41. The Suburbs

The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This album deserves the placement it received on all the lists that it made #1 on for 2010. "The Suburbs" is a beautiful beautiful piece rich with emotion. I especially love the lyric "we're still screamin'" repeated softly until the end. So wonderful.

"Ready to Start" starts off on the same note as "The Suburbs". There's somewhat of a new wave influence in this song which is very cool and deeply resonating. This band seems to be very serious about their song writing. "Modern Man" is nothing short of great. From the very start, the heavy drum beats and emotionally choked, strained voices make a completely awesome song that makes the heart jump.

I swear, not a bad song on this album. Not even a mediocre one. "Rococo" is larger than life and "Empty Room" starts off with catchy strumming and a flashy rhythm that's great for dancing to. "City with No Children" is already a classic as far as I'm concerned. This could have been written by Roy Orbison. It has a feel of old time rock and roll.

"Half Light I" is utterly amazing and beautiful. This band is going down into some legendary territory. "Half Light II (No Celebration)" is such a nice contrast with so much life and energy. It bounces. Both "Suburban War" and "Month of May" are lively, loud songs that explode with force and passion. Epic.

"Wasted Hours" has a gentle rollicking beat that soothes. "Deep Blue" and its over the top vocals make the emotional aspect of the piece that much more poignant. It's simply wonderful.

"We Used to Wait" is probably one of my favorites. Again, it's a classic before enough time has passed to call it that. The lyrics are poetry and the combination of piano, synth, and unforgettable vocals make something incredibly special.

"Sprawl I (Flatland)" and "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" contrast each other most interestingly, and are a great critique on suburbia (trust me, I live there. I will say it has its pros and cons).

"The Suburbs (Continued)" ties off the album elegantly. Wow. These guys/gals know what they're doing.

The deep emotion, musical simplicity and complexity, and universal appeal of sound this band has created on this album is something that doesn't come around everyday. A superb album. Don't miss it.

Track listing:

1. The Suburbs
2. Ready to Start
3. Modern Man
4. Rococo
5. Empty Room
6. City with No Children
7. Half Light I
8. Half Light II (No Celebration)
9. Suburban War
10. Month of May
11. Wasted Hours
12. Deep Blue
13. We Used to Wait
14. Sprawl I (Flatland)
15. Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
16. The Suburbs (Continued)

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Who are Arcade Fire?