original with them; they’ve earned it.

A year, or perhaps two years ago, Ed the sock gave Arcade Fire a hard time for their video of the song “Rebellion (Lies)” off of the album “Funeral.” I suppose the video is nothing special, in Ed’s defense, however the usually hilarious Ed the sock went on how Arcade Fire was the biggest bunch of assholes in the entire Canadian music industry. Apparently when they went to the Junos they badmouthed every other group as being shit and being recognized only because they were Canadian charity cases.

I guess that is kind of a dick move, but when you’re right, you’re right.

As far as I’m concerned you can be the worst human being imaginable as long as you do your job well I will respect you. Often times at work I will tell people, “The new guy can be a coke-addicted, neo nazi, ex-convict murderer, Satanist, as long as he shows up for work and works hard I will respect him. I won’t fucking like him, but I will respect him.” Put a little more poetically, there is a saying in a book that I once read, “The only thing you can truly respect is ability,” and I whole heartily agree.

So, boo hoo, Canadian charity case musicians, Arcade Fire is a bunch of jerks, well I think the real problem is everyone else sucks. I’ve been saying this a lot lately, “Why should I change, they’re the ones who suck,” which is actually a line from the movie “Office Space,” Craig being a huge movie buff caught it right away. Arcade Fire doesn’t need to change, whatever they are doing is; AWESOME!

Anyway since I had to choose one song from the new album I’m going to go with “No Cars Go.” It seems to me the catchiest, easiest to quickly fall in love with song off the album, a good introduction to the album “Neon Bible,” and Arcade Fire. But seriously heed my words, go download or buy more Arcade Fire and support something fresh and new and worth it. In my humble opinion “Rebellion (Lies)” is their best song, so check that one out at least.

Until next month, keep on rocking in the free world.

- Colin