Instant Album Review: Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Instant Album Review: Arcade Fire – The Suburbs (August 3, 2010)
by: Chuck Norton

On August 3, 2010, Arcade Fire releases their third album, The Suburbs, to eager anticipation. With two songs, “Ready to Start” and “Month of May” released – first as snippets – a month ago, and the entire album leaked to the internet this past week, the band’s watershed moment is almost upon us.

As I have previously stated, in my opinion, the third album of an artist can determine whether the band (or artist) quietly fades away into oblivion or propels themselves into the the stratosphere of inter-generational relevancy.

Fronted by the husband and wife team of Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, the Canadian band has built a following by complimenting the quality of their albums with energetic live performances.

To this point in their career, Arcade Fire has been a band that has proven their virtues; they’ve done little wrong in the eyes of their fans and critics alike. (I admit, from the first time I heard Arcade Fire in 2003 – when they released their eponymous EP – I was hooked on the band.)

Their 2004 full-length debut Funeral, provided songs (“Haiti”, “Rebellion (Lies)” and “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)”; among others) that became indie-dance staples much of the following year.

By the time the band released Neon Bible in 2007, they were in the lexicon of even casual music fans – not just those dancing hipsters. Furthermore, Neon Bible‘s cross-over popularity vaulted the band, and their albums, into most “Best of the 2000′s” discussions.

Now, three years since their last album, Arcade Fire garners the anticipation of a music populous wondering what the band’s newest album holds in store.

Has their time away from touring and recording allowed them to craft an album that would meet the height of the bar set on previous albums? Or would they create a passable, but not an awe-inspiring album?

Even worse, would the pressure of popularity and expectation cause the release of a watered-down, disappointment a la Band of Horses?

No need worrying about those questions, kids. Arcade Fire didn’t let you down. As a matter of fact they took the bar and set it higher.

How high?

How about the best third album of their musical generation.

Yep, that’s the stratosphere in which the The Suburbs belongs. Looking for comparisons to other, super-star artists whose third album took their success to completely different level?

Neil Young – After The Gold Rush
U2 – War
Radiohead – OK Computer

Even on the best albums, it’s easy to pick out a few songs that are far-and-away better the others on the album. That doesn’t happen on The Suburbs. Strong vocals belay lyrics woven into a musical tapestry. Continuing the use of strings, pianos and other traditional folk instruments with electronic accompaniment creates a complete, and unique, musical union.

Of the yet unreleased songs, the best might be “We Used to Wait” because of its uptempo nature or it might be “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” with an electro/new wave back-beat and Chassagne channeling Kate Bush to create haunting vocals. It could also be “Modern Man” or frankly, about 10 other tracks.

But maybe, the best song is the title track “The Suburbs” yielding remarkably personal and introspective lyrics like:

“So can you understand
Why I want a daughter while I’m still young?
I want to hold her hand,
And show her some beauty,
Before all this damage is done
But if it’s too much to ask
If it’s too much to ask
Then send me a son”

The album is a maturation in sound and content but is not diversion from their musical core. It is unmistakably an Arcade Fire album; but at no point does it sounds like Arcade Fire songs you’ve heard before. That, in-and-of-itself, is the quite a feat.

The Suburbs isn’t just a great album, it is an almost-perfect album.

Maybe it is perfect.