Arcade Fire: Behind The Black Mirror

by Mick Middles

Formed around future husband and wife team of Win Butler and Regine Chassagne in 2003, this powerful seven-piece band seemed to define onstage dynamism before they even discovered an audience.  Once beyond the obligatory low-budget debut EP, they fused their complex instrumentation - piano, viola, French horn, accordian, harp, hurdy gurdy, etc. - to produce Funeral, one of the greatest debut albums in decades.  This 2004 release, bolstered by hearty support from the likes of David Bowie, David Byrne and U2, catapulted Arcade Fire to worldwide success.  Triumphant sets at the Coachella, Reading and Latitude festivals only served to continue the momentum.

This book looks beyond the triumphs that gather in their story, to discover a band who are determined to retain the pure yet complex personal dynamic that always set them apart.
 

Genres: Music

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2012

Reviews

[Francielli Camargo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt it was more like an article with reviews of albums and concerts (which makes it kind of personal for the author and his perspectives) than a biography. Also a little bit repetitive, mostly when the author compares Arcade Fire with other bands (Joy Division was the one that annoyed me the most because even though they are influenced by them, sometimes I caught myself thinking if I was reading something about Joy Division and not Arcade Fire itself). Other thing that irritated me was some mistakes that the author made about the band, which any fan would be able to indentify easily.

[Cody · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite music biographies of all time. Insightful, thought provoking, articulate; it was a pleasure to read.