It's generally agreed upon that Arcade Fire's 2017 record Everything Now is kinda bad. Not the sort of bad that could entirely tank the goodwill they've accumulated over the years, but also not the sort of bad that's likely to receive a critical reappraisal a decade from now.
But like everything (now), it's all a matter of personal taste and opinion. Some people probably really like that record! And one of those people is Win Butler.
In a new interview with NME, the Arcade Fire frontman discussed the tepid reaction to the band's fifth album, and — in a completely shocking move that has zero precedent in the world of popular music — partially blames the record's legacy on music journalists looking for "a storyline in interviews."
"I don't have any insecurity about that record," Butler told NME. "I think a lot of journalism has become very 'cut and paste' and there needs to be some sort of storyline in interviews, so I'm happy for Everything Now to take the hit and be maligned… Like, I know there needs to be a cliché and story and [WE] is, like, 'the comeback'. So, OK, cool – it works."
It's a bit of a swing to describe people generally agreeing that an album is weak as lazy "cut and paste" journalism, but hey! Everyone's entitled to their opinions.
He continued, adding: "The important thing for me is to not worry about any kind of judgement people are going to have about what I do as an artist because it's the opposite spirit of what music is. You have to be fearless to say something sincere."
In other Arcade Fire news, the band just dropped a video for WE's "Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)," which you can check out below.
But like everything (now), it's all a matter of personal taste and opinion. Some people probably really like that record! And one of those people is Win Butler.
In a new interview with NME, the Arcade Fire frontman discussed the tepid reaction to the band's fifth album, and — in a completely shocking move that has zero precedent in the world of popular music — partially blames the record's legacy on music journalists looking for "a storyline in interviews."
"I don't have any insecurity about that record," Butler told NME. "I think a lot of journalism has become very 'cut and paste' and there needs to be some sort of storyline in interviews, so I'm happy for Everything Now to take the hit and be maligned… Like, I know there needs to be a cliché and story and [WE] is, like, 'the comeback'. So, OK, cool – it works."
It's a bit of a swing to describe people generally agreeing that an album is weak as lazy "cut and paste" journalism, but hey! Everyone's entitled to their opinions.
He continued, adding: "The important thing for me is to not worry about any kind of judgement people are going to have about what I do as an artist because it's the opposite spirit of what music is. You have to be fearless to say something sincere."
In other Arcade Fire news, the band just dropped a video for WE's "Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)," which you can check out below.
