So this is how it all falls apart, right? The troublesome third album, where for every rare triumph—your OK Computer, your Moon and Antarctica—there are dozens of buzz bands that either buckle under the pressure to evolve or prove that their initial formula was all they had to offer in the first place. Add Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs to the triumphs. Sure, a couple of lesser songs get lost in its ambitious sprawl, but the album finds the band thrillingly expanding its soundscape by diving deeper into 1980s post-punk and even towards electronica at some points. And that Funeral soul you fell for six years ago? The lingering sadness soundtracked by moments of glorious release? It remains intact, magnificent as ever.
This article appears in Jul 29 – Aug 4, 2010.
