I can think of many places where I would love to be a fly on the wall, but none more so than the recording studio where Arcade Fire is currently in the middle of producing their upcoming album. In a recent interview with Music Week, Arcade Fire’s manager, Scott Rodger, revealed that the band was not only working with longtime collaborator Markus Dravs, but also former LCD Soundsystem mastermind and DFA co-founder, James Murphy.
Rodger confirmed that Murphy was working with the Montreal band “on three or so songs,” though he also let it be known that the group had recorded “around 35 songs, two albums’ worth for sure.” Murphy himself spoke with Rolling Stone about what it was like working with them, as well as the whopping amount of songs the band has to choose from: “There’s a lot of them, and they’re mostly self-produced — like, they don’t need a producer in a certain way, so I didn’t know how it would go.” Murphy also revealed that the quality of the songs he collaborated on is exceptional, which removed all the pressure off him as a producer, and created a remarkable space of creative freedom which allowed him to suggest new options and approaches for find-tuning the songs. “It’s always working,” he said. “It’s just that I might have a different way of approaching how to finish, or how to accomplish an end result that really works.” It’s not certain yet whether Murphy’s two or three songs will make the final cut, but either way, Murphy let it be known this is going to be one amazing album.
Murphy and Arcade Fire’s collaboration extends beyond producing alone — Arcade Fire is currently using DFA Records’ New York City studio, owned by Murphy, for the recording and production of the new album. Rolling Stone writes: “Prior to this album the Arcade Fire had owned a church [an hour’s drive south of Montreal] that they converted into a recording studio, but the group took refuge into Murphy’s DFA Studio in New York this year after the church’s roof collapsed.” And clearly these kids are having a ball together in New York. “Arcade Fire STILL with us at DFA,” read a recent post on the DFA Twitter feed on March 19th. “This is going to be one great sounding album!” Arcade Fire hope to release the as yet untitled album by the end of 2013.
SEE ALSO: The Atlantic Profiles Arcade Fire, Montreal, & North America’s New Pop Music
SEE ALSO: If Tom Petty And Arcade Fire Had A Love Child It Would Be The War On Drugs’ New Album “Slave Ambient”
