At the height of their popularity, United Steel Workers of Montreal finished third in a local poll of popular Montreal bands. The band in first place then (and probably since) was Arcade Fire. Arcade Fire is a multi-piece (ranging from six to nine) band based in Montreal with only one member actually from Montreal. At the core of the band is the relationship between Win Butler (lead vocals, guitar) and Régine Chassagne (xylophone, piano, accordion) who were married before the band broke big. Surrounding them is Richard Reed Parry (guitar), Tim Kingsbury (guitar, bass), Howard Bilerman (drums, engineer), and younger brother William Butler (bass, piano). They formed in 2001 and had multiple other members who'd fall out of the band (Brendan Reed, Myles Broscoe, Dane Mills, Tim Kyle, and co-founder Josh Deu) by the time they'd record their debut Funeral.
Out of its anarchic rule, the band built a unique cohesion of songwriting that is simple (very post-punk) in its composition but complex in its layered arrangements. The end result are songs where a lot of musical ideas are being tossed around and played off each other, yet they attain a unique anthemic touch. Lyrically, the songs mix nostalgia with meditations on death and its aftereffects on youth. The album and the band immediately broke out. Not only was the album critically acclaimed across the board, but they were selling out shows and performing on-stage with the likes of David Bowie and Gabriel Byrne. Funeral may not have moved a lot of records at the time, but it has since been named one of the greatest albums of the 2000s and even clinched a spot on Rolling Stone's Top 500 Albums of All Time list at an impressive #151. In one fell swoop, Arcade Fire broke the indie scene permanently into the mainstream and their stylistic influence spread across Canada and the United States.
Here is the complete discography surrounding Arcade Fire's debut album:
Demo 2001 (2001 demo)
A Very Arcade Xmas (2002 Christmas EP)
Arcade Fire (2003 EP)
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) (2004 single)
Funeral
CBC Radio 3 Studio Session (2004 radio session)
Live on KEXP (2004 live radio bootleg)
Live at TT the Bears, Cambridge, MA (2004 live bootleg)
Live on Morning Becomes Eclectic, KCRW (2005 live radio bootleg)
Live at Emo's, Austin, TX (2005 live bootleg)
The White Session (2005 live radio session)
Neighborhood #2 (Laïka) (2005 single)
Live at Canal + (2005 live bootleg)
Live at Postbahnhof, Berlin, Germany (2005 live bootleg)
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) (2005 single)
Cold Wind (2005 non-album single)
Live at Fashion Rocks (2005 live EP with David Bowie)
Rebellion (Lies) (2005 single)
Live at First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN (2005 live bootleg)
Wake Up (2005 single)
Neighborhood #2 (Laïka)" by Arcade Fire
"Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)" + "Rebellion (Lies)" by Arcade Fire Live on Jools Holland
"In the Backseat" by Arcade Fire
Pass the Headphones!!
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