Produced by Nigel Godrich, Win & Régine, and recorded in multiple locales including New Orleans, El Paso and Mount Desert Island, WE paradoxically distills “the longest we’ve ever spent writing, uninterrupted, probably ever" (per the band’s Win Butler) into a concise 40 minute epic – one as much about the forces that threaten to pull us away from the people we love, as it is inspired by the urgent need to overcome them. WE’s cathartic journey follows a definable arc from darkness into light over the course of seven songs divided into two distinct sides -- Side “I” channeling the fear and loneliness of isolation, and Side “WE” expressing the joy and power of reconnection.
On the album’s cover, a photograph of a human eye by the artist JR evokes Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy. This stunning image -- embellished by the distinctive airbrush color tinting of Terry Pastor (utilizing the same physical technique he employed on David Bowie’s iconic Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust covers) – is the visual expression of WE.
On the album’s cover, a photograph of a human eye by the artist JR evokes Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy. This stunning image -- embellished by the distinctive airbrush color tinting of Terry Pastor (utilizing the same physical technique he employed on David Bowie’s iconic Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust covers) – is the visual expression of WE.
STAFF COMMENTS
Barry says: 'We' takes Arcade Fire back to their orchestral roots, eschewing the mind-bogglingly diverse range of sounds on 2017's 'Everything Now'. Pieces here sound like classic Arcade Fire but imbued with the real-world concept of tension and release, manifested as a taut musical energy offset by a jubilant orchestral bliss. Massive and euphoric and quintessentially Arcade Fire.TRACK LISTING
“I”
1. Age Of Anxiety I
2. Age Of Anxiety II (Rabbit Hole)
3. End Of The Empire I-IV
“WE”
1. The Lightning I, II
2. Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)
3. Unconditional II (Race And Religion)
4. WE