The Arcade Fire, 2010.
I waited a long time for this album!
Loved Funeral (first album) and then the epic Neon Bible (second) and waited and wondered how they could possibly follow those 2 glorious albums.
"The Suburbs" is the obvious answer!
Aurally, it's a bit like thesis/Funeral, antithesis/Neon Bible and now synthesis/Suburbs.
The sound is big and boomy, a la Neon Bible, with a sense that we're going on an adventure.
The lyrics and themes are small-town on the surface, a la Funeral.
The songs are all about suburban life, and that encompasses a whole lot - the visual images conjured involve cars, streets, houses, emptiness...it's a bit like we're stuck in a sub-Springsteen world - whereas Bruce was busting to split the scene, Arcade Fire are exploring the suburbs in all their Gothic Glory - the songs are by turn touching, humorous and scary (Bruce's Darkness On the Edge of Town DOES cover similar territory, although with more characters).
The music is sublime - on one level they could be singing about anything, and the music will just float away with us on its tide - but do beware the lyrics.
City With No Children In is a current fave, but every time I listen something new jumps out at me.
In some way, the atmosphere, I am reminded of those dystopian Bowie albums - just not so sci-fi...
This album is a "grower"...appeal perhaps not as immediate as Neon Bible, but gives its treasures away slowly...
10/10.
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Nice review! My own is only 0.5/10 less enthusiastic than yours.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.drone.co.nz/2010/08/16/arcade-fire-the-suburbs/
Rhett, really enjoyed your review, especially the way you related this album to the first.
ReplyDeleteI love the second album as well, however, and think that sonically it ups the ante considerably.
Yes, the production is bigger (I loved it at BDO when the pipe organ came crashing into the mix - reminds me of Gus de Vries on a Sunday am!), and that paves the way for the ambience of Suburbs.
Interesting to read your notes on despair v hope, trash v beauty!
Thanks!
I got this based on your review Gerald and listened for the forst time this morning.
ReplyDeleteThere's a lyric which hit me head on first listening - but I will need a second listen to identify it/distill it/repeat it.
It was about daughters and it really struck me.
I love Arcade Fire - and they were FANTASTIC at Big Day out - my significant others went to Battles - but I HAD to go to Arcade Fire and was so impressed!