2013 saw the release of Canadian indie rockers Arcade Fire’s highly anticipated fourth studio album, Reflektor. The seven person band have celebrated numerous musical successes over the years including a 2015 Grammy nomination for Reflektor and as the new year reels in, it appears that there are greater gains to come.
Founded in 2001, the band is fronted by eccentric husband and wife, Win Butler and Regine Chassagne. However, a spotlight shift may be in order as the frontman’s brother, Will Butler prepares to release his first solo album, Policy. Will has already released two songs from his LP which have been well received yielding high hopes for the official release on March 16th.
Dabbling in bass, guitar, synthesizer, percussion, and vocals with Arcade Fire, this multi-instrumentalist has talents in many areas and it certainly shows in his solo work. Will’s first single “Take My Side” is entirely different to Arcade Fire’s personalised alternative genre. Featuring old school rock n’ roll guitar and steady beats, the track’s raw sound make for a catchy tune that would no doubt sound excellent live.
Butler’s second track, “Anna” however is quite similar to Arcade Fire’s heavily synthetic sound featured on Reflektor. The vocals on the track also echo that of his brother’s distinctive hushed, trebled range – a bonus for original fans of Arcade Fire. Both tracks are an exciting preview of the Policy collection.
To promote the release of his album, the singer will also be embarking on both a US and European tour, ending in Dublin itself with an intimate show in Whelan’s on April 25th. Other shortstops include New York’s Baby’s All Right venue as well as Austin’s famous South By Southwest festival.
Butler has stated in an interview with Pitchfork that he’s aware of the benefits of coming from a popular band commenting, “it’s extremely luxurious… people will pay some attention to it regardless of the quality.” He asserts that his record is “driven by an artistic drive” despite having “a sense of how luxurious it is.”
Already having a 2014 Oscar nomination under his belt for his work on the soundtrack for Spike Jonze’s Her, the beginning of Butler’s solo career is looking rather optimistic as voiced by his comments on his tour, “I’m really excited to fill small venues with a 4 piece. We’ll still be plenty loud.” It looks like there is star quality in not one Butler brother, but two and audiences everywhere are excited to hear it.
Scout Mitchell
Image credit: wikimedia.org
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