Ooooh…look another blog entry about the Arcade Fire!

I certainly recognize that there is really no point in tipping people off to bands that have already pretty much established themselves but, if I may, I think there are interesting things to look at involving the band that perhaps haven’t been covered. One of my favorite things to with bands is to look at how bands have changed from their initial releases to their more current ones. This is particularly relevant when bands decide to redo old standards.

The Arcade Fire, while not that old yet, offer a good example of this when you look at their first self-titled EP (it came out before indie-mega-hit Funeral) and their most recent release, 2007’s Neon Bible. On both albums you can find the track “No Cars Go,” a generally upbeat song with a lot of interesting instrumentation. I believe the contrast offers a good idea of how a band can mature in their sound. Naturally you have to take into account the resources available to the band when each was recorded; it would be unfair to judge the recording quality at the same standards.

Listening first to the EP version, the first thing that stands out is the faint radio intro which, though sounding French (the band is from Canada after all), is really indecipherable to me. Next you hear the metronome counting off a beat; or rather hand clapping acting as a metronome. This makes me wonder if it is actually to keep beat for the band, as if they were recording in a room with a microphone, or an effect added in a studio afterwards. The snare drums come in first and then the band begins.

On the more recent version, the most notable difference is the tempo: vastly sped up compared to the first version. Gone is the hand-clapped beat and the drum solo is integrated more with the band playing rather than standing alone. While the melodica/accordion-heavy melody stays in both, the later version clearly brings out strings.

The vocal styling is actually very similar in both the verse and chorus. The sort-of delayed echo of Win Butler’s vocals by Regine Chassagne remains true in both versions. As do the instrumental breaks in the song.

At about 3:40 in the first version (3:12 in 2^nd) you hear a choral bridge of “between the click of the light/and the start of a dream.” In the first you clearly hear a break the builds up without any instrumental stoppages. While, in the second the vocals persist by themselves with minimal instrumental accompaniment. This is followed by a period where Mr. Butler shouts several phrases such as “women and children” followed by “let’s go”. In the older version this is barely audible over the band, but brought out to be more distinct on Neon Bible. Additionally you find the end swelling up with instrumental and choral parts until about 5:30, where the song releases you to fade out. The EP version swells similarly, but the choral part is absent and the music builds to a less intense peak before the song ends.

What is the point of this entry? No doubt you would notice some of the differences listening to both the tracks. But if you really listen to both, I believe you can look at bands trying to mature their sound and reach the vision that had initially intended. Purists of course will argue that the original is best, but it is still fun to see a band try to rework and reinvent a song with a fresh perspective

In other words, it’s another way to look at music which you had previously believed had nothing new to offer.

The Arcade Fire - No Cars Go (EP Version)

The Arcade Fire - No Cars Go (Neon Bible version)