As evangelists of rock in the ‘burbs, imagine our delight that one of most buzzed about albums of 2010 is Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs.
Aside from being another standout set from a band that pushes some cool sonic buttons, its release was packaged with one of the most innovative “videos” ever created. Entitled “The Wilderness Downtown” and set to the manic and haunting tune of Arcade Fire’s “We Used To Wait”, web designer Chris Milk turns the traditional video upside down, offering an experience not possible on MTV. Using HTML 5, Google Maps, and other slick new web design tools, Milk employs cutting edge technology without losing the frantic and contemplative humanity at the song’s core.
Okay, so the themes don’t exactly glorify the ‘burbs. But, this is haunting, complex, music. Our friends in the city may not believe it but we still think and feel outside of the city limits – and this type of ambition and innovation that of resonates with us all.
Rock on. If you live in the suburbs, or have ever lived there… if you’re a Arcade Fire freak or music geek, click on over and immerse yourself in The Wilderness Downtown.
Recommended: Use Google Chrome (or another HTML5 compliant browser)
More:
Arcade Fire and Technology on Mashable
Jambands.com review of The Suburbs
Google's Chrome Experiments Arcade Fire Page
