I’ve been a fan of Arcade Fire for quite some time now. I was first introduced to them during my formidable years in college when my young mind was being shaped for greatness in the real world. They were probably the first jump I made towards what I would understand to be Indie music (I was young then.) At the time, I never had the chance to read into the band’s history, which it turns out is a shame because their history is actually very interesting.
To start, the band is fronted by husband and wife duo Win Butler and Régine Chassagne. Like REAL husband and wife duo. Not like White Stripes husband and wife duo. It’s like you can hear the love in every one of their songs. It’s quite magical. Secondly, Chassagne used to sing jazz and played the recorder in a pre-Renaissance medieval band. I also used to play the recorder, but not as professionally as him. I’m still training. Thirdly, Butler’s grandfather is legendary swing-era musician Alvino Rey who is credited as being the father of the pedal steel guitar. Crazy right?
The thing that really drew me to this band in the first place is the plethora of sounds you’ll find throughout the albums. In their latest, Suburbs, you’ll find piano, guitar, violin, organ, synthesizer, accordion, washboard, spoons and the jug. Ok, maybe not ALL of those instruments are on the album, but they might play the others in their free time. You don’t know.
Buy The Suburbs:
“Fun-sized” candy bars are not fun at all. In fact, they are just tiny wannabe candy bars that never satisfy. Clearly I still have some post Halloween angst. Armed with my candy based knowledge of the word “fun”, I was at first skeptical of the indie-rock group known as fun. Could they really be fun? Would a listen to their recent album only be slightly enjoyable? Thankfully my musical hunger was fully satisfied with their recent release, Aim and Ignite.
fun times
Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost and Jack Antonoff prove that there can be truth in advertising. The music of fun is simply…fun. The creative trio out of New York delivers music that is relevant, catchy and enjoyable. Aim and Ignite is one of those albums you can turn on and let it flow through all of the tracks without skipping around. The song writing is both whimsical and thoughtful. Lead singer Nate Ruess belts out the lyrics with a sweet melodic tone. Combine in the fact that these guys are incredibly versatile with instrumentation and you find yourself listening to a fun record.
Aim and Ignite is my feel good album of 2009 and one that is sure to have you singing along. Tracks like “Be Calm”, “At Least I’m Not As Sad (As I Used To Be)”, “The Gambler”, and the recent single, “All The Pretty Girls” will no doubt have you hooked. Wow, I am in such a good mood now. However, I still hate fun-sized candy bars. That anger has not gone away and most likely never will.
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Wanting some more “fun” music? You will love Eric Hutchinson!
