Wow, I voted for White Stripes but then I read these comments. If you can handle the preachy music, go for the other option, it sounds much more fun.
White stripes has some stuff that I really dig and some stuff I think is freaking terrible. Arcade fire has seemed a lot more consistently good to me so they get my vote.
See The Arcade Fire.
Reason:
The White Stripes are like the Ramones/Grateful Dead, they’ve picked up something they are good at, and they’ll keep on doing it for their steadily aging audience until they get arthritis.
Whereas The Arcade Fire will either start making crap records, or break up in a big ego clusterfunk. Prolly both.
See The Arcade Fire now whilst you still like them, take your kids to see The White Stripes when you are in your 40’s.
I’m probably dating myself when I say Arcade Fire sound exactly like Echo and the Bunnymen, but not in the ironic way that White Stripes tries to sound like Zeppelin and the Stones.
The Arcade Fire definitely have a lot of anthemic 80s songwriting mixed into their style - you can really hear it in the basslines, and especially in songs “Keep The Car Running” and “Rebellion (Lies)” - but I wouldn’t say they sound exactly like Echo And The Bunnymen. I always thought they sounded like the Talking Heads being beaten up by The Pogues.
Nah. I hear the Echo & the Bunnymen in them, too. If fact, I genereally describe them to people as “Echo and the Bunnymen meets Modest Mouse, but not nearly as awful as that sounds”. I’m planning on seeing them later this month.
Arcade Fire is an overly large (8 members?) French Canadian band with a talent for making music that makes your ears bleed.
I won tickets to see The Arcade Fire with LCD Soundsystem on the 30th of this month from 89.3 The Current - possibly one of the greatest radio stations in the country.
You’re comparing the White Stripes to the Ramones as a negative? I feel like I’ve just become too old for this forum.
Yeah, I had to wonder about what sort of ignorance went into that post myself. Seeing the Ramones in 1995 playing the festival circuit? Yeah, whatever.
Seeing the Ramones at the height of their powers in 1977 or so? Different breed of cat entirely.
I wasn’t commenting at all on the quality of the Ramones, just that the White Stripes would be around. After all, something > nothing.
My personal opinion is that the Arcade Fire are derivative crap, but that won’t help anyone make up their mind.
I don’t like either band, so nothing to see here.
Can we get an update? How was the show?
And how was the Decemberists the next day? I’ve seen the Decemberists a few times and my complaint is that their shows have been too short.
At least the white stripes were nice enough to make it an easy choice by canceling.
I saw Muse instead of Arcade Fire. They were at the stage just opposite the indigo girls, and we didn’t feel like walking.
The Decemberists were the highlight of my weekend there. I was in the crowd right behind the photo pit barricade. We all marched and danced and sang along. Frontman Colin still has the playfulness of a child, and it was entertaining and refreshing to see him physically act out the same whimsy that he demonstrates in his songwriting.
They’ve just cancelled all their tours this year, stating “anxiety” issues.
I think Meg is having problems dealing with the fact that Jack has a new girlfriend.
Oh, and he closed out with I Was Meant for the Stage. I had never heard that song before, and it gave me goosebumps and chills all over.
It’s from Her Majesty. Obviously you record collection is incomplete!