Arcade Fire - Reflektor

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Artemis
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Arcade Fire - Reflektor

#1 Post by Artemis » Thu Sep 12, 2013 7:10 pm

This song is kind of growing on me. It's produced by James Murphy(LCD Soundsystem) which is quite evident from the more electronic sound. The song is a different direction from previous music they've done. I like the piano, synth, horns, vocals. It has a discoy sound but it also reminds me a little of Roxy Music. Oh, and Bowie does some backing vocals. The song is a tad long, but overall I dig it.


Video directed by Anton Corbijn

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Re: Arcade Fire - Reflektor

#2 Post by Hokahey » Thu Sep 12, 2013 7:13 pm

One of my favorite bands.

Still undecided on this song though.

I don't dislike it. Just not sure if I really like.

I love LCD too, so it's odd.

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Re: Arcade Fire - Reflektor

#3 Post by Artemis » Thu Sep 12, 2013 7:15 pm

I didn't like it at first but it's growing on me with more listens. Listen to it with headphones if you have, you really hear all the layering and texture of the song. It also reminds me a little of The Talking Heads, maybe a bit of Brian Eno too.

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Re: Arcade Fire - Reflektor

#4 Post by Pandemonium » Thu Sep 12, 2013 8:17 pm

I totally spaced that Arcade Fire was releasing a new album later this year.

Interesting, and kind of a logical leap as far as their sound goes. I too hear the Talking Heads vibe right away and it's funny they had a song on the deluxe version of the last album called "Speaking In Tongues." Not sure if "Reflektor" works or not.... needs more listens. I recall first hearing the song "The Suburbs" before that album came out and thought it sounded like bad Tom Petty and the album wound up being pretty good. I thing I really like about Arcade Fire, especially live is they have a real organic "band" sound which I don't really get from this tune's overly slick production.

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Re: Arcade Fire - Reflektor

#5 Post by Hokahey » Thu Sep 12, 2013 8:25 pm

LCD often reminds me of Heads, so I find the comparison interesting.

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Re: Arcade Fire - Reflektor

#6 Post by kv » Thu Sep 12, 2013 8:26 pm

ya it's fitting

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Re: Arcade Fire - Reflektor

#7 Post by Matz » Fri Sep 13, 2013 3:17 am

when I first heard it i didn't think much of it. Now after hearing it three four times it has grown on me as well, but still, it's not gonna be up there with the songs from the Suburbs for me I don't think. I think it's too long as well, I mean the chorus is nice but because you hear it 200 times it kind of gets old after just a couple of spins

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Re: Arcade Fire - Reflektor

#8 Post by Pandemonium » Tue Oct 29, 2013 8:33 pm

For those in the LA area, Arcade Fire is playing a "secret" show billed as "The Reflektors" at the Hollywood Palladium on Halloween which will likely be their first full length set (they've been playing a few mostly free 10 - 12 song mini shows this month including 2 last night and tonight at the Hollywood Capitol Building parking lot stage). Tickets are already "sold out" but it's likely there will be a TM ticket dump on Thursday morning to thwart scalpers.

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Re: Arcade Fire - Reflektor

#9 Post by krakle » Wed Oct 30, 2013 3:17 pm

don´t know Arcade Fire at all... but I know some friends of mine did a cover of this song recently.


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Re: Arcade Fire - Reflektor

#10 Post by CaseyContrarian » Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:33 pm

When Funeral came out, I had the dubious distinction of giving it the lowest ranking of any critic in America. This was actually on the Arcade Fire Wikipedia page for quite some time. Now it seems that the honor belongs to my pal Chris Richards.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle ... story.html

It's caused a bit of a firestorm. Slate has this line about the criticism of the criticism, which I find entirely apt: "There comes a time in every critic’s career when he or she can no longer take it, and must shout the Truth from the mountaintops. Chris Richards—a thoughtful, interesting, well-spoken critic and reporter—has reached that point with Arcade Fire. If you truly think a band is conservative and boring and lame, you can only take so many 9.2s before you lose it. And Richards lost it."

I actually hate AF less these days. Must be the aging process.

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Re: Arcade Fire - Reflektor

#11 Post by MYXYLPLYX » Wed Oct 30, 2013 8:18 pm

A friend of mine working at the Bridge School Concert last weekend related the following story overheard backstage:
watching Wynn Butler from Arcade Fire and some random dude play ping pong..here was their conversation:
RD: are you in a band?
WB: yea
RD: oh, which band?
WB: Arcade Fire
RD: oh, what do you play?
WB: I'm the singer
RD: there are a lot of singers in that band
WB: yea, but they turn me up the loudest
:hehe:

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Re: Arcade Fire - Reflektor

#12 Post by Pandemonium » Wed Oct 30, 2013 10:29 pm

CaseyContrarian wrote:When Funeral came out, I had the dubious distinction of giving it the lowest ranking of any critic in America. This was actually on the Arcade Fire Wikipedia page for quite some time. Now it seems that the honor belongs to my pal Chris Richards.
I caught on to Arcade Fire thanks to U2 using "Wake Up" off of Funeral as the "lights out" song before their show would start during the Vertigo tour in '05. The album was very uneven, but there's a number of songs on that album that I think are excellent. Thus far, I think "Neon Bible" both the album and tour have been their high point. I don't think they've yet made a "complete" album that hangs together from start to finish that I believe is within their grasp.

I honestly am having a hard time getting into Reflektor after nearly a week's worth of listens. It really reminds me of when certain bands consciously made major stylistic changes to their basic "sound" but only managed to make an album of half finished ideas, very much like U2's first real sonic detour, "The Unforgettable Fire." Part of my problem isn't necessarily that it's something different from them, but that they've cribbed intentionally or not music and style from specific albums and music from bands who made similar sounding leaps in the 80's, specifically Talking Heads "Remain In Light," Bowie's "Lodger" and as noted, U2's Unforgettable Fire just to name a few.

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Re: Arcade Fire - Reflektor

#13 Post by Pandemonium » Fri Nov 01, 2013 9:45 am

In the "Never Saw That Coming" dept, Arcade Fire performs DEVO's Uncontrollable Urge at the Palladium:


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Re: Arcade Fire - Reflektor

#14 Post by Pandemonium » Wed Nov 27, 2013 11:58 pm

Wasting no time, Arcade Fire's set from last month in the Capitol Records parking lot is now being shown on the Palladia channel. I hate to say it, but I have grown to find Regine's stage persona to be hugely annoying. They also now seem to be the ultimate hipster favorite judging from the audience. I understand they have a "costume or formal dress code" for their shows next Spring "to make it fun."




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Re: Arcade Fire - Reflektor

#15 Post by blackula » Fri Dec 13, 2013 9:09 pm

My wife really likes them so I just got her tickets for the reflector tour. (If they were really hip they would've called it the "reflectour"). It's at the Barclays center in Brooklyn and it's not until August 20 something 2014, but yeah, when purchasing the tickets I noticed that formal attire or costume was the dress code for the concert. If I liked them I'd probably think it's cool. Since I don't like them I don't think it's cool. I just hope she doesn't insist on me going with her....not my cup of tea. "Merry Christmas.....I got you 2 tickets to Arcade Fire for you and whichever friend you want to take"

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Re: Arcade Fire - Reflektor

#16 Post by creep » Fri Dec 13, 2013 9:16 pm

blackula wrote:My wife really likes them so I just got her tickets for the reflector tour. (If they were really hip they would've called it the "reflectour"). It's at the Barclays center in Brooklyn and it's not until August 20 something 2014, but yeah, when purchasing the tickets I noticed that formal attire or costume was the dress code for the concert. If I liked them I'd probably think it's cool. Since I don't like them I don't think it's cool. I just hope she doesn't insist on me going with her....not my cup of tea. "Merry Christmas.....I got you 2 tickets to Arcade Fire for you and whichever friend you want to take"
:conf: who sells tickets for a show nine months away? seems crazy to me.

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Re: Arcade Fire - Reflektor

#17 Post by Pandemonium » Fri Dec 13, 2013 10:26 pm

creep wrote:
blackula wrote:My wife really likes them so I just got her tickets for the reflector tour. (If they were really hip they would've called it the "reflectour"). It's at the Barclays center in Brooklyn and it's not until August 20 something 2014, but yeah, when purchasing the tickets I noticed that formal attire or costume was the dress code for the concert. If I liked them I'd probably think it's cool. Since I don't like them I don't think it's cool. I just hope she doesn't insist on me going with her....not my cup of tea. "Merry Christmas.....I got you 2 tickets to Arcade Fire for you and whichever friend you want to take"
:conf: who sells tickets for a show nine months away? seems crazy to me.
During the last U2 tour, I bought a ticket for their Anaheim stadium show almost a year before the show date, then Bono fucked up his back delaying that leg of the tour almost another full year in which I got a refund on my ticket through TM and later bought a better ticket two days before the show.

Blackula's post reminds me of a time in which I thought I'd surprise my wife (who rarely goes to shows with me, usually it's U2, Springsteen or other safe, "classic rock" types) by getting 12th row orchestra section seats for Coldplay for our anniversary when they were really hitting their stride during the "Speed of Sound" tour (or whatever it was called) in '05. Up to that point, I'd liked a few of their singles so I thought it'd be a safe bet for both of us. Turned out even she was bored to death by their second rate U2 shtick and we left during the encore.

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Re: Arcade Fire - Reflektor

#18 Post by Artemis » Sat Dec 14, 2013 6:56 am

creep wrote:
:conf: who sells tickets for a show nine months away? seems crazy to me.
I remember tickets for one of the U2 tours almost a year away... I think it was the PopMart tour 1996?? :hs:

Recently, like last month, I bought tickets for Nick Cave & the Bad seeds for 07/31/14.

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Re: Arcade Fire - Reflektor

#19 Post by Pandemonium » Sun Aug 03, 2014 10:25 am

So I made it to see Arcade Fire last night at the LA Forum for their second show in two nights.

Again had problems with the fucked up "Ticketless Entry" system - for some reason my credit card wouldn't scan at the door so again I was sent to the box office where they sorted it out and I got in. My suggestion to anyone who goes to a show with Ticketless Entry is print out and bring a paper copy of your original Ticketmaster purchase order because the info on it helps a long way to getting your ticket with the least amount of time wasted. IMO, it's a fucked up system and serves no purpose to prevent scalping as you can resell the ticket even through TM own legitimate scalping site and transfer the ticket to someone else's name.

Anyway, got in around 7:30 and dull as paint drying band "Unicorns" were playing. Really, they made Kings of Leon seem like The Sex Pistols. After a couple songs, I spent the next half hour wandering around the Forum checking out the renovations they've done to the place. Live music still sounds like shit in the building but they've done some work at least in the area surrounding the floor so the halls have kind of a clubby feel with full bars, large areas of glass partitions and tables which was kind of nice. Best of all, they really upgraded the AC as it was nice and cool they whole night which made the shock of walking outside into the steamy, sweltering drizzle (it's like Florida in SoCal the last two days) more palpable.

It got worse when a DJ working from the sound desk/ B stage who looked like he should be working the help desk at State Farm Insurance did a half hour set of...BOOM BOOM BOOM OONTZ OONTZ OONTZ shit trying to get people to form into groups to pick the "BEST DANCERS!!!!" That fucking drove me back out to the bar for another couple rounds.

Finally after 9pm, Arcade Fire came on, opening with "Reflector." Unfortunately, the next half hour was all mid/slow tempo maudlin tunes including the incredibly awful "Rococo" which is probably my least favorite AF tune. Things picked up a bit for "The Suburbs" and "Ready To Start" but settled back down into hipster ambien with "Crown Of Love" and "We Exist" (complete with a bunch of guys who looked like they were pulled out of the audience dancing on the B Stage). It was really only 3/4s through the show that it finally started getting good when they performed a rather shambolic version of "Haiti" (one of my favorite AC tunes) into Afterlife, It's Never Over and Sprawl II to end the main set.

For the encore, they had stage hands in those big heads dressed like the band play-miming to a prerecorded Rage Against The Machine tune (Killing In The Name Of) which actually got one of the biggest responses of the night, LOL. Arcade Fire then lurched into a mediocre cover of the theme from Beverly Hills Cop (while the Rage tune was still playing on the other end of the arena much to Winn's displeasure) and then mangled the opening bit of Guns n Roses "Welcome To The Jungle" leading into "Normal Person." They basically saved the encore by playing "Neighborhood #3" and "Wake Up" back to back which as far as energy level goes, was the high point of the night. By the last 3rd of Wake Up, I was making a beeline for the exit as getting out of the Forum lot is a nightmare and the fact it was raining made it worse.

This was likely be the last time I will bother seeing Arcade Fire. They've gone off in a direction that while somewhat interesting from a musical standpoint on record, has really resulted in a bland, clichéd and bloated live presence (they have about 12 - 14 guys on stage at any given time now). Add to this, they only played 2 songs from Neon Bible, arguably their best record. And yes, Regina is still as annoying as ever.


Unicorns


Arcade Fire "We Exist"


Arcade Fire encore

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Re: Arcade Fire - Reflektor

#20 Post by intertwoven » Sun Aug 03, 2014 2:04 pm

Apparently they covered a bit of "Been Caught Stealing" at the first show.. (sorry if this was mentioned somewhere here already.)


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Re: Arcade Fire - Reflektor

#21 Post by Easton » Mon Aug 04, 2014 11:32 am

intertwoven wrote:Apparently they covered a bit of "Been Caught Stealing" at the first show.. (sorry if this was mentioned somewhere here already.)

That sounds horrible!

I used to love Arcade Fire, but they've gone of in a direction I really don't care for

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Re: Arcade Fire - Reflektor

#22 Post by Artemis » Thu Jan 19, 2017 4:09 pm

New Arcade Fire with Mavis Staples.

I like it. :thumb:


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Re: Arcade Fire - Reflektor

#23 Post by Matz » Thu Jan 19, 2017 6:23 pm

I'm disappointed, cause their last album was so brillant. Super repetitive and boring imo

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Re: Arcade Fire - Reflektor

#24 Post by Hokahey » Fri Jan 20, 2017 6:58 am

I used to love Arcade Fire, but they've gone of in a direction I really don't care for
Pretty much. The Suburbs might be a top 10 all time album for me. The tour was also phenomenal. They need to quit riding James Murphys dick and get back to being a great American rock band.

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Re: Arcade Fire - Reflektor

#25 Post by guysmiley » Fri Jan 20, 2017 9:09 am

Yeah, not a fan of the last album. They seem to have forgotten what made they special. :noclue:

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