"Arcade Fire" Music Review

Arcade Fire, the Canadian indie rock band, has recently released its highly anticipated third album The Suburbs. The band’s previous albums Funeral and Neon Blue showcase their unique and distinct sound—their use of instrumental strumming combined with smooth vocals, compliments their intoxicating lyrics.

The Suburbs stays true to the band’s melancholy sound while branching out into a strong beat and up-tempo bass. Yet, The Suburbs incorporates a set of forthcoming lyrics that exposes the internal emotions of the band, despite the album’s songs being relentlessly chorale. The music strings together as if it is telling a story. The band’s inspiration for the album’s lyrical content was Win and William Butler's upbringing in the suburbs of Houston. According to NME Magazine and Win Butler, the album "is neither a love letter to, nor an indictment of, the suburbs - it's a letter from the suburbs."

“Ready to Start” utilizes a multi-layered rhythm that stirs their audiences’ attitude. While “Half- Light I” is a softer down-beat song that balances out the dramatic tracks of the “My Body is a Cage” or “Rococo.”

Overall, The Suburbs is a solid album that combines tradition and strong levels of musical content. Arcade Fire’s third album starts off strong and grows stronger. It is a collection of songs that challenges the previous set and continuous to evolve.