Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
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 /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From $17.49/month
William Butler, Clarinet, Percussion, Bass, AssociatedPerformer - Regine Chassagne, Composer, Lyricist, Keyboards, Percussion, Piano, Synthesizer, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Win Butler, Composer, Lyricist, Banjo, Guitar, Tambourine, Bass, Synthesizer, Vocal - Richard Reed Parry, Percussion, Recording Engineer, Bass, AssociatedPerformer - Arcade Fire, Producer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - nickY, Saxophone - Dane Mills, Drums, Percussion, Bass - Brendan Reed, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Myles Broscoe, Guitar, Bass Guitar - Tim Kyle, Electric Guitar - Gregus Davenport, French Horn - Liza Rey, Harp
(P) 2005 Arcade Fire Music under exclusive license to Sony Music Entertainment
William Butler, Clarinet, Percussion, Bass, AssociatedPerformer - Regine Chassagne, Composer, Lyricist, Keyboards, Percussion, Piano, Synthesizer, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Win Butler, Composer, Lyricist, Banjo, Guitar, Tambourine, Bass, Synthesizer, Vocal - Richard Reed Parry, Percussion, Recording Engineer, Bass, AssociatedPerformer - Arcade Fire, Producer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - nickY, Saxophone - Dane Mills, Drums, Percussion, Bass - Brendan Reed, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Myles Broscoe, Guitar, Bass Guitar - Tim Kyle, Electric Guitar - Liza Rey, Harp
(P) 2005 Arcade Fire Music under exclusive license to Sony Music Entertainment
William Butler, Clarinet, Percussion, Bass, AssociatedPerformer - Regine Chassagne, Composer, Lyricist, Keyboards, Percussion, Piano, Synthesizer, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Win Butler, Composer, Lyricist, Banjo, Guitar, Tambourine, Bass, Synthesizer, Vocal - Richard Reed Parry, Percussion, Recording Engineer, Bass, AssociatedPerformer - Arcade Fire, Producer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - nickY, Saxophone - Dane Mills, Drums, Percussion, Bass - Brendan Reed, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Myles Broscoe, Guitar, Bass Guitar - Tim Kyle, Electric Guitar - Liza Rey, Harp
(P) 2005 Arcade Fire Music under exclusive license to Sony Music Entertainment
William Butler, Clarinet, Percussion, Bass, AssociatedPerformer - Regine Chassagne, Composer, Lyricist, Keyboards, Percussion, Piano, Synthesizer, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Win Butler, Composer, Lyricist, Banjo, Guitar, Tambourine, Bass, Synthesizer, Vocal - Richard Reed Parry, Percussion, Recording Engineer, Bass, AssociatedPerformer - Arcade Fire, Producer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - nickY, Saxophone - Dane Mills, Drums, Percussion, Bass - Brendan Reed, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Myles Broscoe, Guitar, Bass Guitar - Tim Kyle, Electric Guitar - Liza Rey, Harp
(P) 2005 Arcade Fire Music under exclusive license to Sony Music Entertainment
William Butler, Clarinet, Percussion, Bass, AssociatedPerformer - Regine Chassagne, Composer, Lyricist, Keyboards, Percussion, Piano, Synthesizer, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Win Butler, Composer, Lyricist, Banjo, Guitar, Tambourine, Bass, Synthesizer, Vocal - Richard Reed Parry, Percussion, Recording Engineer, Bass, AssociatedPerformer - Arcade Fire, Producer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - nickY, Saxophone - Dane Mills, Drums, Percussion, Bass - Brendan Reed, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Myles Broscoe, Guitar, Bass Guitar - Tim Kyle, Electric Guitar - Liza Rey, Harp
(P) 2005 Arcade Fire Music under exclusive license to Sony Music Entertainment
William Butler, Clarinet, Percussion, Bass, AssociatedPerformer - Regine Chassagne, Composer, Lyricist, Keyboards, Percussion, Piano, Synthesizer, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Win Butler, Composer, Lyricist, Banjo, Guitar, Tambourine, Bass, Synthesizer, Vocal - Richard Reed Parry, Percussion, Recording Engineer, Bass, AssociatedPerformer - Arcade Fire, Producer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - nickY, Saxophone - Dane Mills, Drums, Percussion, Bass - Brendan Reed, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Myles Broscoe, Guitar, Bass Guitar - Tim Kyle, Electric Guitar - Liza Rey, Harp
(P) 2005 Arcade Fire Music under exclusive license to Sony Music Entertainment
William Butler, Clarinet, Percussion, Bass, AssociatedPerformer - Regine Chassagne, Composer, Lyricist, Keyboards, Percussion, Piano, Synthesizer, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Win Butler, Composer, Lyricist, Banjo, Guitar, Tambourine, Bass, Synthesizer, Vocal - Richard Reed Parry, Percussion, Recording Engineer, Bass, AssociatedPerformer - Arcade Fire, Producer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - nickY, Saxophone - Dane Mills, Drums, Percussion, Bass - Brendan Reed, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer, Vocal - Myles Broscoe, Guitar, Bass Guitar - Tim Kyle, Electric Guitar - Liza Rey, Harp
(P) 2005 Arcade Fire Music under exclusive license to Sony Music Entertainment
Album 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 /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 7 track(s)
- Total length: 00:33:01
- Main artists: Arcade Fire
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Sony Music CG
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock Alternative & Indie
(P) 2005 Arcade Fire Music under exclusive licence to Sony Music Entertainment
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.