Arcade Fire - WE (2022)

For Shane's pick of a 2022 album, he selected indie rock staple Arcade Fire and their new album "WE.” This was a unique endeavor for your hosts at Album Divers in that Arcade Fire is a band Trevor had been following since their beginnings but lost track of in recent years, and Shane, though familiar with the band’s music, had never listened to an entire album from start to finish. Arcade Fire’s latest album “WE” was written in the throes of isolation brought on by the Covid-19 Pandemic. Arcade Fire weaves interstellar imagery with Greek mythos and takes the listener through the rabbit hole that is the disintegrating human connection found and lost again in technology and social media. Like many of Arcade Fire's previous releases, this record is a concept album. It is divided into two halves. The first, titled “I,” represents the self, and the second, "WE,” portrays our relationship with others. "WE” takes the listener into an imagined dystopia of anxiety, violently destroys it, and builds a new world again, only to find clarity in human connection. *** Special thanks to those of your who contributed your thoughts on this album via audio clips. You will hear your voices sprinkled in throughout the episode. *** This episode was recorded before hearing of allegations of sexual misconduct from four unnamed individuals against lead singer Win Butler. For this reason and others that we explain to begin the episode, you will not hear these allegations mentioned throughout the album’s dissection. Shane and Trevor have had several thoughtful conversations about this topic and encourage you to do the same. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ HOW TO CONNECT WITH ALBUM DIVERS: *You can submit your questions or comments about this episode or anything else on your mind here via our text line at: 425-287-6832 *Leave us an audio message here: https://www.speakpipe.com/AlbumDivers We promise to respond and may even feature your thoughts on a future episode. *Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at Album Divers *Email us at [email protected] *Please subscribe and review wherever you get your podcasts!