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Originally Posted by clutnuckle
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Earlier Arcade Fire albums at least feigned a pulse or sense of emotional attachment to the music. This is very 'by the numbers' and safe. Oftentimes, when the singers would enrage and passionately cry out of key or out of order on Funeral, it simply made sense. It sounded out of place, and gave the album more or less of a quirk or two. Here, there's nothing out of place. It's far too calculated and unbelievably refined of any passion. |
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Originally Posted by SATCHMO
There's something very flat about the album. It's like they set out with the intention of recording an Arcade Fire album and not just simply and honestly expressing themselves musically.
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Originally Posted by Nine Black Poppies
I disagree with that--I hear a lot of very honest expression in there, it's just that what happens to be being expressed is a more difficult subject matter to convey than they've really tackled before. It's an album about boredom and frustration, about how something big and dramatic was supposed to happen and it didn't; it makes sense that it's not going to be as immediate as their last couple of more apocalyptic records.
It also works better as an album-length piece than as individual tracks. Little motifs start popping up and the atmosphere of how it rises and falls as a whole is better than any of the songs contained unto themselves.
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Originally Posted by scottsy
I had a feeling it might not be too long before that album appeared on this board... it's garnering a very love it or hate it reputation around here...
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I think what we're seeing in the case of people's massively divergent opinions of the new album is a combination of a few things. Firstly, it's one of people hating it for what it's not, rather than getting past that and appreciating it for what it is. This pretty much summed up my initial reaction to it.
Secondly,
The Suburbs is a concept album, which means that, at the very least, it needs to be appreciated holistically, macroscopically, as an album, and not just a collection of songs, in order to see the depth of what the band has really achieved with it.
Lastly, it's and album that demands a great deal of attention from the listener to really appreciate the subtlety of what the music is trying to convey. Nine Black Poppies was right in saying that boredom and disappointment, being the prevalent themes of the album, are very difficult concepts to impart musically while still engaging the listener, and her comment toward my initial assessment of the album was dead on, and just one of the comments from MB posters which made me doubt my initial impression of the album and take some time to actively listen to it and explore it on a deeper level.
No, It's not
Funeral or
Neon Bible, but it is a pretty amazing album that does take a few listens and some active attention to fully appreciate.