Archive for the ‘The Suburbs (2010) – Arcade Fire’ Category

- organ/strings continue from previous track
- elc gtr riff enters, bass follows precisely
- riffs on 2 chords, sliding from the tonic to the 4th and back
- handclaps (no snr) and kik
- chorus vox: fem harmonies, verbed
KEY IDEAS to plunder
- riffs on 2 chords, sliding from the tonic to the 4th and back
- bass, gtr and kik/tom all on the riff
- rapid strings intro
- fast drums, bass and soaring elc gtr enter
- vox, female with male harmony
- reminiscent of bowie’s ‘heroes’
- pulsing monotone stays consistent throughout all chord changes
- most of song fades out while organ/strings remain, merges into next track
KEY IDEAS to plunder
- play riff/beat as fast as possible
- pulsing monotone stays consistent throughout all chord changes
- ‘musical’ word with syllables extended/repeated
- swirling strings, acoustic gtr, legato synth bass, vox
- legato synth bass and ac gtr provide the main thrust
- strings in between vox lines
- bvs harmonising in ‘rococo’ then wordless verbed out
- kik or tom subtly enters during 2nd verse
- drums enter after 2nd chorus
- feedback gtr enters in 3rd verse
- and turns into elc gtr riff
- strings and bvs harmonise/double in end section
- ends with harpsichord and feedback gtr
KEY IDEAS to plunder
- ‘musical’ word with syllables extended/repeated
- marry a synthetic inst with a natural acoustic inst. eg. legato synth bass and ac gtr
- odd beat, extra beat every second bar (9/4?)
- rich ornamentation over simple riff
string stabs, verbed elc gtr stabs,
- lyric:’makes me feel like’ doubled
- chorus: vox melody doubles with lead gtr, then deviates
KEY IDEAS to plunder
- add a beat to a 4/4 riff
- chorus: vox melody doubles with lead gtr, then deviates
- merges with previous track … high strings continue
- snr and tense gtr riff enter
- single note riff, adds second semitone to create tension
- then bass, full drums, and sfx enter
- vox enter and riff drops out leaving bass, drums and elc gtr
- lyric: ‘If I was scared, I would And if I was bored, you know I would And if I was yours, but I’m not’
- after last line drums turn to toms, building to next section (verse or repeat chorus)
- final section intro: rapid fire bass line (synth?), drums reduced to kik
KEY IDEAS to plunder
- single note riff, adds second semitone to create tension
- after last line drums turn to toms, building to next section (verse or repeat chorus)
- final section intro: rapid fire bass line (synth?), drums reduced to kik
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a track by track analysis of key productions
to take inspiration from