STREAM ARCADE FIRE'S "REFLEKTOR" IN FULL

OFFICIAL! Arcade Fire - Afterlife (Lyric Video)

ARCADE FIRE:: Reflektor 9/9/9

Arcade Fire fodder...

New Video: Arcade Fire - "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"

We are excited to see a video spring up for this track, easily one of our favorites from Arcade Fire's latest release, The Suburbs. Odd video, but that is to be expected. Enjoy your weekend.

Video of the Year?

[mp3] Arcade Fire: "The Suburbs"

Because it's fucking incredible. Peter Macia nails it for FADER.

We’ve gotten so used to watching videos assembled from found footage and old movies that we forgot how compelling the form can be if you spend a lot of time and money. Arcade Fire’s new video benefits from the, we’ll say it, genius of Spike Jonez, who turns the band’s ghostly honky tonk lament into a bizarre and foreboding mini-thriller that somehow evokes Children of Men and Over The Edge in the same frames. He also produced Jackass 3-D which has made $115 million dollars already and probably cost three. Maybe Obama should ask him how to fix the deficit.

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Arcade Fire Announce Album

Arcade Fire: The Suburbs, August 2 on Merge

Recordings of the Middle East

[mp3] The Middle East: "Blood"
[mp3] The Middle East: "The Darkest Side"

Australian bands burn fast and bright. Let's hope The Middle East stick around for awhile. Their EP Recordings of The Middle East has been around since 2008, and we were first introduced to it by a friend almost a year ago. It's a haunting little gem of a record that exists in a realm somewhere between The Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver and even channels Arcade Fire-style vocal harmonies at times. The EP has found new life in 2010 and comes with fresh (and more compelling) cover art. Here's to hoping this band can gain enough traction in the US to warrant some more touring, and the eventual release of a full record. They've opened for the like-minded Grizzly Bear and Cat Power in Australia and will be playing Coachella in the states. The video for their most compelling track "Blood" is after the jump.

Review: Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (2008/Sub Pop)

Today, it has become increasingly rare to have all of the disparate opinions of music critics line up behind one artist or band. In most cases, that band is new, and proceeds to have a very big year. I give you Fleet Foxes.

This Seattle band's press file includes raves from Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Blender and Fader. The list is seemingly endless. The blog world embraced them early, and more mainstream critics quickly followed suit as well. Fleet Foxes released an excellent EP earlier in the year which caught the attention of a very inviting critical pool. Subsequent tours followed, as buzz grew leading up to their LP-release-day last week. They landed the highly sought after 9.0 from Pitchfork, and sold 8,000 records in their first week. Sub Pop has found the formula for breaking new bands and Fleet Foxes are reaping the benefits.
MORE AFTER THE JUMP.

The first and most important step is, clearly, to make an excellent record. Fleet Foxes have. Their eponymous debut often lives in several worlds at once. At times it sounds like a distinctively modern "indie" rock album, with its reverb-drenched vocals and haunting Grizzly Bear harmonies. Yet, what makes this album so fantastic, is its ability to draw from old sounds and styles, as well as new. Not just old as in the '60s-influenced baroque pop their sound echos, but old as in dusty Alan Lomax field recordings. Yeah. That kind of old. There's an ancient aura at play throughout the record, drawing from rural America and medieval sounding instrumental lines. Somehow Fleet Foxes mix the country with the city, the old with the new and create a potent and highly enjoyable record.

So what happens next? In the past, when the critical cosmos has aligned in such a way, it meant big things for that artist. Small "indie" rock artists have become household names: Feist, My Morning Jacket, Arcade Fire and Modest Mouse come to mind. Will Fleet Foxes be selling out Radio City Music Hall this year? No. The record lacks that one hit to land them the coveted iPod commercial or prominent TV placement. Ultimately though, they are not that kind of band. Fleet Foxes have made a complete album that, thankfully, is not a passing sweetness; it is long lasting and stays with you even after it's gone. In that way, listeners will keep coming back to Fleet Foxes, and in turn, the band will find ample amounts of success.

Afternoon Coffee w/ Fire on Fire

Fire on Fire , named as one of Stereogum's "Bands to Watch" in 2007, has gone seemingly unnoticed since achieving that distinction. Hailing from Portland, Maine, the band produces a feeling and a sound that is reminiscent of their surroundings: raw and rustic. Their most recent hand-made EP WAS available on Young God Records (YGR), however, it is now sold out. Not all is lost. Available via the YGR website is a free download of what may be the band's most promising track, " Hangman"

The song's hook," You've got to have a friend/ even the worst of men have friends/ even the Hangman has friends", is preceded by full-band backed "la la la"s. The kick drum, jangling tambourine and Band- era mandolin line all push the tune forward. The track is structured like an Arcade Fire song with layered vocals (here, Colleen Kinsella fills the Régine Chassagne role) and eclectic instrumental noise. The difference, though, is that Fire on Fire sounds dirty, like the recording was done in a living room. Enjoy.