Arcade Fire new stuff 2010

[Catman]

WOW...

Great album!


My expectations honestly weren't so high after their first few songs, then rose slightly after having heard "We Used to Wait," but still didn't expect it anywhere near the quality of "Neon Bible" (which I hold very, very dear). It's definitely a work I feel is greater than the sum of its parts and, potentially, their best record yet!

After a series of continued disappointments by some of my favorite artists, The Arcade Fire have come through...


EDIT: And on a side note, I love when I listen to an album and start to enjoy the singles more purely on their context in respect to the record.

 

[LemonMelon]

Heard it, have quite strong opinions about it:

Spoiler

First off, kudos to Arcade Fire for stretching their canvas a bit, even at the expense of quality control; a few songs here are unnecessary, but the atmosphere and experience the album offers is unparalleled.

One of my biggest problems with Neon Bible, and the band as a whole, is their self-seriousness. While it was actually justified throughout Funeral, an album that had much to say and did so with great joy/sorrow, Neon Bible recycled angst, vague dread, and paranoia that no one could empathize with into a dark, impenetrable fog that offered little hope, and whenever it did, it felt like a requirement, a box that needed to be checked.

In contrast, The Suburbs is a lot more flexible, offering a wide range of moods that still manages to cohere into a likable, accessible listening experience. Most songs register as high quality, with only a few jumping out as obvious filler, and even those cause the album to flow better than it would otherwise. There was a lot of love put into this album, and it shows. I can't wait to hear the album in terrific quality. Any and all flaws this album has are related to Win Butler, and even that's more of a personal qualm than anything else; I'm tired of his pretention (which turns fucking hypocritical on Rococo, a track dedicated to picking on the hipsters that will account for 85% of The Suburbs' record sales), I'm tired of him recycling lyrical themes, and I really don't find his voice appealing. I never did, but something about his tortured wail felt so right on Funeral. Now, I can't wait for him to shut the fuck up. Thankfully, Regine gets a lot of mic time, and most of Win's contributions are buried under the swirling typhoon of The Suburbs' production.

Anyway, it's great. Definitely a top 10 favorite already. Here are some quick ratings of each song:

1. The Suburbs - 8/10
2. Ready To Start - 9/10
3. Modern Man - 7/10
4. Rococo - 5/10
5. Empty Room - 8/10
6. City With No Children - 7/10
7. Half Light I - 7/10
8. Half Light II (No Celebration) - 8.5/10
9. Suburban War - 7.5/10
10. Month of May - 6.5/10
11. Wasted Hours - 7/10
12. Deep Blue - 6.5/10
13. We Used To Wait - 8/10
14. The Sprawl (Flatlands) - 6/10
15. The Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) - 9/10
16. The Suburbs (Continued) - 8/10

 

[xaviMF22]

rococo sucks ballz

good album, but a lot of filler stuff.

Not better than Neon Bible or Funeral, not a by a long shot.

Good record nonetheless

 

[mikal]

Spoiler

i was not a fan of Neon Bible, i'm still not. this album easily beats if for me. i actually love Rococo, but i'm more of a music/production listener than a lyrics guy. someone could sing about blueberries and i'd be fine with it if the music kicks ass.

 

[phanan]

For some reason, I'm in no hurry to download this. Being extremely busy lately might have something to do with it.

Guess I'll wait.

 

[corianderstem]

A friend on Facebook sent me a link to download, and I cursed him for leading me to temptation.

This is an album I'm excited about, so I'm going to wait.

 

[Saracene]

Listened to the album today, I don't usually do this but I got so badly burned by the M.I.A. debacle that I'm wary of buying the album outright, especially when what I've heard so far didn't exactly excite me.

Spoiler

Mmmm-hmmm. If the band wants to change their sound a bit that's fair enough, but I'm not sure if this more mellow, subdued approach does much for me. I'm a fairly casual Arcade Fire fan to start with, and the songs of theirs that I genuinely love - Wake Up, Intervention - have an intense, dramatic, soaring quality that is mostly missing from the new songs. Also, while the songs are all wrapped in lushness and gorgeousness, I noticed that I started to get restless with most of them at around half/three-quarter mark. And it doesn't help that Win Butler's voice has not become any more appealing with years, while the new material IMO requires a compelling vocalist more so than their past albums.

 

[If you shout...]

I like gum.

 

[God Part III]

Sprawl II is extremely good. Like, extremely, extremely good.

Other than that, We Used to Wait and The Suburbs remain the best tracks, but I'm currently on my second playthrough. I really like the lyrics. A natural evolution, just like the music.

And I just stopped my second playthrough to hear Sprawl II again. That song is incredible.

Blondie's Heart of Glass meets Haiti.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Just finished my first full listen.

I don't know. I need to give it more tries, but this certainly wasn't anything too memorable. A lot of it is just very...slow. And unexciting. And now that I look back on it, a good handful of the tracks seem to blend together and offer nothing that really stands out. We'll see if it grows on me (!), as it did seem like there were some melodies in there that could creep their way into my favor.

There are tracks I like. I already really liked three of the four tracks we'd already heard. And in the middle of a lot of this sameness, "Month of May" becomes even better for me, because, well, it sounds different. It isn't at that same tempo. And it doesn't seem to be trying as hard as some of the other songs. Anyway.

the 'burbs!

 

[AiRMaRcI9o0]

While it lacks an epic track in the vein of Wake Up or Intervention from their previous two albums...as a cohesive whole, I think that The Suburbs is one of the best albums I've heard in a very long time.

 

[Lancemc]

Album's good. Will be giving it a few more listens in the car before having more cogent thoughts.

 

[LemonMelon]

I love and hate Intervention. One thing I am certain of is that I appreciate the fact that Arcade Fire didn't force such a consciously melodramatic and grandiose track into an album that is decidedly...not. Whether or not the sound the band is going for appealing, I think they did an exceptional job of achieving it and making it work for an hour.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

I like it, I don't think it's as good as Funeral or Neon Bible but that doesn't make it a bad album. A little too long imo and there are no real "stand out" tracks like the previous two albums - all the songs seem to flow together.

 

[anitram]

I really like it and prefer it to Neon Bible easily, even with very few listens.

Sprawl II is too beautiful for words.

 

[Lancemc]

Sprawl II
Half Light II
We Used To Wait

Wow.

 

[lazarus]

We Used To Wait

Oh, the irony of mentioning this title when discussing an album leak.

 

[BoMac]

all the songs seem to flow * together.

I kind of seem to think that was the point. Something like urban sprawl or suburbs themselves, which seem to blend into one another. Not sure if that makes sense to anyone other than me.




*WTF?

 

[corianderstem]

Dang, I can't wait!

... but I will.

 

[LMP]

Sprawl II
Half Light II
We Used To Wait

Wow.

YES. The synths on "Sprawl II" send me into a tizzy.

"Empty Room" -> "City with No Children" has been rocking my socks off, too. It's a solid effort and yes, toning down the self-seriousness was a welcome step. I guess I'm one of the few people that still loves Neon Bible, or did in the first place? Concept albums about the apocalypse can be fun, too.

 

[No spoken words]

Dang, I can't wait!

... but I will.

Me too.

 

[PhilsFan]

I read NSW's reply to Cori's post. And immediately I began playing the first track from this album for my first listen. DEAL WITH THAT.

I haven't heard a single track yet. This is a totally fresh listen.

 

[Lancemc]

I really rather loved Neon Bible the first dozen or so times I listened to it. That album was always a relentless slog though. A glorious one for a while, but for me the album's charms eventually wore thin, and the indulgence and self-seriousness took over... so it ended up as just a slog.

Another problem I have with Neon Bible is the lack of Regine. What did she have, like, half of one song on that album? Ridiculous. Think she headlines three (?) on this new one. Which is an instant win for me. One of which is the best song on the record, much like "Haiti" for me on their debut.

 

[LemonMelon]

I kind of seem to think that was the point. Something like urban sprawl or suburbs themselves, which seem to blend into one another. Not sure if that makes sense to anyone other than me.

Well yeah, it's completely literal. Every track runs into the next seamlessly, so it would kind of defeat the purpose if the tracks were all of disparate genres, you know? It's a little monotone, but that's what they wanted this time.

That being said, yes, there isn't a Wake Up or No Cars Go on the album, and that's a shame. On the other hand, there's little as forgettable as Black Wave/Bad Vibrations or predictable as Windowsill. It evens out well enough for me.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

I enjoyed my second listen earlier today a good amount better than my first.

A couple of tracks that grabbed my attention this most recent time through: "Modern Man" and "Wasted Hours"

And I'm with people on the "We Used To Wait" love bandwagon. Been digging that song for a couple weeks now. Definitely one of my favorites.

 

[Lancemc]

Got a few great car listens in. Easily the band's best album. More later.

 

[Jive Turkey]

This could be cool

Gilliam to direct Arcade Fire webcast - thestar.com

 

[lazarus]

Easily the band's best album. More later when I can figure out some way to back-up this ridiculous and premature claim.

Fixed.

 

[mikal]

I enjoyed my second listen earlier today a good amount better than my first.

A couple of tracks that grabbed my attention this most recent time through: "Modern Man" and "Wasted Hours"

And I'm with people on the "We Used To Wait" love bandwagon. Been digging that song for a couple weeks now. Definitely one of my favorites.

yeah, i found myself underwhelmed on the first listen, but now 3 or 4 in, i'm really liking this. i know this song has gotten a lot of hate around the interwebs already, but i really like "Rococo".

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

I dig Rococo, too.