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Arcade Fire's Interactive Love Letter to the Suburbs

"The Wilderness Downtown" uses Google maps and the band's music to create a personalized online experience.

Allison Arieff
By Allison ArieffOct 08, 2010
Allison Arieff
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I, like nearly everyone involved with architecture and planning lately, have been ridiculously obsessed with Arcade Fire's latest release, The Suburbs. But I only recently discovered how they've taken their concept to the next level with the engrossing interactive film, "The Wilderness Downtown." Created by Chris Milk, the URL asks you to enter the address of your childhood home and then be transported as a boy runs past all the houses on the street you grew up on accompanied by AF's elegiacal anthem "We Used to Wait." The magic of Google maps presents a literal bird's-eye view of your formative environment and as the film ends you're offered the opportunity to send a message to your younger self. Mesmerizing.
mediamusicgooglearcade firecitiesinteractivesuburbsthe wilderness

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