Pitchfork

After an indie label bidding war involving such prestigious parties as Absolutely Kosher and Alien8, Montréal pop/rockers The Arcade Fire have announced their signing to Merge Records. The band, which has been said to "twist Polyphonic Spree backgrounds with Death Cab for Cutie lyrics for a distinctive sound that pushes the lines of being both aggressive and calming," will be issuing their debut full-length on the Chapel Hill megalith in the fall.

Future fans will get their first taste on June 6th, when Merge issues the band's first seven-inch, which, in a rare move, will be a split with bandmembers Win and Will Butler's grandfather Alvino Rey. We spoke with Arcade Fire guitarist Tim Kingsbury to get the scoop: "The first side will feature a song from our forthcoming full-length, 'Neighbourhood #1'; the second side will have a song titled 'My Buddy', performed and recorded by the Alvino Rey Orchestra in the early '40s. Alvino Rey was Win and Will's grandfather and he passed away recently at the age of 96. This release is in his memory."

Kingsbury also told Pitchfork that the band is currently busy mixing the debut Arcade Fire album, Funeral, which Merge will issue on September 14th. And here's the tracklist:

01 Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
02 Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
03 Une Annee Sans Lumiere
04 Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
05 Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles)
06 Crown of Love
07 Wake Up
08 Haiti
09 Rebellion (Lies)
10 In the Backseat

Following that, they'll head back into the States for another tour in support of the album. Here's the thing, though-- the music? Pretty damn good, as you can confirm for yourself on the band's official website. So, should you be so inclined as to check them out, here are the June dates, all of which will be supporting Pitchfork faves The Unicorns, save for June 7th and 24th. Emergency!:

06-06 Washington, D.C. - Black Cat
06-07 Chapel Hill, NC - The Cave (w/ Fan Modine)
06-08 Atlanta, GA - Echo Lounge
06-10 Birmingham, AL - The Nick
06-11 New Orleans, LA - TBA
06-12 Houston, TX - Mary Jane's (w/ Fiery Furnaces)
06-14 Austin, TX - Emo's
06-15 Denton, TX - Hailey's
06-16 Oklahoma City, OK - The Conservatory
06-17 St. Louis, MO - Rocket Bar
06-18 Chicago, IL - Open End Gallery
06-19 Milwaukee, WI - Mad Planet
06-21 Pittsburgh, PA - TBA
06-22 Rochester, NY - Bug Jar
06-23 Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Palace

"