Latest news with #WinButler
Forbes
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
What Happened To Arcade Fire's New Album?
Arcade Fire's Pink Elephant misses the Billboard 200, marking the band's first full-length album not ... More to chart, despite strong pure sales. MIJAS, SPAIN - AUGUST 31: Singer Win Butler from Arcade Fire performs at Cala Mijas Fest on August 31, 2023 in Mijas, Spain. (Photo by Pablo Gallardo/Redferns) A little over a decade ago, Arcade Fire made history at the Grammys by winning Album of the Year for The Suburbs. The Canadian rock band became one of the few independent acts to come out on top in what is often considered the most prestigious category during music's biggest night. The rockers had already found great commercial success and critical acclaim and were on top of the world for a while. Now, with a new album out, it's clear that public interest in the United States has waned significantly, and that the former Grammy champions are now struggling even to reach the charts. Pink Elephant arrives on a number of music rankings in the U.S. this frame. While it performs fairly well on a handful of tallies, it is notably absent from one major ranking: the Billboard 200. The 200-spot ranking of the most consumed full-lengths and EPs in America does not include Pink Elephant, which is quite shocking, as Arcade Fire has never before seen one of its proper full-lengths fail to reach the tally. Previously, the group's debut effort, Funeral, stood as its lowest-charting success, and even that managed to rise to No. 123 more than 20 years ago. Since then, every one of Arcade Fire's projects has cracked the top 10 on the Billboard 200. Three of them — The Suburbs, Reflektor, and Everything Now — hit No. 1. It's only been three years since Arcade Fire last debuted a full-length on the Billboard 200. The simply-named We arrived in May 2022 and peaked at No. 6. Now, just a relatively short time later, Pink Elephant doesn't even mark a new low, as it can't reach the Billboard 200 at all. Pink Elephant does crack the top 10 on one other Billboard list this frame. It starts at No. 10 on the Top Album Sales chart with a little less than 6,200 pure purchases, according to Luminate. That sum, entirely in pure purchases, is enough to make it one of the bestselling releases in the country — but not quite large enough to bring it to the Billboard 200. The lowest-ranking title on that tally, Future's DS2, shifted 8,600 equivalent units in the past tracking frame. It seems that streaming activity didn't make much of an impact on Pink Elephant's performance. Pink Elephant also manages to appear on two other Billboard rankings after its first full tracking frame finished. It opens at No. 12 on the Vinyl Albums list, and it barely manages to reach the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart, coming in at No. 49 on that 50-spot ranking. In mid-2022, months after the release of We, frontman and lead singer Win Butler was accused of sexual misconduct by several women in articles published by Pitchfork. While the musician denied any wrongdoing – and has been supported by his wife Régine Chassagne (also a member of Arcade Fire) – the claims seem to have hurt the band's commercial appeal.
Times
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Arcade Fire review — an uneasy blend of knees-up and damage limitation
Bringing maximalist showmanship to London, Arcade Fire's marathon Royal Albert Hall concert was an uneasy blend of rowdy celebration and damage limitation. Performing their newly released seventh album Pink Elephantin full, followed by a career-spanning second set, the Canadian-American indie-rock titans played for almost three hours beneath saturated hot-pink lights, artificial clouds and a revolving stained-glass heart. A Barbie band in a Barbie world. They also made inspired use of this venerable venue, with singer and multi-instrumentalist Régine Chassagne playing the Hall's magnificent pipe organ during several numbers, while her frontman husband Win Butler embarked on multiple extended walkabouts through the crowd. These theatrical flourishes were highly effective, but at times it felt as if Arcade Fire were dancing around the giant (pink) elephant
CBC
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Are fans ready for Arcade Fire's big return?
Last Friday, Arcade Fire released Pink Elephant, their first album since bandleader Win Butler was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple people in 2022. Today on Commotion, host Elamin Abdelmahmoud speaks with music journalist Maura Johnston and Montreal Gazette reporter T'Cha Dunlevy about how their relationship with the band's music has changed after the allegations, and how the band's new record is being received by fans and media. We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player. WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube: Elamin: Maura, what's your impression of this record? Maura: There definitely feels like there's a black cloud hovering over it, even in those moments where the old Arcade Fire bravado breaks through. There are parts where it sounds somewhat tentative and sounds almost like licking wounds. But I think that the moments that I really liked are the ones where they get back into the groove mode that they had with Reflektor and with other songs. They're really good at riding that groove and they have been since their earliest records. But I do think that there is this free-floating malaise that's hanging over. I don't know if that's my projection onto it or if it's just the listening. But that's the thing about music, right? It's like, you're going to have those personal feelings, especially for any artist that you had a personal admiration for, those are going to shine through when you listen to their new material. Elamin: Yeah, I had a hard time with the same thing that you're talking about. On the one hand, you have Arcade Fire, obviously having taken this reputational hit. You're not going to find a single piece of writing that's talking about this album that's not talking about that story also. On the other hand, they were on SNL, they were reviewed by every major music publication, radio stations that have previously pulled their music, they're back to playing them. That includes the CBC, by the way. For a brief period of time after those accusations, CBC Music stopped playing Arcade Fire and then they resumed playing them. Toronto's Indie88 is playing them again. T'cha, what does the future of Arcade Fire look like? T'cha: Well, judging by what we've seen so far with this album rollout and what's happened since the allegations, I think the future of Arcade Fire looks like what we've seen, in terms of the band keeping a much lower profile in the media. I think they're going to do less interviews, I think maybe they've decided it's about the music now, maybe Win and Régine [Chassagne, also in Arcade Fire] are focused on repairing their relationship — it seems like it. In the shows, they're smiling, they're letting loose, they're having fun, you can see they're trying to just do them, do the music, and focus on that. I think it seems to me that's what they're trying to do and will continue to do. They may do one or two very select bigger interviews at some point. Maybe they will even address the allegations. I think if they do, it might point towards a different future. I don't expect that though, at least not in a huge way. I think the band — it's 20 years in — has found a way forward and that's to just focus on the music. They have a fan base that they can rely on that will come out for these shows and they want to turn the conversation elsewhere.
CBC
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Are fans ready for Arcade Fire's big return, and the Golden Globes honour podcasting
Last Friday. Montreal indie-rock collective Arcade Fire released 'Pink Elephant,' their first album since bandleader Win Butler was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women in 2022. Music journalist Maura Johnston and Montreal Gazette reporter T'Cha Dunlevy discuss how their relationship with the band's music has changed in recent years, and how the band's new record is being received by fans and media. Plus, Nicholas Quah shares his thoughts on the new Golden Globes category, Best Podcast, which will be introduced in 2026.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Arcade Fire Performs New Songs ‘Pink Elephant' and ‘Year of the Snake' on ‘SNL': Watch
Arcade Fire returned to Saturday Night Live on May 10 to perform new songs from their upcoming album. The Canadian quintet — led by frontman Win Butler and his wife, Régine Chassagne — took the stage at Studio 8H ahead of their forthcoming seventh studio album, Pink Elephant. More from Billboard Arcade Fire Announces New Album 'Pink Elephant' & Shares Lead Single 'Year of the Snake': Listen Miley Cyrus Addresses Family Feud Rumors: 'Family Is My Priority Above All Else' Harry Styles Makes Appearance at Pope Leo XIV's Unveiling at Vatican Arcade Fire opened their set with the album's title track and closed with the new single 'Year of the Snake.' Pink Elephant will mark the band's first album since 2022's We, which reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and climbed to the summit of the Top Rock Albums chart. The forthcoming 10-track album was recorded at Butler and Chassagne's Good News Recording Studio in New Orleans and is set for release this spring through Columbia Records. Described as a 'cinematic, mystical punk' effort, the album promises a sonic odyssey exploring themes of light and darkness, inner beauty, and the 'perception of the individual.' The release also marks Arcade Fire's first since multiple former fans accused Butler of sexual misconduct in 2022. The frontman denied that any of the encounters were nonconsensual, but issued an apology 'to anyone who I have hurt with my behavior.' The SNL appearance was the band's first major television performance since the allegations came to light. Saturday's episode marked Arcade Fire's sixth appearance on the long-running NBC sketch comedy show. They made their SNL debut in 2007 during an episode hosted by Rainn Wilson. In 2010, they returned alongside host Scarlett Johansson, followed by a 2013 performance during Tina Fey's episode. In 2012, they served as Mick Jagger's backing band. The group returned again in 2018 with Bill Hader and most recently appeared in 2022 during an episode hosted by Benedict Cumberbatch. SNL will close out its milestone 50th season on May 17, with Johansson returning as host and Bad Bunny as the musical guest. Watch Arcade Fire's SNL performances below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
