Where did The Fire go?

The limelight never lasts, or at least it rarely does. Before you can even begin to enjoy it, the focus has already shifted to the next big thing. It seems that most artists try to keep the attention, even when those fifteen minutes of fame are up. Occasionally, though, you get a band who finds itself in the spotlight and chooses to run from it. Who better to do that than the band who never does things the usual way, The Arcade Fire.

Of course you'll remember the hype they got by being on MTV and on the covers of all sorts of magazines across the continent, but recently they've been overshadowed by newcomers like Clap Your Hands And Say Yeah. It's not just the regular evolution of music trends that brought this on. The fellows of The Arcade Fire took it upon themselves to forfeit the limelight.

"It felt fake and stupid to read about yourself all the time," singer Win Butler told MTV. "We were sick of ourselves, so I don't know how other people couldn't be." With that in mind, the band left behind their manager and offers from major labels and even car companies to settle in Europe, far enough away from the hype that they could take a breather and refocus.

That isn't to say they stopped altogether. The sextet recorded the song "Cold Wind" for HBO's Six Feet Under in a recording session that also yielded an onslaught of new songs. If you've managed to see them live recently, you may have heard songs like "Winter for a Year" and "Virgin Mary Highway." The group also re-released their original 2003 self-titled EP.

You might be wondering, then, what is in store for the future of The Arcade Fire. Of course they plan to continue, but in what time frame and to what extent? Say no more. The Arcade Fire have bought an old church in rural Quebec which they will build into a studio and where they will record their new CD, slated to be released in late fall. The band will also release a live DVD sometime next year. There are a few North America tour dates lined up, but one can imagine that there will be more on the way.

Will the hype return? Oh, probably. You know how the industry is. But will it be well worth it? Definitely. The Arcade Fire is certainly not over yet. It's only just begun.

In other news...

The shortlist for the annual Mercury Music Prize has been announced and is as follows:
Antony and the Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
Coldplay - X&Y
The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike
Hard-Fi - Stars of CCTV
KT Tunstall - Eye to the Telescope
Kaiser Chiefs - Employment
The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers
Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger
MIA - Arular
Polar Bear - Held on the Tips of Fingers
Seth Lakeman - Kitty Jay

The comeback album for Franz Ferdinand has its first single, "Do You Want To." It will be released on September 19, while the entire album will come out on October 3.

With the announcement that the new iPod will have full-color video capacity, speculation is that iTunes will start selling music videos too. This news doesn't necessarily sit well with everyone.

Myspace.com got bought out. If that's a downer, I suggest checking out The Drama Scene.

In another totally unrelated story, the U.S. government has decided to extend daylight savings time two months, once again screwing over Canada.

Upcoming Columbus Shows

7.20 - Howie Day - Promowest Pavilion
7.20 - Luna Halo w/ Modena Vox - Skully's Music Diner
7.22 - Tegan and Sara - Newport Music Hall
7.24 - Cake @ the CD101 Summer Fest - Promowest Pavilion
8.01 - Shout Out Louds w/ The Redwalls - The Basement
8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.12 - Velvet Revolver w/ Chevelle - Germain Ampitheater
8.13 - Switchfoot - The Ohio State Fair
8.20 - Pretty Girls Make Graves - Little Brothers
8.23 - Thunderbirds Are Now! w/ Kiss Me Quick - Little Brothers
8.30 - Xiu Xiu w/ Das Yellow Swans and Nedelle - Little Brothers
8.31 - Coldplay w/ Rilo Kiley - Germain Ampitheater
9.02 - Over the Rhine - Little Brothers
9.10 - The White Stripes w/ The Greenhornes - Ohio Theater
9.14 - Sufjan Stevens - Southgate House (Newport, KY)
9.24 - The Rolling Stones w/ Beck - Germain Ampitheater
10.14 - The Decemberists - Newport Music Hall

Daily Downloads
from the regnyouth archives

Sunny Day Real Estate - Live
Belle and Sebastian - Push Barman to Open Old Wounds
Jurassic 5 - Jurassic 5
Ladytron - 604