Hey Susannah Dot Com

I have loved Arcade Fire for 13 years. A lot has been written about this band, and even more has been tweeted and blogged and whispered snidely. I'm not really interested in that. I was a snob once, when I was younger. I must have been ashamed of my own tastes - ever a sucker for earnestness, swelling choruses, musical theater - and projected that on to other people who didn't like music that was "cool." I've gotten over that. I'm comfortable liking what I like, and letting other people do the same.

This isn't a music blog and I'm not a music critic, so who gives a hoot what my opinion is on the new album, the old album, their last tour, or what their whole "thing" is. All I can say is that this band has impacted my life in a lot of ways, not the least of which is their amazing live shows:

The Troubadour, 2005. I met up with a girl on livejournal to buy her spare ticket. I would later find out that my now-husband was at the same show, also alone.
The Greek, 2007.
Coachella 2007
The Shrine, 2010
Mountain View, 2011 (this was a festival set so barely counts, but still)
At the freakin' Capitol Records building for an NPR First Listen, 2013*
The Forum, 2014

*What??? Yeah, to this day I have no clue how we managed this. Edward had pre-ordered the album, and I guess they reached out to LA fans to get some audience members there. We were front row center and I had something of a conversation (I use that word very, very loosely) with Win Butler on-air.

Proof of the Capitol Studios show. We weren't actually allowed to take pictures once they started performing, so this will have to do.

So with memories of seeing them at Capitol Studios, Edward wisely opted to pre-order the Everything Now album as well - just in case, by some weird fluke in the universe, we would somehow benefit from it down the line.

Meanwhile, Arcade Fire has been executing a funny, meta, and extreme marketing campaign involving a fake corporate entity called Everything Now (hey, that's the name of the album!), similar to a conglomerate like Procter and Gamble or Unilever. Not everyone is in on the joke. I've been consistently fascinated (/flummoxed) by how many people really think that some huge company is signing them up for bizarre endorsement deals, placing fake news stories, and conducting weird marketing activities. I thought that everyone was skeptical and cynical of everything online these days, but maybe I've just been on Twitter too long.

People really thought that Arcade Fire were endorsing a cereal.

ANYWAY - one of the weird marketing things "Everything Now Corp" did was conduct listening parties/ focus groups in LA, NYC, Berlin, London, and Paris. Three days before the album release date. Obviously, these were not meant to be real focus groups meant to inform the development of the album. I'm still not sure why they went through with them, other than to really commit to the ridiculousness of having a focus group for a rock album.

For some reason, we were chosen to participate and I was suspicious. I mean, what exactly *was* this event going to be? They made us sign an affidavit saying we wouldn't sue if we were kidnapped or injured. I felt like that was probably an over-the-top red herring to throw us off the scent. We were given an address for a new-money, new-to-LA Hollywood apartment building, and took the subway there on a Tuesday night. A skinny British guy in jeans and a sportcoat checked us off the list and invited us to take a seat in the posh lobby, where about 15 other quiet, nervous fans sat. I asked to no one in particular "...so does anyone know what this is?" No one answered.

Eventually we were brought up to the penthouse level and entered the Sonos Home, which was like the nicest hospitality suite I've ever been in, but hipper. 180 degree views of downtown, Arcade Fire playing on the Sonos, CoolHaus sandwiches, and a bar. It was also decked out in fake Everything Now posters and we were immediately introduced to our leader, an "Everything Now Corp" employee called Jamie.

I've never taken an improv class, but I know to accept the premise. Throughout the night there were a few references to the promotion for the album and the fake news that had permeated this album promotion. I asked if Tannis the social media intern of the "Everything Now Corp" would be there, and Jamie's eyes flashed with panic and she said "No, he's no longer with us."

Everyone spent the first hour or so knocking back cocktails and taking selfies on the balcony, then we got down to business and sat down to listen to the album and write our feedback. I think the biggest impact this event had on me was making me want to buy a Sonos - man, it sounded good on those multi-room speakers.

I'll be honest - I am not sure how seriously others were taking it, but there were a few hints that this was a purely theatrical activity, like Jamie encouraging us to write less and draw pictures because her boss at "Everything Now Corp" was illiterate. For every song, I wrote what commercial I'd want to see it in. I said that one song sounded like a Black Keys b-side. Edward didn't take the activity very seriously either and took the opportunity to go off on non sequiturs based on the song titles. The group listened to the whole thing, taking a break at the mid point, and then handed in our pages to the skinny British guy at the end. One group shot with our Everything Now hats - "for corporate's social media," Jamie said - and we were all done, making plans to all wear our hats to the Forum show so we'd recognize each other. (Maybe the band is planning to merchandise it, in which case I guess that wouldn't work.)

I know there are gonna be a lot of thinkpieces about the new album and the band in general. There already are. I haven't listened to the album again yet and haven't really formed my thoughts on it. All I know is that from the penthouse, on the Sonos, with a gin and tonic and the sun setting over Los Angeles? It sounded great.