Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

[Nine Black Poppies]

I didn't like it that much except for a couple tracks the first time I heard it. But the same thing happened with Neon Bible and I do rather like most of that one now, so I figured I'd give it a few more chances.

Upon doing so, it might be better than Neon Bible, just slower to really get in there. But it does get just a little bit better every time I hear it and I quite like it now.

[Sneer]

I'm going to go against the general consensus here and, based upon the four listens I've given it, say it's my favourite Arcade Fire album. The problem I've had with AF in the past is the very thing everybody else seems to love them for - namely their tendency to venture into the grandiose. Funeral is a good/great album, but songs like Wake Up grate on me. Neon Bible was good too. But here, with The Suburbs, the band have seemingly adopted a more restrained, measured musical approach and I love it. It's just as impassioned as their previous albums but in a different way - a way that speaks to me a lot more personally.

[Nine Black Poppies]

For the record (heh), I just listened to the LP with the lyric sheet at hand. That made a big difference.

It's a great album.

[SATCHMO]

Originally Posted by trace87

... it is so blatantly worse than neon bible i don't know what you people are on.

This... most definitely. Each Arcade Fire album has gotten progressively worse, but The Suburbs is a giant leap in the lame direction.

[Sparky]

agreed.

The song writing on this album is just lazy.

[SATCHMO]

There's something very flat about the album. It's like they set out with the intention of recording an Arcade Fire album and not just simply and honestly expressing themselves musically. Say what you want about Neon Bible; There are some crap songs on it (I personally think that Keep the Car Running makes up for all of the albums shortcomings), but there's also a lot of depth and dimension to it that The Suburbs really lacks.

[Nine Black Poppies]

Originally Posted by SATCHMO

There's something very flat about the album. It's like they set out with the intention of recording an Arcade Fire album and not just simply and honestly expressing themselves musically.

I disagree with that--I hear a lot of very honest expression in there, it's just that what happens to be being expressed is a more difficult subject matter to convey than they've really tackled before. It's an album about boredom and frustration, about how something big and dramatic was supposed to happen and it didn't; it makes sense that it's not going to be as immediate as their last couple of more apocalyptic records.

It also works better as an album-length piece than as individual tracks. Little motifs start popping up and the atmosphere of how it rises and falls as a whole is better than any of the songs contained unto themselves.

I suppose it's a legit criticism that it's a hard album to get into but I dunno, I don't think it's fair to call it flat or lazy.

[Sparky]

just because the subject matter is boring isn't an excuse for the songs to be as well.

[Nine Black Poppies]

That's not what I said, nor do I find them boring.

[B More Melo]

can anyone please hit me with a link for it?