(So, it turns out this didn't go live when it was supposed to - which I'm sure is user error, but I'm going to blame Typepad anyway. So there.)
1 – Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
There was no pressure on Arcade Fire to produce when the band put out “Funeral.” At that point, the band was relatively unknown, especially outside of its native Canada. When “Neon Bible,” the Fire's second record, was released, Arcade Fire had expectations to live up to amongst the small-but-growing contingent that it could count as disciples.
But a funny thing happened during the tour that supported “Neon Bible.” Somewhere along the way, Arcade Fire went from the “Next Big Thing” to “The Big Thing.” It filled amphitheaters, it headlined festivals, and fans new and old anxiously awaited the next release.
“The Suburbs” took a couple of years to arrive, but that now-large fanbase, big enough to book the band at Madison Square Garden, was immensely grateful, as Win Butler and company delivered the best album of 2010.
The everyday is the thematic element that ties “The Suburbs” together, as the kids who railed against life-wasting sleep and promoted dancing by police lights on “Funeral” now have grown up and wonder if this is really all there is. Get up, go to work, drive back out to the suburbs, go to bed, do it again.
Musically, the band sticks to its tried and true style: The guitars jangle, the percussion is messy but hard, and string arraignments often elevate songs into minor epics.
It's easy to overlook “The Suburbs” because it's what we expect from Arcade Fire. This is a band that we, as music fans, expect to deliver great albums every time out. But our expectations should not diminish the greatness of “The Suburbs” which, over time, will be thought of every bit as highly as the band's debut album.
Standout Tracks: “We Used To Wait,” “Sprawl 2”
Comments