NOVEMBER 9, 2004

THE CADRE sf

Alec O’Hanley A&E Editor

With an album entitled "Funeral" and reports of an extremely emotive live show, you would expect The Arcade Fire to make a point of acting overly depressed, as is the case all too fre- quently with bands tagged "emo- tional."

You couldn't be farther off. Whether it be Régine's violent attack on her accordion, or Win's redheaded assault on a motorcycle helmet with drumsticks, this Montreal five-piece makes wall of sound music that immediately prompts ear-to-ear grins and basks the listener in a warm glow. The Arcade Fire live show proved to be an uplifting experience, and their November Sth performance at the Halifax Pop Explosion saw one of North America's most exciting bands at the brightest point in their music career.

The band appropriately kicked off their show with a rousing version of "Wake Up." It's inspiring to watch a tall redheaded kid with coke-bottle glasses grinning and yelling and pounding on a marching drum, while a superhero suit-clad Haitian-Montreal girl belts out a melody with every inch of her five- foot frame. The energy with which the band performed their songs couldn't help but rub off on the packed Marquee crowd. The half- dozen musicians on stage com- manded devout attention with their child-like intensity.

_ The Arcade Fire has a pow- erful theatrical quality in their live show: during "Haiti," Régine was

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT _

Arcade Fire Burns Bright at Pop Explosion

hunched over her steel drum, bob- bing back and forth as if toying with the instrument. She then looked up, startled, as if she had just realized an audience was watching her dur- ing very intimate act. Régine scanned the room quizzically for a minute and then playfully began acting like an animal, growling and twisting her hands into claws. She continued this until the song's final bars, when her husband/frontman Win pointed his bass at her and shot her with it, causing Régine to col- lapse as he played his final tri- umphant notes.

There was something very sincere about this group; stage talk was sparse, the band may have even been slightly nervous, but their reluctance to muck it up with rehearsed banter between songs only made them more endearing. It's rare to see a band to perform with such emotion without coming off as sappy or dishonest, but the thought that they might be acting doesn't even cross your mind.

If you have a chance, any chance to see this band, please, PLEASE do it. If you're anything like me, it just might be the best rock show you'll ever see.

www.arcadefire.com

©.

Online, a website compares Kyle Riabko to a singer in the style of Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone, and Prince. Having seen Kyle's first

music video for his song, "Carry

On", I can vouch for the fact that the 16 year old Saskatoon native appears to be a lot more "normal" than Prince.

The first time I had ever heard of Kyle Riabko was close to 2 months ago when I saw his video for "Carry On" playing on Much More Music. As a po "Brown's Court refugees,” we cannot afford the indulgences of "cable" so I have no idea if Much Music has yet to play Kyle's video. God I- miss cable... my favorite shows are now "Just For Laughs" (which is actual- ly pretty good) and "Saved by the Bell" on a very "statticky" TBS channel - if you sit far enough away and slightly squint, it's sorta clear. Let's just say Screech still looks dorky, and my _ hearing has improved dramatically since I can

no longer depend on my sight as

much. But back to the CD.

So I had only heard this one song called "Carry On" on one occasion when I happened to be at Indigo and took a look through their CD selection. At only 10 bucks, I thought what the hell, it wouldn't be a huge waste of money if it turned out to be terrible. My impulsiveness

| paid off. I ripped into the CD when

I got home and proceeded to listen to it about 3 times. My only complaint is that it's like a half-CD with only seven songs. Fortunately all seven songs are really good! And hey, some full

length CD's only have like four — good songs - think Hanson's first — I mean wait... x don't own

CD Review: Kyle Riabko's Self-titled C : D

: = Holly Ciena _Contributor that. Soveh “ Lahink shat if 1 were to compare Kyle Riabko to another artist (and I hate making compar- isons because people are usually quite different in their singing and writing styles) then I would say thai Kyle reminds me a bit of Jason Kyle's songs range from easy listening jazz, to a funky blues style, to R&B and a hip hop style. Kyle wrote four of the songs on the CD and co-wrote the other three. He has been playing guitar for six years, even playing in weekly jam sessions at a Saskatoon club at the tender age of 11. And at only 16, | think we can expect to see a lot more from this young musician. | mean, he's barely through puberty and has many more upcoming life experiences he can write about... think taking driver's ed... or going to prom... or... you get the idea. Listening to Kyle's voice and his lyrics, you'd have no idea that he is only 16 years old. Anyone can easily relate to his lyrics, like in the first song titled, "What Did I Get Myself Into." One of his songs, "Waiting" is apparen!- ly on the "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton" movie soundtrack. Perhaps as a measure of Kyle's tal- ent and great potential, he has been opening for the likes of John Mayer. This CD is definitely worth a listen, and I'm becoming addicted to it... go buy it.