With The Suburbs, Arcade Fire have crafted their most straightforward rock record yet - I find this to be much less orchestral than both Funeral and Neon Bible. Considering my proclivities for weird, electronics/synth, danceable, hazy and reverb-soaked, chillwave, and shoegaze music, Arcade Fire are where I get my quality earnest rock music from in 2010.
The band definitely knows how to pick a theme and stick to it, make it the concept for an entire record. With Funeral, I picked up on a theme of death, life and youth. Neon Bible was about the crooked, corrupt establishment. I don't need to tell you what the theme for The Suburbs is.
01) The Suburbs
I love this song - this is an anthem. The piano line saunters in, kinda like walking into a saloon.
"Grab your mother's keys, we're leaving!"
Win Butler sings lyrics about wanting a daughter while he's still young. "Or if that's too much to ask, too much to ask...send me a son". These lyrics resonate greatly with me. I'm 28 and ready to start a family, but I have no idea when that's going to happen.
02) Ready to Start
This is a bouncy number to get things going after the 'mission statement' opener title track.
"My mind is open wide, and now I'm ready to start".
03) Modern Man
As you might guess from the title, a song about the modern condition - something's off about the way we're living, even if you can't quite but your finger on it.
"Maybe when you're older you'll understand, why you don't feel right, why you can't sleep at night now".
There are some of the surges of emotion that Arcade Fire are known for, but much more subtle, smaller-scale than usual.
04) Roccoco
I dig the way this song starts, with a twinkling star orchestra sound effect clashing with a plodding riff.
"Let's go downtown and watch the modern kids. Let's go downtown and talk to the modern kids. They will eat right out of your hand, using great big words they don't understand".
Words like 'roccoco', an 18th century style of art + architecture.
I've read that this is a song trashing hipsters. Lyrics about the kids building things up only to burn them back down seem to fit that description. The hype machine is always ready to proclaim the next big thing, and then call it shit 5 minutes later.
Others have mentioned that said hipsters are exactly the sort of people who listen to Arcade Fire. Again, this may be true. Doesn't mean that AF hate their fans. I see no problem with a message of "Hey, quit being pretentious douchebags". If indeed that is the message AF wish to convey here.
More so than any song thus far, this song steadily builds up tension and then releases, explodes. Though it's still very much restrained compared to earlier Arcade Fire records.
05) Empty Room
A flurry of quick orchestra strings! And our female vocalist Regine sings for the first (but not the last) time. She's got a beautiful voice, and it's a nice contrast to what we've heard before.
"When I'm by myself, I can be myself, and my life is coming, but I don't know when."
06) City With No Children
This competes with the title track for the title of my favorite song off this record. Awesomeness. A swaggering, groovy guitar riff opens.
"I have no feeling for you now, now that I know you better".
What does the title mean? Is the 'city with no children' the place the protagonist wishes to escape, what draws him to the suburbs?
"You never trust a millionaire quoting a sermon on the mount. I used to think I was not like them but I'm beginning to have my doubts, my doubts about it".
I love this line. You sure as hell don't trust a millionaire preaching a sermon. Feelings of self-righteousness can evaporate when you take a hard look at yourself.
07) Half Light I
A soft and slow track. Regine sings again. Then Win sings. I wouldn't call this a highlight of the album, but it's nice and serene.
08) Half Light II (No Celebration)
This song sounds pretty 80's.
"Some people say we've already lost, but they're afraid to pay the cost for what we've lost."
"One day they will see it's long gone".
This is a good line. People don't appreciate shit in this world. By the time you realize it, that's something's slipping away, it will be long gone...gone forever.
09) Suburban War
"The music divides us into tribes. You grew your hair so I grew mine."
This song's a little boring during the slower parts, but pretty cool when they pick up the pace and the intensity.
10) Month of May
YES. Without a doubt the most hard rockin' song Arcade Fire have ever done.
"The kids are still standing with their arms folded tight. Well some things are pure, and some things are right, but the kids are still standing with their arms folded tight".
The message I gather here is that a 'fuck everything' attitude isn't exactly going to solve anything, it's not productive. You can try to act cool and shit, but are you gonna actually do something to help? There is still good in the world worth saving, despite the parts that are fucked up.
11) Wasted Hours
I slowly bob my head along to this song. It's kinda sleepy.
"Wasted hours before we knew, where to go, and what to do".
12) Deep Blue
This is a song I generally overlook. It chugs along. It's pleasant enough, but I'm really just waiting for the next song to start.
13) We Used to Wait
A strong highlight of the record. Opens with a persistant piano line. We get some synth.
"Now our lives are changing fast. Hope that something pure can last."
What I interpret from this song is...I'm sick of waiting for people to bring me happiness, waiting for them to come around, waiting for something that may never happen. Time to take matters into my own hands.
We used to wait for it...not anymore.
14) Sprawl I (Flatland)
This track irritates me a bit. A little too melancholy and maudlin for me.
15) Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
Ahhhh, much better. Regine sings. This is a joyous song filled with some great positive energy. We get some cheesy keyboards that make me smile. Fun.
"Sometimes I wonder if the world's so small...that we can never get away from the sprawl".
16) The Suburbs (Continued)
A continuation of the opening track, creating a 'bookend' effect, which reminds me of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" from Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here.
Finally
This is an epic album, that's for sure. Hard not to argue that this record would be better off a few tracks shorter - it's too long. And a few of these tracks are sleepy and not particularly memorable. There are, however, quite a few highlights. Basically you have an awesome entire no-filler album somewhere in here.
I dig the continuing theme and concept throughout the record. A lot of the lyrics here really work for me. Musically, as I've said, less orchestral, more straightforward rock. But also more restrained, in general. The band doesn't dive in with reckless abandon, with sweeping stretches of emotions, like they did in their previous records. This is both good and bad, but I think the choices work for this record.
How does The Suburbs measure up in the Arcade Fire discography? Well it's hard to top their immaculate debut Funeral. I think some consider this a 'return to form', but I happen to like their sophomore record Neon Bible quite a lot, and I'm not sure whether I prefer Neon Bible or The Suburbs. Perhaps more importantly, The Suburbs material fleshes out their catalog well, adding a different tone. I'm sorry I didn't catch one of their Madison Square Garden shows to see how the new songs translate into their live performances. It will be a great day when I catch this band live again.
I named The Suburbs my #6 top record of 2010, and I stand by that. The title track, "City With No Children", "Month of May" and "We Used to Wait" are fantastic. Overall, this is a really solid collection of songs that form a cohesive album. Good stuff.
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