Arcade Fire Weigh in on Contributing to ‘The Hunger Games’ Soundtrack

With all the hype surrounding the upcoming blockbuster flick ‘The Hunger Games,’ Arcade Fire probably aren’t the first band that comes to mind. However, they did in fact contribute to the movie’s soundtrack along with Neko Case and the Decemberists, rounding out an all-star cast.

According to Rolling Stone, Arcade Fire’s Win Butler and Regine Chassagne first rubbed elbows with the soundtrack’s producer T-Bone Burnett at Neil Young’s annual Bridge School Benefit in San Francisco, Calif. Butler felt an instant kinship with Burnett, saying, “He’s a great dude to talk with about music, and that was kind of the driving force.” Burnett lucked out too, because with Arcade Fire on the down low, they had some time on their hands. “We’re kind of taking a break right now, and it was a really fun little project to do with the band,” said Butler.

While working with Burnett was part of the appeal for Arcade Fire, Butler admits he’s always been a big fan of science fiction, saying, “I had a teacher in school, this old beatnik dude who showed me ‘Blade Runner’ and ‘Brazil’ when we had just read ‘1984.’ I saw these examples of how people used science fiction to talk about the present.”

While ‘The Hunger Games’ has a futuristic vibe, the goal of the soundtrack was to focus more on connecting with the characters and where they came from with a strong focus on maintaining an organic sound. Speaking of organic, Arcade Fire’s contribution to the collection is an epic tale called ‘Abraham’s Daughter,’ take a listen to it and read our review here.

The soundtrack is set for a Tuesday (March 20) release.