arcade fire * the suburbs

          finally, some time to post something new.

          during the past few months, I've started paying special attention to the canadian band Arcade Fire. I had listened to their work before, but lately it seems like they have especially grown on me. I have listened to their first two albums obsessively and then I got hold of their latest album called The Suburbs and i find it simply brilliant (from the very first listen).

          the general theme of the album (as the name suggests it) concerns the suburbs, with their spatial, economic, social and psychological impact on man and society.

          being an urban planner myself, this theme intrigued me and while listening to the album, I was amazed how it manages to transpose this general urban planning problem (the urban sprawl) into such an emotional and human problem for the regular "modern man".

          the whole evolution of the album (it has to be listened to from beginning to end, as it is one complete and unbreakable masterpiece) presents different random suburb experiences in the form of songs, and the evolution of man in relation to its city (from downtown to suburbs).

          one more thing I love about this album is the fact that the tracks are related to one another and are arranged in a certain order, generating the special feel, but also making it very easy for me to listen to the album over and over again, not knowing where it ends or where it begins.

          this latest album has made me love Arcade Fire even more, although their first two albums are also genius.

          simply amazing!

THE SUBURBS (2010)

by ARCADE FIRE (since 2001)

>> laura recommends:

1. sprawl II (mountains beyond mountains)

2. modern man

3. rococo

4. suburban war

>> released as single 

5. we used to wait

          these tracks recommended here will sound a bit peculiar taken out of context (as I always say and maybe I'm a bit naggy, but an album must be listened to as a whole, from beginning to end, without shuffle, at least the first couple of times).

          I started with sprawl II (mbm), because I find that this is the climax of the album (maybe both instrumental and lyricswise). I simply love its multiple retro synths and discoish feel. the vocal performance of Régine Chassagne gives me goosebumps and is in perfect contrast with the gloomy bit depressed mood expressed by Win Butler. and the lyrics of the track give an interesting definition of the sprawl  ("dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains") and its impact on one's personality.

          I have to say this album has had a specialmeaning for me because I happened to study the urban sprawl phenomenon and it's impact on society, and this album underlines its problems perfectly.

          modern man, with its particular repetitive skipped beat that is freakin' awesome, evokes, with simple words and instrumentals, the worries of the "modern man" who is busy standing in line and realizing "something don't feel right".

          the obsessive repetition of the word rococo in the track rococo is perfect for describing the modern youth and their shallow interests about things "they don't understand" or which have no substance or meaning. the haunting instrumentals (mainly guitar riffs and a strong beat) are the perfect layout for these lyrics.

          the reverberated guitar in suburban war is in perfect symbiosis with the dark mood set by the lyrics and by yet another definition of the suburbs ("while we sleep we know the streets get rearranged"). divided into 4 parts that combine into one complex track, this is one subtle yet great track, which quietly evolves and then ends abruptly with an instrumental explosion that accompanies the ever present complaint "all my old friends, they don't know me now".

          we used to wait is one of the singles released from this album and is another example of how simple lyrics can express so much. this song speaks for itself and for the whole album, revealing the massive changes of society, and the time-space compression.

          as you can see and hopefully hear, this album is worth every second of your time. even though some say that the previous Arcade Fire albums are better, I think that lyricswise, its simplicity or lack of complexity if you will, does not necessarily mean lack of substance.

          in my opinion, this album has skilfully managed to transpose the suburbs into music.