How did that happen? True, there have been glowing album reviews aplenty, but I went along convinced that a band this good must surely (in the inverse world of the old-school indie snob) be obscure and low-key. So how did this leap to the big league happen? Their first album proper (there was a seven track EP released in 2003) is called Funeral but is no dirge – in fact The Arcade Fire are life-affirming and vital. There is a joy sometimes in letting the music and record sleeve create the identity of a new band for you – you fill in the gaps the music and images leave unfilled, creating a world that fits your own desire for what you’d like the band to be. Then you see them live and invariably they are disappointingly unlike the band in your head. Not so The Arcade Fire; they surpassed the live show I expected – the energy and stagecraft sometimes akin to performance art (but don’t let that put you off!). Seven people, led by husband and wife songwriters, Win Butler and Regine Chassagne (stunt doubles for Christopher Walken and Natalie Merchant), charged headlong into the songs, all shouting, playing, singing with an ensemble abandon that made them seem like a musical hydra. They were larger than life, attacking the songs with gusto, using multiple instrumentation (guitars, violins, double bass, keyboards, steel drums, accordian and melodica) to maximum effect. The songs have a dark dense feel, like ancient woodland, with melodic barbs and mossy textures. The album dares you to enter warily, but live, the forest comes at you like you’re Macbeth and they’re here to show you the real meaning of magic and death, while the evangelistic zeal overcame the horrible shed-like surroundings of the Academy. The Arcade Fire live experience does have a tinge of the current 80s revivalism, but that’s as much down to a willingness to give good show (some of Chassagne’s hand gestures in red fingerless gloves were pure Tik and Tok!) as to any musical comparison with the period. So what about the inevitable question? Who are the yardsticks, the bands to compare to? Well unlike so many current favourites, there is no easy way to put a finger on it. There are snippets of Flaming Lips, a hint of the more recent Nick Cave output; Teardrop Explodes, The Triffids but most clearly Talking Heads. To confirm that, they included a superb cover of the Heads’ Naive Melody (This Must Be The Place.) But despite the need to use such pointers, it does seem unfair to try and pin down a band who are so rich with invention and so fresh sounding. Great gig, great album, great band. |
