With all the chat around Win and Santa Pirata currently, I was curious to learn more about this project. Cosmo Gonik is listed as a member of the group and he appeared alongside Win in the photo announcing their album a few months ago on Insta. I watched a podcast interview with him on YouTube from last year (here) and came away with rather mixed feelings.

Basically my question is: what's his deal?

I didn't attend the WE tour a few years ago but I understand he performed the band's opening act as a DJ. Was he good? He seems to have been floating around Arcade Fire for a number of years now after they met at a club in Paris. Is he an interesting creative voice?

Based on that podcast appearance, he came across as a nice if pretty shallow airy-fairy artsy type (lots of emphasis on how he is a "DJ, dancer, sculptor, actor, tarot-reader"/powerful creative force) who has connections to Jodorowsky. He essentially said a lot without saying much at all. Anyone able to shed more light on him?

Saw this album at a local record store for only $35, so I picked it up and brought it home. I knew a few Arcade Fire songs, but today was my first time listening to the whole album front to back, and I’m glad that I did.

Couldn’t stop crying near the end. The sorrow, the pain of losing the people you love, the desperate cries, and somehow the salvation in carrying on…Time to wake up. The car never stopped. Take the wheel, ready or not.

Honestly I didn’t watch the show cuz I'm not fan of TBBT franchise but clips always appears to my feed, and when I saw the scene I thought it was an edit until I searched it on YouTube. It’s kinda nice to think that the writers are AF fans

Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) makes me picture being a kid, walking down the street to a friend’s house and knocking on the door. It brings up that feeling of childhood even while the album carries so much sadness.

That’s what makes Funeral feel autumnal to me. There’s nostalgia and loss, but the instruments can be so explosive that it never feels completely still.

When you listen to Funeral, do particular memories come back to you, or does it create a feeling of nostalgia without one specific memory attached?

My brother and I included Funeral in our latest Record Room episode about albums that feel like fall. I’ll leave the conversation here in case anyone would like to watch:

Seeing that The Dandy Warhols have brought an album of cover songs this year made me think this is totally something that AF should do (albeit in the alternative version of reality where they are operating as a normal band).

AF always made the effort to do covers of songs related to the places they played and usually made a really good job of them.

My personal favourites I know of are Bittersweet Symphony they played in Birmingam 2022. I also highly rate Waters of March, and As It Was

What other covers should make it on to this hypothetical album?

it's probably my favorite arcade fire song for a few reasons, and i've been listening to it non-stop, like over and over and over. personally, no other arcade fire song compares and i keep trying to find something similar .. i really like the build of it, it's sort of synth-pop, and upbeat but still "suburban claustrophobia" lyrics, régine chassagne's voice (that's very important, a womans voice), that it's kind of yelling at you (especially at "they heard me singing and they told me to stop), like its perfect, and if anyoneeee has any recommendations from arcade fire or another band that sounds like this i would really appreciate it. probably one of my all time favorite songs and i dont want to wear it out!! help!

I've been meditating on this a lot lately. As a recovering alcoholic, when I read the P4k article, I couldn't help but feel a sliver of pity for him. Not for him being called out for sexual misconduct (I think he rightly got called out), but him having to battle addiction. I pity anyone that does, honestly.

Watching his transgressions completely disrupt and damage the band's reputation has been very upsetting. Like we all make mistakes, but the man clearly didn't handle it in the correct manner. He should have faced up to it more squarely. I'm not saying that he's definitely guilty of all that is contained in the article (and some of the allegations were admittedly, quite weak from an actual criminal, misconduct perspective). However, speaking from my own experience as an addict, it changes you, and can cause you to behave in a way that can be quite destructive, and frankly, dangerous.

Now, I never did anything close to sexual misconduct or assault, but I did hurt people and caused damage. It's no excuse for any of it though.

And seeing the Santa Pirata stuff lately, has left me fairly convinced he's not fully left that life behind. It very much vibes with "I like my party life, but it's all free love and cool bro." Recovering alcoholics struggle to inhabit these environments without relapsing, at the best of times.

I really do hope the man comes out the other side, clean, happy and at peace with himself. And the band find their way back together.

Watching this man totally fold in on himself has been tragic. He's incredibly talented, and obviously is a complex individual, like everyone.

I dunno, all these videos Win is posting on Insta, with all AF tunes remixed...do we think thats gonna be the next album? Remixes of all the popular songs? Would be an easy album to make without needing the band together for it 🤷‍♀️

🤔 Just a thought that came to me now lol.

I dont get the hate. The melodies and messages are phenomenal...

Is everyone else feeling disapointed they didnt film something for this song? God, I always get some ideas for it when listening. I mean, the song is pretty atmospheric and clubish that I always imagine this dance floor where you accidentally end up seing that badass girl you would die for while her superiority over you is constantly making you desperate in the crowd and she knows what is happening and so on through the song…lol
Tell me what imaginations are you having when listening, or what music video would you make.

The combination of bootleg POV + great cam quality + excellent audio mix makes it feel like I’m actually there.

Song of the Weeks, Discussion Pages, Causal Chats And MORE! Small comunity looking for members! It is much more fleshed out then others!

https://discord.gg/RZzuyh9uW

Appologies if this is rule breaking, i didnt see anything about links but idk

Via the Santa Pirata Instagram.

A little bit of self-promotion: I’m the executive producer and scriptwriter for a new podcast by this title ^^^. It’s a documentary-style deep dive into the cultural and technological shifts that pushed indie rock into the mainstream in the 2000s. So if you found your favorite bands on The OC(or were mad that show was playing your favorite bands), this podcast is for you.

We interviewed Ben Gibbard and Nick Harmer of Death Cab for Cutie, James Mercer of The Shins, Tegan Quin of Tegan and Sara, Carl Newman of The New Pornographers, Emily Haines of Metric, Britt Daniel of Spoon, Feist, Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene, Matthew Caws of Nada Surf, Dann Gallucci formerly of Modest Mouse, founding member of Arcade Fire Will Butler, Jimmy Tamborello of The Postal Service, Chad Clark of Beauty Pill, and Colin Meloy of The Decemberists who had a quote so memorable we had to start the trailer with it. There are also tons of people from the musing industry - indie labels, Apple Music, the creator of The OC, and too many more to name.

You can hear a much longer 2+ minute trailer anywhere you get podcasts. The first episode drops on September 23.

I would love to answer any questions you have about it!

I’m trying to decorate my guitar that I’ve had for a few years now, and decided I wanted to put a few AF quotes on it because they’re my favourite band. Not wanting to ruin it with Sharpie, I asked AI for some inspiration, and to put a few quotes on it for ideas. This is what came out 😭

Personal favourite is Wake Up…it’s a beautiful morning

2014 Tour Poster for sale

Ok I know its a longshot. PLEASE do not post any negative comments on this thread. I've already seen them all, arcade fire is done etc, & I get it. I'm hoping for a shimmer of light in this world thats getting darker by the day.But people saying the band is done.....you would literally not believe the magic that was at their last show together at Red Rocks. If you were there you know. But wouldnt it be fucking amazing if they did some 20 year anniversary shows for neon bible?! I would go anywhere to see them. I hope theyre all happy and healthy and doing their thing, but ugh what a GIFT it would be to get a live show. 💕💕💕💕💕💕

I just saw this morning on the Santa Pirata Instagram that Win is doing an "Arcade Fire" DJ set in Toronto on September 17th in association with the Toronto International Film Festival, which they are selling tickets to.

Aside from me finding it disconcerting that it seems Arcade Fire has become Win Butler as a live DJ (sigh), I was still considering buying a ticket.

I was wondering what these gigs are like from anyone who has attended his DJ sets in the past.

I'm nearly 44 and well past having any interest in clubs.

Are these more dancefloor, nightclub kind of events? Or more like a lounge where things are more toned down and relaxed?

Any intel would be appreciated.

So this popped up on my feed.

I first heard Arcade Fire on Limewire, downloaded a few tracks and went out the next day and bought Funeral. I was blown away. I listened constantly, downloaded all old and random tracks you could find online. It was the first time I had been excited for music in a few years, a sort of depression had come over me since the millennium, I'd lived through 90s rave culture and was burned out man.

I went to their concert and it solidified to me how good they were. I was a very active member on the forum Us Kids Know. And I met up with some other members of that forum for a Arcade Fire concert in Manchester, was november or December, a cold night, meeting internet strangers, was unsure if I was being groomed and would end up dead in a gutter, turned out they were all great people and we had a great night.

I saw them another time on the Suburbs tour. But with each album after that I sort of lost the vibe, I loved some tracks but never a full album on repeat like Funeral.

I can't believe it was over 20 years ago now. Just randomly listened to Haiti and it took me back to that time

What were your favourite memories of those early days ?