Arcade Fire – The Suburbs [Merge; released 8/3/2010]
“These days, my life, I feel it has no purpose. But late at night the feelings swim to the surface.”
“Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)”
I once heard Matthew Weiner state that when he was searching for a house to use as the Draper household on the set of his show Mad Men, one of the characteristics the house had to have was a red door. For some reason that comment stuck with me, because it just seemed like an example of the small details that make that show so incredible and one of the best shows on television the last few years. He never explained his reasoning, but I like to think having a red door on an otherwise perfect “American Dream” looking house symbolizes the tension within its walls. When I first popped in The Suburbs, and the title track opened the album, all I could think about was how simple a song it was, but how much tension lied beneath its straightforward exterior. That Weiner comment came to mind, because The Suburbs is the house of Mad Men and its red door all wrapped into one magnificent album.
Arcade Fire’s first album, Funeral, was immensely personal and displayed the youthful exuberance, but veteran musicianship that instantly made the Canadian group a fan favorite. (And a perfect fit for their role in the movie Where the Wild Things Are.) Their follow up album, Neon Bible, wasn’t nearly as introspective, focusing its attention much more outward, attacking the usual worldly piñatas of religion and politics among other things. While it was still a great album, it was a much more exhausting listen, and became bogged down by it’s overblown themes. The Suburbs falls more in line with Funeral, actually returning to many of the ideas that made Funeral so stunning, only this time those ideas are from the perspective of people just a little bit older. No longer are they digging tunnels from one house to another; this time they’re choosing sides as part of their “Suburban War”. As a child, you want to get away from it all, but inevitably you return and become what you always hated. It’s a vicious cycle, and one that creates a hell of an album.
It’s hard to say if The Suburbs will have that standout track of anthemic proportions such as “Wake Up” or “No Cars Go” that have become sing-along staples at Arcade Fire shows. Perhaps, in time, “Ready to Start” will rise to that kind of level, or maybe “Rococo”, but it’s hard to imagine an arena full of hipsters singing their hearts out to a song that is criticizing their very lifestyle. The U2 and Coldplay-esque “We Used To Wait” is a candidate, but if there is any decency in this world, the song that will stand above all others on this album is the enchanting “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)”, my song of the year. As important as they are to the core of Arcade Fire’s sound, Régine Chassangne vocals have never really done it for me. However, “Sprawl II” is easily her best performance and a moment that showcases her vulnerable yet sweetly confident talent. Hearing her defiantly state “They’re screaming at us ‘We don’t need your kind!'” just gets me every time…as does the chorus…and the key change. It’s just so glorious, all the while being infused with a driving pop music rhythm. It’s the most danceable song the band has ever created, and thus, easily one of their most fun. Every Arcade Fire album has been a masterpiece up to this point, and all for different reasons. The Suburbs stands on its own as an incredible work of art; ambitious yet accessible, but finely tuned with so many details that unpacking all it’s layers is nothing that can be done overnight. This is an album not only to enjoy in the moment but also to come back later on for further exploration, an impressive accomplishment indeed. Matthew Weiner would be proud.
[“Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” – The Suburbs]
A Round of Sound 
Solid Album. I’d say it’s my second favorite under Funeral.
[…] everything this group has done to this point in their career. The Suburbs was excellent of course (my #2 album of 2010), but despite being 20 minutes longer (if you include the have-to-search-for hidden track), […]