Reading 2010, Old School Arcade Fire,

Well I'm back..pleased?

I hope so..

So as a music fan boy, these next few paragraphs are pretty much essential because, the day after returning from Iceland, I managed to get tickets for Reading Festival 2010!

So I'm very pleased. Why, because I personally think the line-up is pretty stonking. Okay, Download has a jizzum line-up, but I can’t go to that, so Reading was the 'second best thing', and actually its looking pretty peachy.

Friday if probably what I'm looking forward to least, A) Because I'm less likely to be drunk and B) Because the Axl Rose ego showca....I mean Guns and Roses are headlining. Don't get me wrong, Appetite for Destruction is a good album, but nothing they're ever done is since has been ('Novermber Rain'...wtf, wankiest power Ballard is disguise ever) and the 'band' is essentially just Axl Rose plus those foolish enough to support him. On the plus side, NOFX should be good fun and I want to check out Two Door Cinema Club (more on them next time) live. But I'm really hoping for some beast lock up stage line up.

As for the rest of the weekend, I won't be surprised if I spent it constantly on a high. The Libertines, who are incidentally my favourite band ever, reuniting, Arcade Fire straight after, plus Blink-182, Weezer, Limp B all on the same day....:)

But that's by fan boyness over, see you in the summer....

Actually, If you thought that was the Reading bumming over you're sort of wrong because I'm now gona talk about this...

Arcade Fire EP



Okay, so I decided to re acquaint myself with Arcade Fire after their headlining slot of day two of Reading was announced, so I wacked the music of there's I have onto iTunes then went in search of this...

I knew that Arcade Fire (or The Arcade Fire, whichever way you swing) has released a self titles EP prior to debut album 'Funeral', so I had a listen, and to be honest, it way well be the best thing they're done..

Actually, compared to 'Funeral' it’s probably not better (but as good), but it certainly beats 'Neon Bible'.

I'd describe it as 'low key', not that that mean it lacks the grandiose and layered music that we all know Arcade Fire for (and love, if you’re a fan), but it's more subtle. There's no organs (ala 'Intervention) or big sing along ('Wake Up' style), but its something altogether more..Personal (I would use the word 'Intimate' at this point, but I hate it's use in music reviews).

Track wise it has an early version on 'No Cars Go', rerecorded for 'Neon Bible' that is easily recognisable as the same song, but more stripped back and possibly a smidgen slower than the more recent version and which I personally prefer. There's also 'The Woodland Nation Anthem' that sound more like Neutral Milk Hotel that Arcade Fire, with hand claps and a whole sea of backing melodies.

The best track on the EP is however, 'Headlights Look Like Diamonds'. Atmospheric and percussion driven with stabs of guitar as it builds up to its final glorious peak. It immediately jumped out on first listen and, the same evening as I got the EP, has become one of my favourite songs. It also has the opening lines 'The red lights mean you're leaving/The white ones mean returning', which for some reason I love. It probably the nearest the EP gets to ‘classic’ Arcade Fire as well.

So, I recommend anyone, particularly Arcade Fire fans check it out, I could have talked about positives in ALL the tracks, but this has taken long enough already. It’s unlikely anything off here will be played at Reading, or anywhere else for that fact. But that doesn't stop it being awesome.

:)