MUSINGS: Arcade Fire, Hype, & My Eastern European Roots

In 2007, Arcade Fire released their second full-length album, Neon Bible, not only to critical acclaim, but to immense hype, as well. It seemed everywhere I turned there was some mention of the album and whether it was brilliant or just plain bad. I, like most people it seemed, purchased a copy of the album based on the strength of the few songs I had heard. However, I maybe made it through three-fourths -- possibly all the way through -- once or twice and didn't return to the album for some time.

Call me ridiculous, but with everyone talking about Neon Bible, I lost interest in it. It's hard for me to get invested in something when all I do is hear about it or see it pretty much everywhere (LOST being one of the few exceptions). It's possible it was one of those mentalities where here was this terrific band that people knew about, but that still maintained a certain level of obscurity that was appealing (Is it a music snob thing? Oh, God, I hope not!). Upon the release of Neon Bible, everyone and their mother and their dog knew about Arcade Fire, and "Keep the Car Running" became one of those anthems you hear in a sports stadium; it was subsumed as some sort of sports anthem for a new generation (at least that was my impression).

Growing disinterested in Arcade Fire, then, wasn't so much my thinking they were obnoxious or a bad band as much as it was my need of a sort of vacation from them. No, it wasn't anything the band did that turned me off -- they're very talented and were worthy of such praise. It's a bit hard to explain, but I'm sure most people have encountered something in life that came up too much in their day-to-day existence that stopped them from getting more invested in it than they already were. I think, more than anything else, I wanted to approach Neon Bible unaffected by the hype surrounding the album, approaching it with a clear, unbiased mind.

This week -- and let's face it, for the past few weeks -- the hype machine has been working overtime as Arcade Fire releases their third full-length album, The Suburbs. With anything that reaches a high level of popularity and becomes such a significant part of pop culture, there are always going to be detractors, critics especially with the general majority heaping praise on the subject in question. The Suburbs has been getting great reviews, and rightly so. It's an ambitious album, supposedly written on inspiration drawn from growing up in the suburbs of Texas. At over an hour long and 16 tracks in length, The Suburbs is not only ambitious, it's also a book of sorts that tells a story we can all relate to at some level. Not only that, but the songs all hold up against one another -- quite a feat when you consider the length of the album.

A number of weeks ago, word spread across the web that a man had found a 12" single with new Arcade Fire material in an English record store. I'd have to say that is when the hype for The Suburbs began. While taking a walk around this time, I began to realize something in particular about Arcade Fire's music that drew me to it. I realized that there was something underlying in my reasoning for liking Arcade Fire.

For some time now, I've had this strong interest in music from Europe. First it started as anglophilia, but I soon came to be taken with the idea of rock 'n' roll -- or pretty much anything that wasn't classical, pop, hardcore, or metal -- that originated in Europe. At the time of this aforementioned realization, I recalled a post that Said the Gramophone had that featured a brief history lesson on Czechoslovakia rock 'n' roll. As it turns out, Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler made the post as a guest contributor for the site (what are the odds?!). Then, it hit me: Arcade Fire have this odd way of making me think about Eastern Europe. With Lithuanian and Slovakian heritage, I, for some unexplainable reason, have a fascination with Arcade Fire's sound. It would best be attributable to the music's ability to stir up these feelings I have for Eastern Europe. After having spent three weeks in Slovenia -- and one quick weekend in Croatia -- my affinity for Eastern Europe has grown. For one reason or another, Arcade Fire has become my link back to Eastern Europe, even if at a very low level. It's not the sole reason for why I like them, but it is certainly an important one.

BUY: Arcade Fire's The Surburbs is out now on Merge. Pick it up here.

Is it possible that Arcade Fire is America's Radiohead?