New Music: Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Arcade Fire is one of those bands that you have to see live to truly appreciate. There is an enormous number of people on stage during their performances and those people are doing things that are often not immediately recognizable as music. They play instruments like the Hurdy Gurdy. They bang on random stuff. They make long wandering trips into the audience. Fortunately, you have a decent shot at getting to see all of this because they tour a lot and recently performed at Madison Square Garden in a concert that was  broadcast over the web. The webcast was directed by none other than Terry Gilliam, of Monty Python fame, who is a pretty well-known director, having helmed major films like Time Bandits and Brazil.
Their last album, Neon Bible, was a major breakthrough for this band and the follow-up has been long anticipated. The Suburbs is, as the name suggests, a fun, sprawling, unfocused album that brings to mind a place you want to live, rather than just visit. It’s 16 tracks are less dark and generally more lively than those of the previous album, but if you liked Neon bible, you will find this album to be living, if not precisely in the same location, then in a more casual place just outside of town. Let me know what you think.
Posted on August 19, 2010, in Music and tagged Arcade Fire, The Suburbs. Bookmark the permalink. 8 Comments.
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It’s a stupendous album. It’s thoughtful, loud, progressive, reflective and bombastic. It will sounds awesome live.
Calexico is opening for them on their tour.
The new album is so good, so good, so good. Deceptively simple (the hooks are further back than on Neon Bible, but just as odd and just as catchy once they get you) and deceptively perky. Listen to the lyrics … there is some good dark stuff on there. At the end of Sprawl II where he sings ‘the last defender of the Sprawl said ‘kids, well, where do you live?’ Well, sir, if you only knew what the answer is worth, been searching every corner of the earth …
Arcade Fire is keeping me young … and Calexico opening for them makes them the only band I’ve felt I must see in many many years. ~
I’m glad to hear that the album is good. I was hesitant at first because I thought the first single, “Month of May” was terrible.
It’s better when you hear it live.
Will Butler was in my ward in Chicagoland. He was goofy and always nice. I knew he liked music but I had no idea where he was headed.
Interesting fact: When an undergrad, he received a grant from Northwestern University to go to Eastern Europe to study the punk music scene there. I bet that whoever funded it is now feeling like a prophet.
Just got The Suburbs. I’m really digging it. I’ve not finished listening yet but Modern Man really has this cool early 80′s vibe to it. Reminds me of Junior High for some reason.
It hasn’t grabbed me like Neon Bible and Funeral, both of which hooked me from the beginning. But I haven’t given up on it yet.