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Pearl Jam + Arcade Fire
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Pearl Jam may have been pillars of grunge, but it was their refusal to play by the book -- to do interviews they didn't want to, to play radio station-sponsored music festivals, to work with Ticketmaster, etc. -- that made them stand out. Arcade Fire have been making all those same stands against "the system" and it's turned them into an arena-level band who gets to make music on their own terms.
DNA Evidence: Pretty much the exact same type of angsty teenagers who identified with Pearl Jam’s near-mute 'Jeremy' 20 years ago are the same type who dream of life beyond the big-box outlets of Arcade Fire’s 'Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains).'











