A lot of people have spent a lot of time writing a lot of words about Arcade Fire’s debut LP, 'Funeral'; and with good reason. While I don’t wish to go over old ground I feel it’s important to set the tone. 'Funeral' was a special record for many reasons - many reasons that actually transcended it’s merits musically. The thing about 'Funeral' was that it caught people off guard, it caught them at their most naïve, and, most importantly, in their least cynical mindset. It was this that transformed a simply wonderful record into record that created a moment of unity and allegiance with music lovers everywhere. Cynicism undoubtedly grows stronger with age - perhaps until you reach an age where you don’t care any more - but 'Funeral' eclipsed cynicism and turned an abundance of twisted frowns into a sea of dropped jaws. It was a moment in which it seemed everybody felt the same way about a record, not because it was a current fad hammered on Radio One, or because it was safe MOR music that was “nice”. It gripped an alternative nation, and in doing so garnered a ubiquitous and unrelenting praise amongst those masses that had not been seen since Radiohead, point being: new generation, new listeners, new level of excitement.
It was at their shows that everyone would raise their hands and scream in unison with not a thought in the world, and those reserved, timid and anxious who normally skulk in corners would have fists pumped into the air like they were clasping for the last puff of air left to survive on this planet. The power of 'Funeral' was so strong that it created that rare and beautiful thing in which people harmoniously and unintentionally allow the music to exist through them, pure unadulterated joy at what they are experiencing, everything else left at home. The album made people forget their troubles because everything was okay when you listened to it - its sweeping statement blew you away and carried you to a land of purity, naïvety and bliss.
People seem to keep their guards up a lot more these days, and when it comes to comparing moments to those mentioned above, they just don’t happen. So Arcade Fire, perhaps more than any other band around, have made the progression of their career somewhat difficult. In many ways it is selfish of us to want another 'Funeral', but such was its blistering effect that everybody secretly craves it. Realistically, however, we know it will never come - not because of any musical inability, but because there were too many forces working outside of that LP for its effects to be recreated. In many senses we must forget their past in order to properly view their future.
So, 'The Suburbs'…
It is grand, but not in a way we know - illustrious and extravagant, but understated and well thought through. When I first heard lead single The Suburbs, I thought it was mediocre and almost throwaway, however, after repeated listens it has seeped into my consciousness without me knowing, like a stealth ninja, revealing its modest beauties and subtle delicacies. This can be said of the LP as a whole; it’s a creeper-upper. Most surprisingly for me are the album's nods to Springsteen, but for a band who deal in grandiose, thumping choruses by the bucket-load (much like the Boss himself) it’s the reserved, heartfelt and generally slower moments that seem to be under the influence, the unassuming yet wonderful Modern Man is a fine example of this.
The album feels a little more at ease with itself than 'Neon Bible', which in retrospect - while it has its moments - feels a tad rushed, more like an album Arcade Fire expected Arcade Fire to make, rather than one they wanted to make. More is on offer here, in terms of palette and texture, and consequently the songs dip and swing between genres, from the throwaway garage-esque Month Of May to the rousing and synthetic Sprawl II, which sounds like it was lifted straight from The Knife's 'Deep Cuts', Regine’s voice almost matching that of Karen Andersson.
The lyrics, while intended to be scathing, at times just come off as patronising and a little bit whiney, but that said there are also tender and honest moments that add a depth and beauty not quite displayed to such an extent on previous records. The decision to book-end the album is an interesting one, giving a sense of finality and accomplishment to the record and trapping its contents within the restraints of ‘the suburbs’.
Much like the suburbs, all is not how it seems, and with its understated fragility, the record already feels like one that will sound better, more accomplished and more appreciated in years to come.