Arcade Fire- I have an embattled relationship with Arcade Fire ever since seeing them upstaged by an opening act at the Mann a bunch of years ago. The upstages were Spoon so there is no shame in that. But I’ve always associated AF with a little bit of disappointment. I like this song. Very elemental. Basic, straightforward parts- thumping kick, staccato piano with a nice build. Sime of the gilding with the background vocals and mix is reminiscent of Marrow-era Husted. There is also the interesting key/chord shift which gives it an unexpected but welcome transition. I couldn’t make out much of the words, though they are in the Led Zeppelin School of song naming- I wouldn’t have guessed on Rebellion/Lies.
Arcade Fire – Rebellion (Lies)
Upon its release, this album left a good “taste” in my ears – it was a selection in the 2nd MyFive album iteration back towards the end of the previous decade. Listening again, this song still sits well. I place it in an unnamed category with tracks from the likes of New Pornographers – a step above the cuts from other bands of this ilk (e.g. Death Cab for Cutie). This has a nice driving pulse and ringing tone, not unsimilar to the early U2 & Waterboys stuff, with lots of nice production touches. As a bit of a tie-in to the next MyFive round: I’ve read some positive Tweets about the array and quality of covers they do at their shows.
REM -New Test Leper
This brings to mind the Toad the Wet Sprocket cut from the trial round & the problems I had with it. While its a simple jangly pop track at its core, it excels where Toad left me flat. The guitar effects are perfect – not sure what the 1st one (in the chorus) is called (tremelo maybe?) then they kick the feedback in wafting in the back. The bass wanders along throughout – ever-threatening to stray from the path. The simple interlude with organ and guitar just works. Yum, yum. It has been a while since I’ve spun this record, will have to mark it for an upcoming listen.
Arcade Fire : “Rebellion (Lies)”. I do not know AF as well as I am supposed to. They were kind of the band of the moment several years back. I like what I’ve heard (two albums’ worth, I think) but can’t say any of it has entered “essential listening” territory for me. On two listens, this song falls into that category. U2-ish opening on a four-bar progression with a commendable chord change in the middle bit. The guitar has a twangy edge I dig and the violin (?) in there is nice. Perfectly enjoyable but doesn’t rock my world.
REM : “New Test Leper”. Loved REM in the ”80s, but because I listened to basically no new music for a while in there (like 1992-2007 — circumstances!), I came to this album late. Like two-decades-after-its-release late. While I regret the delay, I don’t think it diminished my appreciation of the album one bit, and this song is a big reason why. That weird little climbing keyboard or whatever it is on the chorus is the most notable element — killer. Exceptionally tender singing by Stipe — “judge not lest ye be judged, what a beautiful refrain.” lovely. Call me “leper.”
New Test Leper: I am not going to even venture a guess at what the song title is about. Never heard this before and it delivers everything I love about the group. They can stir up some kinda magic that gets the dopamine firing in me. Cool full bodied song; thumbs up . Only comment would be that the mix sounded a tad too “crushed” to my ears but I am sure they were going for that.
AF – I think this was the first track I heard by the band. I always liked the expanse of the sound. I have a found memory of this track as the only time I saw them was at Bonnaroo X (2011) as one of the headliners. This was the last song of the set. They were quite powerful in front of 60,000+ in the field.
R.E.M. – This is simply a more polished, mature version of a track that could have easily been on Murmur, Reckoning or Fables. I prefer my R.E.M. more contemplative, introspective and melancholy. Check, Check and Check.
Arcade Fire- I have an embattled relationship with Arcade Fire ever since seeing them upstaged by an opening act at the Mann a bunch of years ago. The upstages were Spoon so there is no shame in that. But I’ve always associated AF with a little bit of disappointment. I like this song. Very elemental. Basic, straightforward parts- thumping kick, staccato piano with a nice build. Sime of the gilding with the background vocals and mix is reminiscent of Marrow-era Husted. There is also the interesting key/chord shift which gives it an unexpected but welcome transition. I couldn’t make out much of the words, though they are in the Led Zeppelin School of song naming- I wouldn’t have guessed on Rebellion/Lies.
Arcade Fire – Rebellion (Lies)
Upon its release, this album left a good “taste” in my ears – it was a selection in the 2nd MyFive album iteration back towards the end of the previous decade. Listening again, this song still sits well. I place it in an unnamed category with tracks from the likes of New Pornographers – a step above the cuts from other bands of this ilk (e.g. Death Cab for Cutie). This has a nice driving pulse and ringing tone, not unsimilar to the early U2 & Waterboys stuff, with lots of nice production touches. As a bit of a tie-in to the next MyFive round: I’ve read some positive Tweets about the array and quality of covers they do at their shows.
REM -New Test Leper
This brings to mind the Toad the Wet Sprocket cut from the trial round & the problems I had with it. While its a simple jangly pop track at its core, it excels where Toad left me flat. The guitar effects are perfect – not sure what the 1st one (in the chorus) is called (tremelo maybe?) then they kick the feedback in wafting in the back. The bass wanders along throughout – ever-threatening to stray from the path. The simple interlude with organ and guitar just works. Yum, yum. It has been a while since I’ve spun this record, will have to mark it for an upcoming listen.
Arcade Fire : “Rebellion (Lies)”. I do not know AF as well as I am supposed to. They were kind of the band of the moment several years back. I like what I’ve heard (two albums’ worth, I think) but can’t say any of it has entered “essential listening” territory for me. On two listens, this song falls into that category. U2-ish opening on a four-bar progression with a commendable chord change in the middle bit. The guitar has a twangy edge I dig and the violin (?) in there is nice. Perfectly enjoyable but doesn’t rock my world.
REM : “New Test Leper”. Loved REM in the ”80s, but because I listened to basically no new music for a while in there (like 1992-2007 — circumstances!), I came to this album late. Like two-decades-after-its-release late. While I regret the delay, I don’t think it diminished my appreciation of the album one bit, and this song is a big reason why. That weird little climbing keyboard or whatever it is on the chorus is the most notable element — killer. Exceptionally tender singing by Stipe — “judge not lest ye be judged, what a beautiful refrain.” lovely. Call me “leper.”
New Test Leper: I am not going to even venture a guess at what the song title is about. Never heard this before and it delivers everything I love about the group. They can stir up some kinda magic that gets the dopamine firing in me. Cool full bodied song; thumbs up . Only comment would be that the mix sounded a tad too “crushed” to my ears but I am sure they were going for that.
AF – I think this was the first track I heard by the band. I always liked the expanse of the sound. I have a found memory of this track as the only time I saw them was at Bonnaroo X (2011) as one of the headliners. This was the last song of the set. They were quite powerful in front of 60,000+ in the field.
R.E.M. – This is simply a more polished, mature version of a track that could have easily been on Murmur, Reckoning or Fables. I prefer my R.E.M. more contemplative, introspective and melancholy. Check, Check and Check.