Arcade Fire Essentials

Like a secular tent revival full of beautiful freaks, Arcade Fire play music as if their will to live depends on it, summoning a joyful momentum that is visceral and unique. The Montreal collective gained immediate attention after their 2004 debut album Funeral. Instrumentally diverse (hurdy-gurdy, pipe organ, et al.), the experimental outfit is the very definition of 21st-century eclecticism, weaving all manner of styles into their endlessly intriguing, shape-shifting body of work. The husband-and-wife team of Win Butler and Régine Chassagne glows at the core of Arcade Fire.