My first encounter with Arcade Fire this is. I relegated them to the sonic cataract of so many cleverly/arb-named Alternative/Modern Rock outfits circa, well, the latter 90’s up till now. I’m glad to admit I’ve been superficial in my rejection of bands who seemed all hype, glossy cover and nil content. Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs, their third, turns out to be a solemn sprawl of beauty. And a sprawl it is – a 16 track epic, the album is a throwback to an earlier age; in more senses than one. A cohesive, if meandering, whole rather than a collection of songs which just happen to be released together, The Suburbs is a stirring evocation of a very specific reality. What it so uncannily captures is the urban biome of 80′s/90′s suburbia; specifically as experienced by young, not-quite adults hungry to escape the polite hell of picket fences and lost, well-intending parents. The melancholic stir of possibility hinted at by empty Sunday breezes; the buzz of heading out to a live gig with your mates; the hungry promise of the open road. Already rewarding on first listen, The Suburbs promises as-yet-unheard beauty awaiting revisitation.
REVIEW: Mickdotcom
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