Arcade Fire [EP]

• Artist: Arcade Fire
• Rating:
• Release Date: 2003
• Type: Lyrics are included with the album, Extended Play (EP)
• Genre: Rock

Review

As far as debuts go, the Arcade Fire's seven-song introduction to the world will forever be lorded over by its behemoth older sibling, 2004's commercially and critically lauded Funeral. While the hundreds of people who coveted the self-titled EP prior to its 2005 re-release on the ultra-hip Merge label can rest assured that their copies are indeed original, those who are looking for a prequel to the anthemic, end-of-the-world bombast that emanated like a black-box recorder from Funeral are in for a treat. While there's nothing here that matches the goosebump-inducing electricity that runs through "Tunnels" or "Power Out," there are moments -- both musical and lyrical -- that portend the fireworks to come. "Old Flame" starts things off innocently enough with a simple melody tied to the even simpler pangs of new love -- "My mouth is full/Your heart is an apple" -- and "I'm Sleeping in a Submarine" extends that joy with a defiant chorus of "A cage is a cage, is a cage, is a cage!" However, it isn't until the third track that the record begins to take shape -- "No Cars Go," with its driving accordion melody line and unified shouts, sounds like the blueprint for Funeral's "Rebellion (Lies)." Régine Chassagne does little to escape the Björk comparisons on the sparse "Woodlands National Anthem," but her distorted, blood-curdling howls on the pulsing "Headlights Look Like Diamonds" are one of the EP's highlights. By the time the listener arrives at "Vampire/Forest Fire," with its familiar themes of pain both spiritual and familial, it's obvious where the band is headed. Like Broken Social Scene or the Flaming Lips, the Arcade Fire are sometimes earnest to a fault. While each of the seven tracks contained herein are fully realized, they are as unfocused as they are beautiful, resulting in an intangible, dreamlike atmosphere that reduces each cut -- no matter how deep -- down to a mere scratch. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Old Flame	Win Butler	Arcade Fire	(3:59)
I'm Sleeping in a Submarine	Win Butler	Arcade Fire	(2:47)
No Cars Go	Win Butler	Arcade Fire	(6:04)
The Woodlands National Anthem	Win Butler	Arcade Fire	(3:59)
My Heart is an Apple	Win Butler	Arcade Fire	(4:27)
Headlights Look Like Diamonds	Win Butler, Josh Deu	Arcade Fire	(4:25)
Vampire/Forest Fire	Win Butler	Arcade Fire	(7:20)

Credits

Liza Rey (Harp), Arcade Fire (Main Performer), Win Butler (Synthesizer), Win Butler (Banjo), Win Butler (Bass), Win Butler (Guitar), Win Butler (Tambourine), Win Butler (Vocals), Régine Chassagne (Synthesizer), Régine Chassagne (Percussion), Régine Chassagne (Piano), Régine Chassagne (Vocals), Régine Chassagne (Fender Rhodes), Régine Chassagne (Bird Calls), Richard Reed Parry (Bass), Richard Reed Parry (Percussion), Richard Reed Parry (Guitar (Electric)), Richard Reed Parry (Engineer), Will Butler (Clarinet), Will Butler (Fender Rhodes), Will Butler (Bass (Upright)), Will Butler (Stomping), Myles Broscoe (Guitar), Myles Broscoe (Bass (Electric)), Gregus Davenport (French Horn), Josh Deu (Insert), Tim Kyle (Guitar (Electric)), Dane Mills (Bass), Dane Mills (Drums), Dane Mills (Stomping), Brendan Reed (Percussion), Brendan Reed (Drums), Brendan Reed (Vocals), Brendan Reed (Dance (Tap))