infused with such energy, that it is never an issue. And if you like anger in your music, you'll find a lot of anger within this album. In songs like ‘Sucker Train Blues,’ ‘Big Machine,' ‘Illegal 1 Song’, ‘Head Space,’ and ‘Do It For the Kids’ Weiland sings of his struggle with drugs, the break-up of his marriage and the betrayal of close friends.. While his lyrics aren't always polished, (in ‘Big Machine’ he laments, “he's a junkie piece of shit, because he says so... all that first-class drug shit brings me down, down, down") Slash and the rest of ‘Revolver’ make up for it with great guitar work and backing vocals. There are no throw away tracks on the album. The first single ‘Slither’ is an immediate highlight with it's bass heavy intro that erupts into a full-fledged rock and roll song along the lines of Stone Temple Pilot's ‘Big Bang Baby' and Guns N' Roses ‘Night Train.' The ballad, ‘Fall to Pieces’ should get lots of air- play, as it definitely has a sing- along quality to it and ‘Superhuman’ and ‘Set Me Free' showcase Slash's guitar licks at their best. While many people thought ‘Contraband’ would crash and burn, it does-

n't. Once you get past the”

inevitable " comparisons between G N'R and STP, the album stands on its own as one of the better rock records of 2004.

ARCADE PLAN

ARCADE FIRE, TWO HOURS TRAFFIC CONFIRMED FOR HALIFAX POP EXPLOSION

Cadre A/E editor engages in shameless self-promotion

Autumn. Good cardigan weather. Bright leaves light the horizon ablaze in a blast of reds and yellows. What’s to blame for this unruly outburst? Some say the decomposition of chlorophyll is behind it. I say it’s foreshadowing — for fall is the season of The Halifax Pop Explosion, and this year, even Mother Nature can’t ignore that.

Put your worries in your pocket, the 2004 HPX band lineup is no slouch. The Hidden Cameras, The Wrens, and Controller Controller are all among those confirmed for this year’s festivities. UPEI’s res- ident science dorks Two Hours Traffic are also sched- uled to play the festival, however, the main draw of Halifax Pop Explosion 2004 will likely be the indie music world’s newest darlings of hype, Montreal’s The Arcade Fire.

PHOTO: ROM BOUDRER

Having already drawn heaps of critical acclaim (including a 9.7 rating from Pitchfork Media), the Arcade Fire plan to build momentum through their North American tour supporting their major release

_ debut LP, Funeral.

Much of the Arcade Fire’s success rides on the

_ energy of their live performance. “The band definite-

ly has a unique physical presence,” bassist Tim Kingsbury told Exclaim. “‘There’s the tall red-headed kid with the wide open mouth beating his drum [Richard]; the tall blonde Texan who is scaring the hell out of everyone in the room [Win]; the shorter

UPEI Cadre September 28, 2004 page 7

= Haitian-French girl who’s dancing around and being really intense [Régine].”

The Arcade Fire’s appearance at the Marquee Club with Vancouver’s the Organ on November 5th may be the banner event but there are plenty more

worthwhile shows for the general public’s consump-

tion.

The Halifax Pop Explosion, scheduled for November 4th— 6th, boasts an impressive and diverse group of alumni. This festival has played host to song- writers like Hayden, Elliott Smith, and Ron Sexsmith. The list of bands to have played this event is equally notable and includes the likes of Broken Social Scene, Stereolab, and Yo La Tengo.

Though the official website boasts that the fes- tival “features acts from hip hop and electronica to folk and alt-country to punk and hardcore and every- thing in between,” the main draws of this music con- ference haven’t ever really strayed too far from the indie-rock realm. I’m certainly not one to complain about this.

HPX has expanded this year and includes a showcase for independent magazines and record labels, which in hipster-speak translates to the “Indie Zine and Label Fair.”

The Halifax pop explosion was started in 1993 and has served to introduce bands/artists like Sloan and Buck 65 to an international audience, as well as providing a much-needed injection of awesome into the proverbial arm of the Maritimes. Check www.hal- ifaxpopexplosion.com in the coming weeks for more band confirmations and a schedule of events.