I wouldn’t have characterized myself as a huge Arcade Fire fan before last week – I’d heard several singles, liked most of them, but never ran out to download one of their albums or thought of them as one of my favorite artists. When Amazon.com ran a $3.99 promotion on mp3 downloads of their new album, The Suburbs
After an introductory track that sent me for the fast-forward button, “Ready to Start” showed the Arcade Fire I know from their best prior singles, such as “Keep the Car Running” or “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out),” a foot-stomper with a driving bass line behind an understated vocal that mixes the yearning for an independent artistic life in a culture that seems (in Win Butler’s eyes) to reward the corporate life instead. “Empty Room” starts with a crazy violin intro – which continues behind the wave of guitars, creating an effect that reminded me of My Bloody Valentine, but without the latter’s excessive distortion; both that song and “Month of May” give the album its highest-energy moments to sustain the listener through the more subtle (and occasionally soporific) songs that dig more deeply into the decline of culture in the suburban sprawl.
The slower-tempo tricks are more of a mixed bag, but offer the album’s best overall songwriting. “Half Light II (No Celebration)” calls to mind New Order, or even Joy Division, with an anthemic lament with a lush arrangement behind dark, defeated vocals about the loss of nature and open space, while “Modern Man” channels Roxy Music, although the latter’s cliched moaning about the people in line behind him “can’t understand” typifies the song’s lack of concrete imagery.
“Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” is the final full track (there’s a 90-second reprise of the opening song after it), and one of the most devastatingly complete songs on the record, building to a crescendo that never quite arrives while growing into a sprawling (pun intended) homage to the classic new wave/synth-pop songs of the mid-1980s. I don’t care for Regine Chassagne’s voice, but her delivery of the song’s critique of the sprawl of the song’s title, that uniquely American creation of suburbs that go on forever, with “dead shopping malls” that “rise like mountains beyond mountains,” bringing excesses of light (I keep picturing car dealerships at night, sucking down energy to light up football fields of metal boxes) but lacking the edginess or openness of urban culture.
But the song I keep coming back to again and again is the spare, slightly uptempo yet haunting “City with No Children,” the title line itself (“Feel like I’ve been living in/a city with no children in it”) evoking images of deathly quiet, or even destruction – it brought to my mind the scene from The Road where they see “the little boy” in the window of a building in an otherwise abandoned city. The hand-claps stand in place of almost all typical percussion, while the predominant guitar riff is dampened, as if it was played through a pillow, creating a stunning contrast between the song’s pace and its melancholy production.
The Suburbs is far from a perfect album – there are too many “skip” tracks for me to slap an 80 on it, including the dirge-like “Wasted Hours,” “The Suburbs,” and “Sprawl I (Flatland),” and the slow rocker “Rococo,” with a staccato vocal line I just found irritating – but it’s far more than the standard three-singles-and-some-filler album template, a style that should be long dead in an era where the album is finally unbundled for consumers to purchase individual tracks. It’s the kind of album that would earn Grammy nominations if the Grammy Awards weren’t still based on wins, saves, and RBI.
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Amazon.com has another 1000 albums available for $5 apiece as mp3 downloads through the end of the month. Two I’ll recommend: Mumford and Sons’ Sigh No More
Nice review. A song you didn’t mention – “Suburban War”, is actually my favorite track on the album. This is a song for those who loved “Ocean of Noise” on their previous album.
I know I shouldn’t judge an album based on one listen, but I’m slightly disappointed with it. It’s good but I think it lacks the complexity of their first 2 albums. It’s catchy but I think a lot of bands are doing the quasi-80’s thing. I guess I can’t expect a band to stick to a single sound for their whole careers, but they had such a unique sound.
I happen to like the opening track a lot though.
Well done. The big finish is classic. If you ever get sick of baseball I’d love to continue reading you as a full time music critic.
I hope you are inspired to buy Funeral now – easily one of the five best albums of the Oughts. I would also highly recommend catching Arcade Fire on tour.
“It’s the kind of album that would earn Grammy nominations if the Grammy Awards weren’t still based on wins, saves, and RBI.”
I think that’s my single favorite sentence you’ve ever written.
Another great one (IMO) on the Amazon list: If You’re Feeling Sinister, Belle & Sebastian’s breakout album from the early 90’s. May not rock enough for some, but I think the songwriting’s top notch.
“It’s the kind of album that would earn Grammy nominations if the Grammy Awards weren’t still based on wins, saves, and RBI.”
But U2 is a gritty gamer that knows how to win!
/s
Got really annoyed at “Rococo” and haven’t put it back on. I’m being a baby about this one.
Just saw them play in concert for the first time last night (in Atlanta). It’s one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. As for the new album, I like it, not as much as Funeral perhaps but slightly ahead of Neon Bible. “We Used to Wait” is my favorite song thus far….love that driving piano.
I hear you, Dave, but you missed all of the best songs. Start right after “Rococo” and let it play.
“Suburban War” is excellent as well.
I’ll echo the sentiments from above – “Funeral” is incredible, definitely worth purchasing, Keith. Personally, I prefer it to “OK Computer”, and it sounds like I love that album just as much as you do. “Funeral” may actually be my favorite album.
Great album by a great band. My favorite two tracks are the combo of “Deep Blue” and “We Used to Wait.”
I like the new album, I usually start my day with The Suburbs. It’s a little different than anything on Funeral or Neon Bible (both outstanding albums). I guess I like the piano
Keith, x’s name is Regine Chassagne.
What would you consider the top 10 Rock Albums of all-time?
Just wanted to add to the Chorus of Funeral fans. There are no skip tracks on that one. The band’s first EP is also well worth checking out.
Ok, just completed the album from #5 on. I just don’t really like it. Aside from Sprawl II, the lyrics seemed to be almost a run-on, but in a monotonous way, not in a good continuity way. That and way too many of the rhymes stood out as really basic or overly literal. I’ll give it another 2 or 3 full runs but I’m just not really there.
Tangentially, whats up with all the references to cars? Not even driving, although that’s mentioned in every song that doesn’t explicitly say car. And its not just this album.
(Note 1: I’m neither an Arcade Fire fan (defending the sanctity of Funeral) nor an Arcade Fire hater. I probably listened to Neon Bible most of any album of theirs and liked it a good bit.)
(Note 2: I’m not a music fan who believes that the more albums you release and the more popular you are, the more you must suck to me. I’ve spend a good deal of this year trying to sell anyone who mentions the words radio/song/band/album/nation/ohio on a different band’s 3rd (major) and most popular release.)
(Note 3: I’m not anti-Canadian music. Although I do hold the entire country responsible for Nickelback.)
Dave, Are you referring to High Violet by The National? A great album.
I am. Only one down song on the entire album (Runaways just doesn’t match the rest of the album) and it sounded incredible live.
Two great tastes that go great together. . . The Roots (and John Legend) covering Arcade Fire.
http://pitchfork.com/news/40192-watch-john-legendthe-roots-cover-arcade-fire/