The Arcade Fire won critical acclaim in 2004 for Funeral, their first full length album. Amidst Funeral‘s wild popularity, however, Arcade Fire’s earlier EP, referred to as the Us kids Know EP, has been somewhat overshadowed. Remastered and rereleased in 2005, the EP does not share the impressive and coherent synergy of Funeral. Nonetheless, several songs from the EP can stand up individually to those from Funeral. Of greatest interest to any Arcade Fire fan, consequently, will be tracking the evolution of the band from the EP to Funeral.

‘Old Flame’ is the opening track from the EP. It has such a remarkable similarity to ‘Laika’ and ‘Power Out’ from Funeral that it has been jokingly called ‘Neighborhood #5 (Old Flame)’ by some. ‘The Woodland National Anthem’, like so many Arcade Fire songs, has a strong driving beat with wailing lyrics. The line “Don’t you dare blame my parents / I’m the only failed experiment… Don’t blame God / Just blame God” seems like it could be found in Thom Yorke’s personal diary from high school though. The last song, ‘My Heart is An Apple’, is my favorite from the EP. Its reserved arrangement masks its powerful lyrics. As a love song, I would rate it above ‘Crown of Love’ from Funeral.
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Arcade Fire – Old Flame
[audio:http://obscuresound.com/dave/oldflame.mp3]
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Arcade Fire – The Woodland National Anthem
[audio:http://obscuresound.com/dave/thewoodlandnationalanthem.mp3]
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Arcade Fire – My Heart Is An Apple
[audio:http://obscuresound.com/dave/myheartisanapple.mp3]
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BUY

The post The Arcade Fire EP appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

Colin Meloy, singer for The Decemberists, has once again recorded an EP in tribute to one of his strongest musical influences. Released in conjunction with his most recent solo acoustic tour, Colin Meloy Sings trad. arr. Shirley Collins exhibits a more traditional and folky side of Meloy. Shirley Collins was a primary contributor to the folk revival in England during the 1960s. Although she lacks the iconic poularity of Morissey to whom Meloy’s previous EP was dedicated, her influence on the indie rock scene is considerable. From Picaresque, the most recent album from The Decemberists, ‘Eli, the Barrow Boy’ and ‘From My Own True Love (Lost at Sea)’ seem especially made from the Collins mold.

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MP3s posted by Mike
Colin Meloy – Charlie

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Colin Meloy – I Drew My Ship

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Colin Meloy – Turpin Hero

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The Decemberists

The post Colin Meloy Sings trad. arr. Shirley Collins appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

Elliott Smith was once described by his label, DreamWorks, as “his generation’s most gifted songwriter”. But beyond his lyrical brilliance, Elliott Smith’s music writing was nothing less than prolific. In addition to six albums, Elliott Smith left behind hundreds of b-sides and unreleased songs. Some of these songs are of such high quality that they would bewilder any diehard Elliott fan as to why they remained relegated to import singles and compilations.

Here are three of my favorite Elliott b-sides for my first post. ‘The Enemy Is You’ seems especially fitting for Either/Or. It has the driving beat of ‘Speed Trials’ with subdued lyrics reminiscent of ‘Between the Bars’. ‘How To Take a Fall’, on the other hand, has a XO feel. It reminds me most of ‘Bottle Up and Explode’ but with the strong surges of ‘Tomorrow Tomorrow’. The last song, ‘Division Day’, is significantly more poppy than the other two (or than most of Elliott’s breadth of work for that manner). The turnaround after the chorus is somewhat cheesy but reminds me of very early works from The Beatles.

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Elliott Smith – The Enemy Is You
[audio:http://obscuresound.com/dave/theenemyisyou.mp3]

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Elliott Smith – How To Take A Fall
[audio:http://obscuresound.com/dave/howtotakeafall.mp3]

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Elliott Smith – Division Day
[audio:http://obscuresound.com/dave/divisionday.mp3]

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BUY

The post Elliott Smith B-sides appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.