Video Review

The reason I love Arcade Fire is because they allow me to both be a dinosaur of music and be on top of current trends at the same exact time. They’re one of the hottest bands in the world right now, but their sound would fit right in the middle of all the bands I loved back in the 80’s like the Sisters of Mercy, the Cure and New Order. At the same time, their sound is totally unique.

Their video for their most recent single, “Black Mirror” would fit right in with the best videos from the heyday of MTV, too. Directed by Olivier Groulx and Tracy Maurice, it’s a mini-movie that’s a true work of art which must be seen to be believed. The images are so engrossing I can’t even concentrate on the lyrics to the song to figure out what it’s about. It starts off with a man waking up screaming in a rowboat, and continues through a nightmare dreamscape that becomes beautiful in a conclusion with kaleidoscope-like images made out of dancers or gymnasts. They’re the kind of images that tantalize you, making you want to watch them over and over again, thinking their elusive meaning will start to make sense, but they drive you into madness instead.

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