MUSIC REVIEW: ARCADE FIRE - 'THE SUBURBS' (ALTERNATE VIEW)

Tackling Important Issues While Getting Us All to Hum Along

By: Aron Golds

August 23, 2010

(Merge Records) On this their third CD, Montreal’s Arcade Fire, fronted by husband and wife Win Butler and Regine Chassagne, do not disappoint. This is a band that has matured both musically and lyrically since their critically acclaimed debut, Funeral. Musically, they manage to stay minimalist while also having musicians with the ability to layer lush orchestrations over heartfelt vocals to the songs that make up the theme of the CD -- the rise and fall of suburban consumer culture and youth culture as a whole, or possibly hole.

The lead and title track, "The Suburbs," jumps up and lulls you into thinking you’re hearing a pleasant pop album of songs, and then quickly turns up the cynicism. "Month Of May" is the standout rocker radio single about trying to make a record for jaded youth with “their arms folded tight.” The song implies that we’ve been so disappointed by “hype” in the past that we’ve shut ourselves down to new experiences. It almost says, "Why bother recording this CD if minds have already been programmed not to listen with open ears?"

The rest of the CD hits the mark, as each song colors and pushes the concept. "We Used To Wait" laments the passing of more wide-eyed, enthusiastic times. On "Sprawl" and "Sprawl II," Butler and Chassagne take turns singing about the boring cultural “sameness” due to the creation of suburbs, initially as a means of change, now spreading to the farthest reaches of “mountains beyond mountains.” The mountains being representation of shopping malls and the sameness that covers the landscape for as far as the eye and mind can see.

Arcade Fire wants their fans to unfold their arms and experience the world beyond the ‘burbs in its entirety as it unfolds in front of them.  Sort of a gentle wake-up call, they don’t preach but rather enlighten listeners to what they might be missing and that it's not really their fault. But it’s all out there, beyond the shopping malls, and they should regain their enthusiasm and seek it out. Have an adventure instead of a walking around the endless blocks of the suburbs.

With this CD, Arcade Fire have again proven themselves an important band that can tackle important issues while still getting us to hum along. By embracing and exploiting new multi-media culture, such as their recent online concert directed by avant film director Terry Gilliam, they’ve put themselves at the forefront of today’s modern rock bands, able to inform and inspire, and, hopefully, inspire more young bands to do the same.

Standout Tracks: "The Suburbs," "Month of May," "We Used to Wait"

For Fans of: Phoenix, Snow Patrol, Badly Drawn Boy, Bruce Springsteen