Arcade Fire fans are an enthusiastic bunch, and they've been hungry for more music from their favorite group. But be forewarned, this EP was actually recorded and released by the band independently in 2003. The EP is an interesting view into the development of these musicians; decidedly less experienced at that point, the band didn't have quite as much oomph as they do now. When you compare these tracks with their first single, "Rebellion (Lies)" from Funeral, you can immediately feel a difference in confidence, from vocals on through to orchestration. That said, there is still plenty for fans to enjoy on this EP; for starters, none of these seven songs show up on their full-length, so that gives Fire fans an extra half hour of music to enjoy. Secondly, husband and wife team Win Butler and Regine Chassagne's vocals and songwriting still shine, most especially on the standout "No Cars Go" and the beautifully fragile "Headlights Look Like Diamonds." Funeral remains the best introduction to Arcade Fire, but this CD is still a great glimpse of a band with a bright future ahead. --Denise Sheppard
Review by James Christopher Monger
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)." Regine Chassagne does little to escape the Bjork 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.
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