Arcade Fire - The Suburbs (2010)

The progression of Arcade Fire is a curious tale. Breaking out with the appropriately-titled Funeral, the Canadian band showed they were unafraid to deal with heavy lyrical themes, while second album Neon Bible saw them return more politically charged and with a grandiose sound.

So it caused some surprise to hear that their third LP was to be given the tame title of The Suburbs. Indeed, upon first listen, Arcade Fire’s penchant for high drama seems to have been quelled. There’s a distinct lack of memorable, standout tunes; certainly nothing like a “No Cars Go”. “Empty Room” and lead single “Month Of May” are about as energetic as it gets; the rest of the hour-long album are as laid-back as the early afternoon on a suburban street.

But listen to the album multiple times, and you can start to feel an extra layer of depth to the lyrics. Some songs, such as “Ready To Start” are clearly emotionally driven, while others such as the opening (and title) track lament over the changing nature of one’s home before a blithe-sounding chorus. This is a sentiment that is echoed in several places throughout the album, notably including both “Half Light” songs.

The point of this album is something that a lot of Arcade Fire listeners will easily associate with. Suburban kids – no matter how sheltered they may seem from the world’s ‘real’ problems – really do go through some shit. While it might be something as innocuous as dealing with nonsense-spouting trendy types (“Rococo”), Butler also despairs over the nature of “The Modern Man” while yearning for the purity of his younger times in “We Used To Wait”.

Not only does the lyrical depth win you over, but it becomes clear that despite ‘downsizing’ their sound, all of Arcade Fire’s intricate craftsmanship is on show. Musically, the band is still willing to experiment, with the use of synths on a couple of tracks. The diversity of sound is also striking; some of the highlights inlcuding “Half Light II”, sounding like a song from a modern Western, and the dancy “Sprawl II” which has drawn comparisons to The Knife.

Another noteworthy feature is Régine Chassagne’s wonderful vocal contribution. She provides the voice of a melancholic (unrequited?) lover on “Empty Room”, but it’s on “Sprawl II” that she really stands out. Providing a contrast with Butler’s sombre delivery on the first “Sprawl” (though similar in emotion lyrics-wise), it is perhaps a little bizarre to hear such a light-sounding song about wishing to get away from a ruined neighbourhood – but it does make for just about the most beautiful piece on the album.

With increasing media attention and a recent sweep of awards, it may be true that Arcade Fire have gone from indie champions to rock royalty. But their third effort is astonishing in the way that it downsizes from their previous albums. While the sound may be less grand, it still exhibits the quality that listeners have come to expect from the band. With the quality remaining high throughout the album, without any standout songs, The Suburbs becomes something that demands to be listened to over and over again.

9/10


This album was released by Mercury on 2 August 2010 and is available from Arcade Fire's website or Amazon.