Arcade Fire teams with Google for interactive video

A unique new interactive film created by Chris Milk (Gnarls Barkley) -- along with Google developers -- for the Arcade Fire track "We Used to Wait" uses Google Maps to incorporate visuals from the user's hometown to create unique music videos.
The video, which is optimized for the Google Chrome web browser, is perhaps the first major HTML5-powered music video. Dubbed "The Wilderness Downtown," available at this link, the video "takes you down memory lane through the streets you grew up in," Aaron Koblin with Google Creative Lab wrote in a blog post.
After the user enters a street address, the video -- which opens up multiple browser windows -- incorporates visuals from Google Street View, Google Maps and the HTML5 3D graphics engine in Google Chrome.
Meanwhile, the Canadian indie-rockers have added a night to their forthcoming North American run.
The band, whose tour has already posted sold-out shows in several cities, will now perform a two-night stand Oct. 2-3 in Berkeley, CA. The continental journey features 11 stops before concluding Oct. 12 in Monterrey, Mexico. The entire schedule, including international shows, is listed at right.
Calexico will provide opening support for the majority of the run. Tickets for most shows are available now via the Arcade Fire website.
Concerts in Calgary (9/26), Vancouver (9/28) and Berkeley (10/2) are sold out, as well as the Oct. 7-8 shows in Los Angeles, for which approximately 12,000 tickets moved in just a few hours, according to a press release.
The award-winning outfit released "The Suburbs," their third studio set, earlier this month. The effort debuted atop The Billboard 200, as well as album charts in Belgium, Canada, Ireland and the UK. Fans can choose between eight different album covers, which were allocated randomly to retailers.
September 20102 - Bologna, Italy - Arena Parco Nord
22 - St. Paul, MN - Roy Wilkins Arena
23 - Winnipeg, Manitoba - MTS Centre
25 - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Credit Union Centre
26 - Calgary, Alberta - Stampede Corral
28 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Pacific Coliseum
29 - Seattle, WA - Key Arena
30 - Portland, OR - Memorial Coliseum
October 2010
2, 3 - Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre
5 - Big Sur, CA - Henry Miller Memorial Library
7, 8 - Los Angeles, CA - Shrine Auditorium
10 - Mexico City, Mexico - Palacio de los Deportes
12 - Monterrey, Mexico - Banamex Theater
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