Spreading like an Arcade Fire i Joseph W. W Bateman Music Reporter Forget New York City and San Francisco as bastions of groundbreaking music and bands Increasingly the answer comes from our Great White neighbor to the North Canada There most be something in those maple leaves as ll the e number r of impressive bands coming out is astounding Arcade Fire is one band that is credited with shifting focus to Canadian music The Montreal band was hailed by Time magazine as a band that helped put Canadian music on the world map and Canadas Most Intriguing Rock Band Earning their allure through a rock orchestra the seven-piece seven b band nd play the usual bass guitar and vial x com r drums but add in an eclectic i mix ix of r other Instruments to achieve their unique sound Th The liner notes take up a page listing all the wind string and percussion instruments Everything from French horn hom piano and xylophone to harp hurdy gurdy a wheeled fiddle and accordion are used What results are unique songs that are as eclectic as they are catchy Despite forming in 2003 their relatively young status as a band hasn't affected their abundant accolades Their debut album Funeral sold faster than pressing plants could make them Soon after the albums album's release indie label Merge Records sold out its entire inventory resulting in a position on the Billboard charts as well as reaching 16 in Ireland 23 in Canada and 33 in United Kingdom Arc Arcade de Fir Fire w went nt from playing quaint shows in front of one or two hundred people to concerts in front of thousands Sharing the stage with and David Bowie certainly didn't hurt their ascent to stardom Their impressive live show would add to their growing legion of fans In the end everyone from the local press to the NewYork New NewYork York Times was hailing their praise Arcade Fire went from relative obscurity to international fame Earning nominations for three Brit awards and a Grammy for Best Alternative Rock Album Funeral sold over half a million copies and became one of the most successful indie rock bands in recent history The question remained Was Arcade Fire a one one- hit wonder or were they breakout artists On March 6 Arcade Fire answered their critics with their sophomore release Neon Bible While Funeral draws its name from the dark overtones throughout the album as well as references to the numerous deaths of members during the recording process Neon Bible gets its influence from the abandoned Montreal church they spent hunkered down in for over overa a year while working and recording the new batch of songs On the whole their latest release remains more poppy and friendly dance-friendly then their debut but retains their signature orchestra- orchestra like sound Their surrounding seemed to infuse a new sense of security and hope in the songs The fourth track Intervention on even makes use of the churchs church's huge pipe organ Throughout the album the lyrics rely heavily on religious imagery and themes as well as vague references to the Iraq war and the events of Sept 11 2001 The ninth song Windowsill takes issue with actions such as the Patriot Act created in response to the events of 9 Vocalist Win Butler proclaims Dont wanna live in my fathers father's house no more Dont Don't wanna fight in ina a holy warI dont don't wanna live in America no more Although the entire album is impressive No Cars CarsGo CarsGo CarsGo Go stands out as a song that captures the essence of Arcade Fire The song blends male and female harmonic vocals and the occasional shouted Hey over the roller-coaster roller sound going from soft to a roaring crescendo of marching band drums electronic beeps and horns Members even gather around the microphone for a choir- choir style ending A choir is such sucha a perfect reference for the sounds on this album with the addition of a chorus of instruments creating a rock orchestra Its It's hard to resist the hype Rarely does it match the band And even rarer is isa isa isa a band that exceeds all the hype and accolades Arcade Fire deserves all the praise its it's getting and more