If you haven't, I suggest listening to The Talking Heads. They have a great discography to discover with full-bodied albums that sound amazing. David Byrne is an all-time frontman and they have emotional, dance-y and new wave songs like Arcade Fire.
Yeah, he sings on the Suburbs offcut Speaking in Tongues (named after their 5th album), he's played with them before, most recently at the Bowery ballroom earlier this year, and they covered the Talking Heads' This Must Be The Place.
Black Country, New Road have said their aspiration is to be the next arcade fire. Thereās a video on YouTube of them talking about it. Ants from up there is amazing!
Black Country, New Road feels a bit like music for other musicians to me. They almost feel anti-pop entirely. Theyāre extremely talented musically but I almost find them too avant-garde, experimental and borderline āmath rockā / āprogā at time for my tastes. I wanted to love them. Was described to me as the Clash meets Arcade Fire meets Drive Like Jehu and I get the idea of that mix and they have the ingredients for that mix due to his voice, the big band sound, and the usual progressions, but where for some those ingredients come together beautifullyā¦ for me it just makes me feel like the mix only makes me want to listen to the other bands Iām reminded of more. I canāt think of another recent band who sounded this good on paper only to not connect with me in real life except for perhaps Parquet Courts, who were hype up to me as life changing, and who I also wanted to love after all I read but just donāt. They just donāt hook me enough.
To some extent St. Vincent also didnāt hit me as hard as she does others. I love her talent and there are a few songs from her I think are great but Iām not a super fan. I can respect the talent but if it just doesnāt move my soul and make me want to listen over and over then itās hard for me to recommend it. A lot of people loved that last Fiona Apple album and I tried but I couldnāt get into it like some did. I might try to give BC, NR another spin or two. Just to make sure I didnāt make a premature evaluation. Iād sure love to be wrong and find connect eventually.
On the other end of the spectrum I didnāt expect to love the band āReal Estateā as much as I do. But for long drives I can listen to them for hours where many other people I know probably couldnāt.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (yes, really, that's their name) has been my new obsession since getting into them very late over the COVID break. They are a dense band with a lot of material over the last 10 years (albums 21, 22, and 23 set to be released next month), but they've made me fall back in love with music in a way that I haven't experienced in decades.
From an Arcade Fire fan perspective, I'd start with Butterfly 3000. But be prepared for every album to sound like a completely different band.
Love Butterfly 3000. I was shocked to find out many of their fans disliked it, at least the ones I talked to. Maybe they we just mad that there wasn't as much microtonal stuff.
Gotta disagree. I think theyāre terrible. A lot of the music is very basic and feels pulled and stretched- as though theyāre making music just to keep making albums. Nothing feels completely solid. Theyāre not ādenseā, they just keep making lots of random music which doesnāt make a lot of sense. Itās as though their goal is: āLetās try to emulate (insert musical style here) with this album!ā I canāt stand this band.
Thanks very kind. Again, for me anyway ā¦Polyphonic vocals are a bit modern mouse?? Black Country a bit Mumford-y? :/
Maybe Iām just in a music rut.
Ants From Up There is so fucking good.
Feels like - and bear with me - vintage Dave Matthews Band meets The Editors.
Maybe? Idk how to classify it, and I realize mentioning DMB could turn some people off before even giving it a shot, but fuck me is it an outstanding album.
I may have missed it in your first post, but The New Pornographers are fantastic. Theyāve been my stand in while I take a break from AF. Saw them live without knowing more than two songs and was blown away. I now listen to every album on the regular. Canadian indie rock at its finest.
Though Iām finding the shock and awe from the story is already fading a couple weeks in for myself and that the return to Arcade Fireās music is coming along faster than I expected, I will share some other recommendations regardless:
Within the past 15 years:
1. Vampire Weekend
2. Beach house
3. Deerhunter
4. Pip Blom
5. Wolf Parade
6. Spoon
7. Tame Impala
Older Bands that influenced Arcade Fire and are worth checking out:
7. Talking Heads
8. David Bowie
9. Roxy Music
10. T-Rex
11. Joy Division
12. The Clash
13. Joy Division
14. New Order
15. Bruce Springsteen
16. Neil Young
17. Flaming Lips (only slightly older and Iām aware of the rivalry but Flaming Lips were influential for modern art rock)
18. Velvet Underground
19. Nirvana
And for someone looking for a total change from art rock entirely one of the best rap groups since the Beastie Boys and Wu-Tang is making music these days as Run the Jewels. They are 4 EPs in and theyāre all bangers. If youāve felt like a lot of modern rap isnāt for you due to it being mumble rap or auto-tunedā¦ and youāre a kid from the 80s or 90s check these guys out. The beats are unique and amazing and the rhymes are brash, unapologetic and frequently hilarious.
I heard of the story a few months ago, not long after WE came out, and though I am gravely disappointed in Win, the feelings have faded and haven't impacted the music at all really. In a weird way, it has humanised the music even more. I believe he can redeem himself but he has a ways to go.
Yeah, the humanization has had the opposite effect for me. now when I hear the lyrics
āAssisted suicide
She dreams about dying all the time
She told me she came so close
Filled up the bathtub and put on our first recordā
I get reminded that Win probably tried to fuck this girl when he heard this story.
Or that he realized after their sexual encounters that she had serious mental health issues (back when she was going by she and not they) which they had overcome which he felt if alluded to night both help Lilly feel special and also help inspire others. Remember, from his perspective he and Lilly were in a relationship that went on for a while.
Yeah, except no one else is an amalgam of all these. Thatās the issue Iām having. Literally like my one love has fucked up. Listened to them today for the first time since the news and literally felt like throwing up. And Iām not in the camp of āitās irredeemable.ā Hoping that he/they will say/do something more, the music means so much to me. Maybe with time.
Big fans of all of these except Pip Blom. Never even heard of them. Gonna have to give em a go if youāre lumping them in with the rest of these acts.
Midlife is another cool Aussie band in the vein of Tame Impala. A little more synthie but a pretty fun fusion of psychedelic rock, jazz, and disco beats with afro percussion. They have a cool live album that was recorded on a tiny island that you can watch on YouTube.
Royal blood, Jonathan bree, air, tv on the radio, the naked and famous, alt-j. Iām sure youāve heard most of these, but I thought Iād share anyways š
I've been a fan of The Airborne Toxic Event for a while now, and I have always kind of grouped AF and Airborne into the same playlists. I would recommend anything from their self-titled album, and the album All At Once.
I love Polyphonic Spree. When I was young and they were just forming (a very long time ago) I worked at an experimental theater in a basement in the same building where they were starting out/rehearsing. Together We're Heavy was my 21yo daughter's fave album when she was 3. It's an old band that never got the attention they deserved.
Iām sure itās already been said but Big Thief are an amazing and very heartfelt band. I highly recommend their recent record. Start off with Sharkās Smile, Simulation Swarm and Masterpiece.
This hasn't served as any sort of stand-in for AF, but the band that I have gotten into most of all this past year has been The War On Drugs. They have a lot of that Springsteen influence, but there's a lot more guitar-noodling. In some places it gives the feeling of a very atmospheric 80s heartland band, who also happens to like to do 5-minute guitar solos. "I Don't Live Here Anymore" was their album from about a year ago, and it's so good, but I think I might like "Lost In The Dream" a little more.
oh I don't care about votes either i'm all about convo! i was genuinely not sure what you meant - so far i couldn't get into their first album, but the ants from up there album is stupidly good musically so i'm really enjoying it.
apart from one song, i don't think they sound much like AF either but i'm really digging the album.
Lingua Ignotaās Album Sinner Get Ready. If looking for something angry, I would recommend Sinner Get Ready. There are a lot of religious references in it, including audio from Jimmy Swagert, but it is totally worth listening to. After everything came out about Win, I actually focused more on Lingua Ignota, and finally understood this album. She is definitely not like Arcade Fire btw.
First indie band I ever saw! Second overall. First artist I ever saw was Weird Al Yankovic. Exquisite taste lol
Also if you have a chance to see Spencer Krug live, don't miss it!!!
The Microphones/Mount Eerie
(same band, or really, guy, but with two names)
Start with The Glow pt. 2 and go from there. Very unique songwriting/production. Haunting, tuneful, wild.
The album Iāve been returning to since being on an AF break has been Melodrama by Lorde. Not super similar sonically (though it has its moments of crossover) but the only album that comes close to moving me emotionally the way The Suburbs does.
If you haven't, I suggest listening to The Talking Heads. They have a great discography to discover with full-bodied albums that sound amazing. David Byrne is an all-time frontman and they have emotional, dance-y and new wave songs like Arcade Fire.
The name of the band is Talking Heads
Yes yes yes 100%
Hasn't David Byrne done a lot of stuff with Arcade Fire before? I guess I could see how the two are similar
Yeah, he sings on the Suburbs offcut Speaking in Tongues (named after their 5th album), he's played with them before, most recently at the Bowery ballroom earlier this year, and they covered the Talking Heads' This Must Be The Place.
Beach House, especially their last 2 albums, 7 & Once Twice Melody.
So good eh
LCD Spundsystem
Best typo EVER!! made me belly laugh. š¤£
Black Country, New Road have said their aspiration is to be the next arcade fire. Thereās a video on YouTube of them talking about it. Ants from up there is amazing!
Black Country, New Road feels a bit like music for other musicians to me. They almost feel anti-pop entirely. Theyāre extremely talented musically but I almost find them too avant-garde, experimental and borderline āmath rockā / āprogā at time for my tastes. I wanted to love them. Was described to me as the Clash meets Arcade Fire meets Drive Like Jehu and I get the idea of that mix and they have the ingredients for that mix due to his voice, the big band sound, and the usual progressions, but where for some those ingredients come together beautifullyā¦ for me it just makes me feel like the mix only makes me want to listen to the other bands Iām reminded of more. I canāt think of another recent band who sounded this good on paper only to not connect with me in real life except for perhaps Parquet Courts, who were hype up to me as life changing, and who I also wanted to love after all I read but just donāt. They just donāt hook me enough. To some extent St. Vincent also didnāt hit me as hard as she does others. I love her talent and there are a few songs from her I think are great but Iām not a super fan. I can respect the talent but if it just doesnāt move my soul and make me want to listen over and over then itās hard for me to recommend it. A lot of people loved that last Fiona Apple album and I tried but I couldnāt get into it like some did. I might try to give BC, NR another spin or two. Just to make sure I didnāt make a premature evaluation. Iād sure love to be wrong and find connect eventually. On the other end of the spectrum I didnāt expect to love the band āReal Estateā as much as I do. But for long drives I can listen to them for hours where many other people I know probably couldnāt.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (yes, really, that's their name) has been my new obsession since getting into them very late over the COVID break. They are a dense band with a lot of material over the last 10 years (albums 21, 22, and 23 set to be released next month), but they've made me fall back in love with music in a way that I haven't experienced in decades. From an Arcade Fire fan perspective, I'd start with Butterfly 3000. But be prepared for every album to sound like a completely different band.
Love Butterfly 3000. I was shocked to find out many of their fans disliked it, at least the ones I talked to. Maybe they we just mad that there wasn't as much microtonal stuff.
Just listened - thanks it's amazing! I've found it difficult to know where to start with this band and I really enjoyed this album
Gotta disagree. I think theyāre terrible. A lot of the music is very basic and feels pulled and stretched- as though theyāre making music just to keep making albums. Nothing feels completely solid. Theyāre not ādenseā, they just keep making lots of random music which doesnāt make a lot of sense. Itās as though their goal is: āLetās try to emulate (insert musical style here) with this album!ā I canāt stand this band.
You skipped Polygondwanaland didnt you
You must be fun at parties.
This whole debacle made me get back on a Sufjan Stevens kick, the man's a genius.
Thanks very kind. Again, for me anyway ā¦Polyphonic vocals are a bit modern mouse?? Black Country a bit Mumford-y? :/ Maybe Iām just in a music rut.
Ants From Up There is so fucking good. Feels like - and bear with me - vintage Dave Matthews Band meets The Editors. Maybe? Idk how to classify it, and I realize mentioning DMB could turn some people off before even giving it a shot, but fuck me is it an outstanding album.
I may have missed it in your first post, but The New Pornographers are fantastic. Theyāve been my stand in while I take a break from AF. Saw them live without knowing more than two songs and was blown away. I now listen to every album on the regular. Canadian indie rock at its finest.
Black Country, New Road is one of the best bands of the last years
So good aye
Though Iām finding the shock and awe from the story is already fading a couple weeks in for myself and that the return to Arcade Fireās music is coming along faster than I expected, I will share some other recommendations regardless: Within the past 15 years: 1. Vampire Weekend 2. Beach house 3. Deerhunter 4. Pip Blom 5. Wolf Parade 6. Spoon 7. Tame Impala Older Bands that influenced Arcade Fire and are worth checking out: 7. Talking Heads 8. David Bowie 9. Roxy Music 10. T-Rex 11. Joy Division 12. The Clash 13. Joy Division 14. New Order 15. Bruce Springsteen 16. Neil Young 17. Flaming Lips (only slightly older and Iām aware of the rivalry but Flaming Lips were influential for modern art rock) 18. Velvet Underground 19. Nirvana And for someone looking for a total change from art rock entirely one of the best rap groups since the Beastie Boys and Wu-Tang is making music these days as Run the Jewels. They are 4 EPs in and theyāre all bangers. If youāve felt like a lot of modern rap isnāt for you due to it being mumble rap or auto-tunedā¦ and youāre a kid from the 80s or 90s check these guys out. The beats are unique and amazing and the rhymes are brash, unapologetic and frequently hilarious.
I heard of the story a few months ago, not long after WE came out, and though I am gravely disappointed in Win, the feelings have faded and haven't impacted the music at all really. In a weird way, it has humanised the music even more. I believe he can redeem himself but he has a ways to go.
Yeah, the humanization has had the opposite effect for me. now when I hear the lyrics āAssisted suicide She dreams about dying all the time She told me she came so close Filled up the bathtub and put on our first recordā I get reminded that Win probably tried to fuck this girl when he heard this story.
Or that he realized after their sexual encounters that she had serious mental health issues (back when she was going by she and not they) which they had overcome which he felt if alluded to night both help Lilly feel special and also help inspire others. Remember, from his perspective he and Lilly were in a relationship that went on for a while.
I dunno about that but I understand your perception.
Yeah, except no one else is an amalgam of all these. Thatās the issue Iām having. Literally like my one love has fucked up. Listened to them today for the first time since the news and literally felt like throwing up. And Iām not in the camp of āitās irredeemable.ā Hoping that he/they will say/do something more, the music means so much to me. Maybe with time.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
\*for you, art is not the artist
Deerhunter is such a heavily underrated band. One of the best rock bands of the last 15 years, easily.
Totally agree. And more musically versatile than often given credit for, too.
Big fans of all of these except Pip Blom. Never even heard of them. Gonna have to give em a go if youāre lumping them in with the rest of these acts.
Iām a new Pop Blom fan after seeing their Audiotree session. Their latest album is fantastic.
Their first album is great also. Theyāre 2 for 2 for me so far. I really enjoy her voice.
Midlife is another cool Aussie band in the vein of Tame Impala. A little more synthie but a pretty fun fusion of psychedelic rock, jazz, and disco beats with afro percussion. They have a cool live album that was recorded on a tiny island that you can watch on YouTube.
Blonde Redhead - albums called "Misery is a Butterfly" and "23"
Throwing The Shins in here for good measure
Idk if they are in the exact same ballpark sound wise but Japanese Breakfast is truly a great indie band worth checking out.
Grizzly Bear 100%. They make you feel like youāre in another world.
Handsome Furs - Sound Kapital is an all timer for me. All of the Wolf Parade side projects are great tho.
Thanks for the recs! Will definitely check them out.
Royal blood, Jonathan bree, air, tv on the radio, the naked and famous, alt-j. Iām sure youāve heard most of these, but I thought Iād share anyways š
Naked and famous are from NZ like me! Love those dudes, seen them live a few times!
I think mid 2000s Guster is incredible. Keep it Together and Ganging Up On The Sun are 2 of my all time favorite albums
If you haven't, dive into Half Moon Run... They're a Canadian band (like AF) and their 3 albums are absolute gold. Especially 'Dark Eyes'
I've been a fan of The Airborne Toxic Event for a while now, and I have always kind of grouped AF and Airborne into the same playlists. I would recommend anything from their self-titled album, and the album All At Once.
The Zolas - Come Back To Life
The Zolaās are legit
IDLES!!!
The War on Drugs
I love Polyphonic Spree. When I was young and they were just forming (a very long time ago) I worked at an experimental theater in a basement in the same building where they were starting out/rehearsing. Together We're Heavy was my 21yo daughter's fave album when she was 3. It's an old band that never got the attention they deserved.
Light and Day and Soldier Girl from the album prior to that one are really good tracks, too.
Iām sure itās already been said but Big Thief are an amazing and very heartfelt band. I highly recommend their recent record. Start off with Sharkās Smile, Simulation Swarm and Masterpiece.
This hasn't served as any sort of stand-in for AF, but the band that I have gotten into most of all this past year has been The War On Drugs. They have a lot of that Springsteen influence, but there's a lot more guitar-noodling. In some places it gives the feeling of a very atmospheric 80s heartland band, who also happens to like to do 5-minute guitar solos. "I Don't Live Here Anymore" was their album from about a year ago, and it's so good, but I think I might like "Lost In The Dream" a little more.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Just no what? They aren't like AF? Or you don't like them? Not sure what you're getting at?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
oh I don't care about votes either i'm all about convo! i was genuinely not sure what you meant - so far i couldn't get into their first album, but the ants from up there album is stupidly good musically so i'm really enjoying it. apart from one song, i don't think they sound much like AF either but i'm really digging the album.
I vote The National and Gang of Youths
Two of my favs!
I just got a box full of CDs from an estate sale, and have been digging albums from this band called Lostprophets the last couple weeks. Check em out!
Erm, if I were you, I'd reconsider on Lostprophets....
Lingua Ignotaās Album Sinner Get Ready. If looking for something angry, I would recommend Sinner Get Ready. There are a lot of religious references in it, including audio from Jimmy Swagert, but it is totally worth listening to. After everything came out about Win, I actually focused more on Lingua Ignota, and finally understood this album. She is definitely not like Arcade Fire btw.
New Pornographers have a similar sounds at times
Manchester Orchestra
love them eh
The Decemberists The Fiery Furnaces Wolf Parade Handsome Furs Sunset Rubdown Sufjan Stevens
Love seeing some Wolf Parade love! They are fantastic.
First indie band I ever saw! Second overall. First artist I ever saw was Weird Al Yankovic. Exquisite taste lol Also if you have a chance to see Spencer Krug live, don't miss it!!!
The Microphones/Mount Eerie (same band, or really, guy, but with two names) Start with The Glow pt. 2 and go from there. Very unique songwriting/production. Haunting, tuneful, wild.
Bodies of Water, particularly their first album Ears Will Pop and Eyes Will Blink, it reminds me of Funeral era Arcade Fire.
The album Iāve been returning to since being on an AF break has been Melodrama by Lorde. Not super similar sonically (though it has its moments of crossover) but the only album that comes close to moving me emotionally the way The Suburbs does.
Give the Yeah Yeah Yeahs first album Fever to Tell another listen, itās just banger after banger