Ha, got you there!
Here were you expecting a follow up to last week's well received Sound of the Suburbs and instead you get that Canadian mob Arcade Fire with a couple of homages to Suburbia from their 3rd album released in 2010.
A few weeks ago there was a debate over at C's place as to the merits or otherwise of Arcade Fire.
Many of those commenting indicated that they could take or leave them or that they particularly liked the occasional song.
For me, my abiding memory of them is a tremendous televised Glastonbury performance of Keep The Car Running.
To be honest I don't find myself reaching to the shelves for The Suburbs all that often.
But panic not as there IS a sequel to Sound of the Suburbs which will feature in the next week or so
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Arcade Fire - Suburban War
I think I've got every release by Arcade Fire, but they're one of those bands who get filed away and a bit forgotten about - at least until a moment like this. Excellent.
ReplyDeleteThank you for these... everything I've heard since my sudden and unexpected change of heart about them with Reflektion is now sounding better and I really like your two choices here... a few years ago I really could never have predicted that. It's funny how things change. Thanks for the mention too!
ReplyDeleteAlso look forward to your Sound of the Suburbs sequel.
'Reflektor' I mean. Why did I say Reflektion!
DeleteThat first track is very very very good. I'm not sure I've heard anything by this lot. If I have it made no impression. But Suburbs, great track. Not downloaded at all! And that 2nd track is almost as good. I might have to invest in this. As for your sequel, is it going to be some cheesy pun on Sound of the Suburbs? I certainly hope so.
ReplyDeleteI have just bought the album
ReplyDeleteArcade Fire are one of the best live bands I've ever seen - amazing. Sadly, their album releases have steadily declined in quality. 'Funeral' is just brilliant, but 'Reflektor' is dull, predictable and pretty tuneless IMO. Only the presence of Bowie on the title track saves it. 'The Suburbs' could have been a great album, but the production is weak and it's a bit too long. I don't play it much either.
ReplyDeleteFor me, one of those bands that never matched up to the hype. Started off well with Funeral but never bettered it.
ReplyDeleteI remember being wowed by Funeral. It seemed so fresh and original. Like some of your readers have expressed, I don't feel like it was sustained. Having said that, there were a few songs on Suburbs I really liked. Sadly, the last record completely passed me by.
ReplyDeleteI didn't really have much time for Arcade Fire until The Suburbs. I always approached them as a band that seemed more like a musical commune with kind of average output. But The Suburbs had much more musical spark to it. Maybe it was really a greater focus. I was convinced once Reflektor came out though. It's an album that gets better with every listen.
ReplyDelete