The Arcade Fire have offered fans the opportunity to have artwork that is synchronised with the music on The Suburbs, rather than just the normal cover most people will receive on CD or in their digital artwork file in their iPod. This fancy digital artwork was devised by Vincent Morisset, who directed Arcade Fire’s Miroir Noir live DVD, along with designer Caroline Roberts.
“Most of us now buy, share and listen to music through computer and portable devices,” Morisset stated on his blog. I wanted to find a way to get closer to [the physical experience]. I thought about the relation we have with the vinyl cardboard cover or the paper booklet while listening to the songs. Flipping through the lyrics, looking at a band picture or a cool drawing related to a song while listening to it. With the MP3 player, we [lose] that.”
The artwork comes in an M4A format, which was invented by Apple, but this format of the album is not yet available in the iTunes store – the only way to get a legal copy is to download it from the band’s website.
Meanwhile, Arcade Fire have taken to covering the late Memphis punk rocker Jay Reatard’s ‘Oh It’s Such A Shame’, turning a snotty nosed punk epithet into a stadium friendly, lighters aloft moment.
