Visit the official Doctor Who website

Visit the official Doctor Who website
Look to the future

Asylum seekers...

Asylum seekers...
Refuge of the Daleks

Doctor Who picture resource

Doctor Who picture resource
Roam the space lanes!

Explore the Doctor Who classic series website

Explore the Doctor Who classic series website
Step back in time

Infiltrate The Hub of Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood

Infiltrate The Hub of Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood
Armed and extremely dangerous

Investigate The Sarah Jane Adventures

Investigate The Sarah Jane Adventures
Fearless in the face of adversity

Call on Dani’s House

Call on Dani’s House
Harmer’s a charmer

Intercept the UFO fabsite

Intercept the UFO fabsite
Defending the Earth against alien invaders!

Uncover the secrets of the Dollhouse

Uncover the secrets of the Dollhouse
Programmable agent Echo exposed!

Hell’s belles

Hell’s belles
Naughty but nice

Love Exposure

Love Exposure
Flash photography!

Primeval portal

Primeval portal
Dressed to kill or damsels in distress?

Charmed, to be sure!

Charmed, to be sure!
The witches of San Francisco

Take on t.A.T.u.

Take on t.A.T.u.
All the way from Moscow

Proceed to the Luther website

Proceed to the Luther website
John and Jenny discuss their next move

DCI Banks is on the case

DCI Banks is on the case
You can bet on it!

On The Grid with Spooks

On The Grid with Spooks
Secret agents of Section D

Bridge to Hustle

Bridge to Hustle
Shady characters

Life on Ashes To Ashes

Life on Ashes To Ashes
Coppers with a chequered past

Claire’s no Exile

Claire’s no Exile
Goose steps

Vexed is back on the beat!

Vexed is back on the beat!
Mismatched DI Armstrong and bright fast-tracker Georgina Dixon

Medium, both super and natural

Medium, both super and natural
Open the door to your dreams

Who’s that girl? (350-picture Slideshow)

Thursday 29 March 2007

Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies)





Sometimes, I wonder why I like pop music? There is so much rubbish about, people with no talent earning millions. But, that isn’t just a modern phenomenon. It has always been the case. Boy bands with their supposed good looks appealing to teenage girls, boy bands with guitars (as if the mere act of holding an instrument somehow gives them credibility), youngish females - with precious little clothing - selling the fantasy of sex... all have absolutely nothing to do with music. The irony is that these folk are convinced they have real talent. Many of them actually believe their own publicity and think they are perfect! They are mediocre, at best, and full of their own self-importance. Real musicians know there is always room for improvement and always doubt their own ability!!
When listening to a piece of “classical” music that takes a theme and develops it, as opposed to repeating it over and over ad nauseam, it makes me wonder why I like any pop music at all! But, I try to keep an open mind and seek out the good in things. A little over a year ago, I discovered a band from Montreal, Canada, called Arcade Fire. I’d caught them on “Later with Jools Holland”, towards the end of 2005, and their sound captured my attention. I thought no more of it until a few months later when, flicking through the television channels, I landed on E4 and the video of “Rebellion (Lies)” was playing. I’m a sucker for rock bands that use orchestral instruments, especially strings!!
It’s probably The Beatles’ Producer, George Martin, we have to thank for the addition of strings on pop records, as well as the piccolo trumpet! Arcade Fire use a range of instruments adding a couple of violins in the featured number, as well as double bass and accordion on other songs, to those of a traditional rock band. That already makes them intriguing. Coupled with the plaintive cry of lead singer Win Butler, I started to ask myself whether or not this group could be the new Roxy Music? I’ve asked myself that many times, over the past thirty-five years, about groups ranging from Sparks to The Stranglers, Magazine to Portishead, to name but a few!! Arcade Fire’s “Rebellion (Lies)”, from the album “Funeral”, is an uplifting pop song, far removed from the bland mainstream, and thus worth consideration.

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