who are the suburbs?

Woke up this morning still in disbelieve that Arcade Fire won a Grammy(!?)... and album of the year for that matter! Not that I think highly of the Grammys, but it's still pretty cool that a little band from Montreal, Quebec is recognized by a mainstream award show! Let’s celebrate by looking at these beautiful Neon Bible tour posters from Burlesque of North America:

no life at all in the house of dolls

For those of you (including myself) who missed The Arcade Fire/LCD Soundsystem tour because they failed to schedule to play at your town/city/country, you also missed their exclusive Tour Split 7” with The Arcade Fire covering a Serge Gainsbourg song and LCD Soundsystem covering a Joy Division track. Nonetheless, since the internet is a great source for exclusive/hard-to-get materials, you too can enjoy the split 7” below!

The Arcade Fire - Poupee de Cire/Poupee de Son
LCD Soundsystem - No Love Lost
***all files expire in 7 days or until bandwidth reaches its limit

out this week

Bright Eyes: Four Winds EP
This is an incredible EP, can’t wait to hear Cassadaga!!!!!!
(ps, Pitchfork only gave this EP a 5.9... WTF!!?!?!?!... that makes me so mad!!!)

Four Winds [super-wicked-cool song]
Smoke Without Fire [wicked-cool song]

buy Four Winds EP here


Arcade Fire: Neon Bible
I didn’t like Funeral very much... however, this follow-up is surprising great! Oh, be sure to check out the limited edition of Neon Bible... I don't know what's on that version, but the cover art is amazing!!

Keep The Car Running [super-wicked-cool song]
Neon Bible [super-wicked-cool song]
The Well And The Lighthouse [wicked-cool song]

buy Neon Bible here


Air: Pocket Symphony
Pocket Symphony is one of those perfect winter albums, it is no doubt another fine release by the French duo.

Once Upon a Time [wicked-cool song]
Mer Du Japon [wicked-cool song]
Redhead Girl

buy Pocket Symphony here


The Horrors: Strange House
The Horrors is an incredible band, and Strange House is one of the best albums of the year so far!

Excellent Choice [wicked-cool song]
She Is The New Thing [wicked-cool song]
Thunderclaps [wicked-cool song]

buy Strange House here


!!!: Myth Takes

All My Heroes Are Weirdos
Break In Case Of Anything

buy Myth Takes here


Maria Taylor: Lynn Teeter Flower
Maria Taylor’s second album features similar styles of Jenny Lewis and Regina Spektor. In my opinion, it is a much finer record than 11:11.

Smile And Wave [wicked-cool song]
Lost Time

buy Lynn Teeter Flower here


Gruff Rhys: Candylion
Although I don’t think Candylion is all that great, Gruff Rhys is extremely entertaining live... so go see him live, I guess.

Lonsome Words
Gyrru Gyrru Gyrru

buy Candylion here

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i don't want the salesmen knocking at my door

Back in 2004, The Arcade Fire’s debut full length, Funeral, came out of nowhere and became one of the biggest acts in the indie music scene. Not only did they attract a huge fan-base in the US and overseas, they somewhat replaced (for a moment) the beloved Broken Social Scene as the Canadian indie-kids’ national heroes. So, like everyone else, I listened to Funeral, but I found myself NOT liking the album whatsoever! I mean, it was borderline enjoyable, and I absolutely didn’t get why everyone thought the album was so brilliant... it was one of those albums I just did not get and couldn’t get into. So, three years later, The Arcade Fire is set to release their follow-up entitled Neon Bible. Even though I despised Funeral, I wanted to give the new album a chance. As soon as I heard the first song, "Black Mirror", I knew that Neon Bible is a different album from Funeral, and I might actually enjoy it. The next track, "Keep The Car Running", is even more enjoyable than the first... and it kind of sounds like a Cure track to me for some reason. Anyways, to my surprise, The Arcade Fire actually released something that I like... Neon Bible is a pretty damn fine record and I think it gets better with each listen!

Keep The Car Running [wicked-cool song]
Intervention [wicked-cool song]
Ocean Of Noise
The Well And The Lighthouse
Windowsill [wicked-cool song]
No Cars Go [wicked-cool song]
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Neon Bible comes out on March 6, you can pre-order it here

***Patrick Wolf will be opening for The Arcade Fire in Europe:
03-05 Dublin, Ireland - Olympia
03-06 Dublin, Ireland - Olympia
03-08 Manchester, England - Apollo
03-09 Manchester, England - Apollo
03-11 Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowlands
03-12 Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowlands
03-14 London, England - Brixton Academy
03-15 London, England - Brixton Academy

*****They will also be playing at Massey Hall in Toronto on May 15 and 16!!!