THE ARCADE FIRE
EP
Merge / Rough Trade
Already looking back.
The unlikeliest hype band in memory, The Arcade Fire’s every move has been heralded with critical plaudits and internet frenzy, since the release of the ethereal Funeral. Proof of how fast it’s all gone – the group’s last single not only included a B-side cover of Talking Heads’ "Naïve Melody," but featured David Byrne actually singing it.
So it’s no surprise that the group’s 2003 self-released self-titled EP has hit the fast track to the deluxe remaster, reprint treatment, and while nothing here quite reaches the heights of Funeral’s finest moments (they do come close), it certainly gives invaluable insight as to where those moments came from.
The flat-out wonderful "No Cars Go" leaves little doubt that The Arcade Fire were on the right track from the very beginning, while "My Heart is an Apple" and "Headlights Look Like Diamonds" lay out the entire collection’s manifesto beautifully – where Funeral was about death, Arcade Fire is all about love.
When Win Butler sings "You knew in five minutes/ I knew in a sentence," in the first line of opener "Old Flame," he could’ve just as fittingly been singing to his fans as to the object of his affection – The Arcade Fire are just that kind of band.
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