Nope, had to register. Now looking forward to tons of Spam. Haven't quite had the courage to seek any sound files of the band though............ Colin Hill ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Woosley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, June 03, 2007 9:06 AM Subject: Re: [HG] Arcade Fire?
> I've just seen the Arcade Fire play here in Portland as part of a > largely sold-out tour. They were superbly enjoyable. Their attraction > can be attributed largely to the band's musical honesty, their catchy > and strangely familiar melodies, a dreamlike lyrical potency, and the > extraordinary degree of enthusiasm which comes across in all their live > shows. > > The group is Montreal-based, currently touring as a ten-piece band. > Their latest album, "Neon Bible", has been out for a couple months on > the US label Merge (a good independent label also home to Neutral Milk > Hotel and other quality "indie" rock bands). Although Arcade Fire have > a fairly straightforward modern rock lineup with guitars, electric > bass, drums and keyboards, they utilize violin, accordion, acoustic > bass, mandolin, and brass regularly and to very good effect. The hurdy > gurdy is a recent addition, as band member Regine Chassagne apparently > became enamored with the instrument in the last couple of years. > > There isn't much gurdy apparent on the new album, to be honest. In > concert, Regine played HG during the show opener ,"Keep the Car > Running", and one other number later on. Her playing was more evident > in the mix during the show; it must be pretty buried in the studio > recording, sadly. > > To answer your question more directly, Melissa, I believe the HG makes > an appearance in Arcade Fire due to personal passion more than any > desire to be cool. Certainly, it isn't the focal point of the group's > sound, and the cathedral pipe organ (!) makes a bigger impression on > the album than the HG. In concert, Regine's playing posture, stop/start > styling, and coup technique were competent, and as such, bring a great > deal to the uninitiated music loving population. > > If you are curious, there is a great photo of Regine's HG on the Arcade > Fire discussion forum. It is certainly a Weichelbaumer. Hopefully this > link is available to all without forum registration: > > http://forums.arcadefire.net/viewtopic.php?id=8103 > > For anyone who is interested in checking out Arcade Fire, I recommend > purchasing their first full length, "Funeral". Though off-topic, > HG-wise, it's as good an album by any artist, in any genre, as I've > heard in the last five years or so. This is a rare band whose > popularity hasn't affected their integrity. Their songs are relevant > and strangely affecting. The followup "Neon Bible" is quite good as > well. > > John > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > On Jun 2, 2007, at 8:35 PM, Melissa Kacalanos wrote: > > > I've been hearing a lot about this band called Arcade > > Fire. ... > > > Which track contains the hurdy gurdy? Can anyone > > confirm this as a hg sighting, or is this band just > > claiming to play hg in an attempt to seem cool? > > > > Melissa > >
