The Suburbs

second album by this band on this... and i can safely say that they're fucking boring. just meandering, meaningless shit. it just doesn't end, but it also never goes anywhere. what a load of crap. fuck off. 1/5.

Full disclosure: I don’t really care for this band, never have, but I must be getting old and jaded, because every song on this record, I was finding some preexisting counterpart for their songs…like, “oh, they’re doing a Springsteen thing here”, “hey, this is pretty much an M83 track”, “now they’re trying to get a krautrock thing going” and “oh, they own Blondie records, too”. My point is, I spent the majority of this record thinking about other bands. Doesn’t say much for Arcade Fire if the most memorable thing about this record is that it made me want to listen to something else.

An emotionally dense concept album that threatens to collapse under the weight of its own ambition - the mid section of the album drags a little - but there’s no denying the quality of the anthems in this work. At its peak it’s absolutely stunning.

There was a brief period from like 2008-2012 when literally all music sounded like this. And I'm totally a sucker for it.

Are you fucking kidding me? Arcade Fire is boring garbage. I'm so sick of getting generated two star albums.

This album is a masterpiece in my opinion. I ruddy love it. It gives me a very specific feeling when I listen to it and I feel like I have this exact picture of the whole album as a concept. Might be a load of rubbish though. Sprawl II is my favourite Arcade Fire song.

They heard me singing and they told me to stop Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock These days, my life, I feel it has no purpose But late at night the feelings swim to the surface 'Cause on the surface the city lights shine They're calling at me, "Come and find your kind" Sometimes, I wonder if the world's so small That we can never get away from the sprawl I mean, its pretty good. 4/5

I, too, hate suburban sprawl and the lack of identity that capitalism ingrains into every aspect of our culture.

Let me tell ya, when those opening notes of the title track kicked in to open the album, I was 17 again. What a deep and affecting dose of Indie nostalgia. Then the song ends with the final notes ringing out into the near-perfect Ready To Start. Gotta be one of the best 1-2 punches to kick off a record in the genre. Beautiful, affecting music. The rest of the record? Not so much. I like a track here or there but I associate Arcade Fire with the inconsistency very much on display here. What does a song like Deep Blue have to offer me that I don’t get from any other Indie band? Why would I listen to Sprawl II instead of like Passion Pit? There is of course also a little bit of a pall hanging over this group because of sexual misconduct allegations against Win Butler, but I’m not holding that against the rest of the group. What I will blame them for is creating a gigantic band which can so frequently produce a bland sound. It’s a shame the soaring highs seem to be met with such generic lows. Ultimately, an inconsistent and drawn out album. Top tracks: The Suburbs, Ready To Start, Modern Man, Suburban War, Month Of May, We Used To Wait

who wants to start an arcade fire?

Was underwhelmed the first time I listened to it, but it has eventually become my favorite Arcade Fire album

Man this was a ride listening to today. This album came out when I was finishing university and had no idea what to do next with my life. I was in that period where I was working full time and moving up at work, but still had so much free time and was still hanging around my hometown. I picked it up again in 2011 after they won the Grammy, and I was travelling around the country for work. My interpretation of The Suburbs is all about nostalgia trying to get back home. I think this was my most played album of theirs and I could likely recite every word from it. Now more than 10 years later I come to this album happily married, with a mortgage living in the suburbs with a cat and a job I’ve been at for 6 years. Then I had shaggy hair, now I’m contemplating shaving off what hair I have left. The nostalgia is so potent for that period in my life right before I became a real adult but more importantly before I had any real responsibilities. The Suburbs is looking back even further than the era I’m nostalgic for; before cell phones and the internet. When communication mead weight even when it’s inane. When we went on adventures and explored our surroundings. Had stupid conversations and acted smarter than we were. Is this their best album? Funeral I can’t get through without tearing up. Reflector is real messy but has I think their strongest songs. The Suburbs though does the best job of creating a mood and tapping into a feeling. I think with the benefit of hindsight I think the argument could be made this is the definitive Millennial rock album. Like Nevermind for Gen X or Sour by Olivia Rodrigo will be for Gen Z. It’s so of it’s time and has only grown in power in the decade since.

After losing his virginity, and narrowly avoiding the cops our protagonist lays down on his bed. He puts his headphones on, smirks at the ceiling, and an arcade fire song plays as we fade to the credits. The scene could be at the end of any coming of age movie, and any song from this album. If you think that's an indictment of coming of age movies and this album, you're wrong, watching a coming of age movie is at least fun.

uh, WOW. this has got to be one of my favorites so far. i can tell that repeated listenings can only enhance my enjoyment of this album, and i am going to listen to other music by arcade fire, too. this is definitely an album to be enjoyed fully. the singles are definitely good and stand out, but the album was created to listened to as it is. the variety of instruments and sounds! the flare from the classical music influence, the different impact coming from two vocalists, it's all wonderful.

I am listening this album for years. Brilliant.

Definitely a fave. So many great tracks, this album makes me feel lots of things

This album almost erased my will to live. It is so tiring.... you have to listen to it by yourself to believe it. Nothing is interesting Nothing is entertaining Nothing is anything Rococo, rococo, rococo, rococo Rococo, rococo, rococo, rococo Rococo, rococo, rococo, rococo Rococo, rococo, rococo, rococo Rococo, rococo! Rococo!

Don't play with fire or like me you could end up with a disgustingly disfigured penis. It's like a half melted candle. But not a thick one, a weedy kids' birthday cake one. Children are still allowed to blow on it and make a wish if they like.

5* One of the best albums of the 2000's. The deceptive easiness of the songs will give up their depth after a few listens. City With No Children is a truly amazing song

It’s fine, kind of lacks the magic of the early AF stuff

Never understood the acclaim for this album. It's really quite boring. Sprawl II is the only redeeming factor.

Too generic for my pallet.

I liked Arcade Fire when "Funeral" first came out, but their style of overly-sincere, orchestral indie-pop got old real fast. This one was a real slog. I'm glad it's over and look forward to avoiding Arcade Future from now on.

reminds me of summer time, old pets, of lighting fireworks in the streets with neighborhood friends as a kid. feelings you can't fully understand til you're old. relationships you thought would last forever. you remember fondly that we're definitely flawed but you sort of wish you could get back. something about this album evokes such a raw emotional yearning and nostalgia and brings me back to those days.

A fantastic album

not bad so far. had never listened to arcade fire

This is such a great record and easily my favourite from Arcade Fire. It's lyrically very tight and works great as a front to back album. It potrays the feeling of being stuck in the suburban sprawl and yearning to escape and be something greater but still loving home anyway because it's what you know. Musically it's energetic and danceable and the production is very clear. They really nail the Arcade Fire formula here with great tension building and larger than life moments. Easy 5 for me.

Love this record. Start to finish it is great. Favorite son is Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains). Reminds me of growing up and nails the aprehension I feel for my children's future. It's nostalgia and dread all at once but in the best way. Technology and development are changing the world from what we grew up in to an uncertain future and no assurances of our place in it.

Sounds like an Arcade Fire album.

It’s a good album, and it has a couple certified bops, but it’s also strange. It feels very nostalgic for an event I was not a part of. It’s not a born in the wrong era thing because I feel it with both older and contemporary bands. It’s almost like this album is talking about an inside joke I’m not a part of. Overall good, but especially given recent events I probably won’t have a strong desire to relisten to this

It’s a much more compact sound than I’d expect from Arcade Fire, but still so deceptively intricate. Thematically permeated by “the suburbs”, the existential dread of the metaphor saturates the music. Most of the time (as in the title track), it’s highly enjoyable. I don’t get Win Butler’s explanation of the music as Depeche Mode meets Neil Young, but I appreciate the attempt.

I once followed a meme page that actively hated Arcade Fire

I still remember when this album came out, how much noise it made in the indie rock community, and the major stir it caused in the mainstream community by winning a Best Album Grammy. Back in 2010 when I listened to this, I didn't appreciate this album, nor understand the hype around it, so I was excited to listen again all these years later with ears that have expanded and developed their tastes. This time around, I enjoyed the album a lot more. This is yet another album that is best enjoyed as an album, and not as singles. It makes good use of storytelling and the songs have good ups and downs and mixed tempos to keep things from feeling stale. This time around, I'm happy to say this album resonated with me and is exactly what I have come to enjoy about indie rock.

Not sure what to expect here, let's give it a whirl. Wiki says they're a canadian indie rock band...they kind of remind me of The Shins. It was good. 3 stars

I probably listened to this all the way through less than twice when it came out, then placed it at the back of the digital shelf. A decade later and no hidden surprises are revealed: starts well enough, but quickly sags and never really recovers apart from the fabulous "Sprawl II", a well-executed Blondie pastiche. Shame

its kinda cool, sounds like a weirder coldplay with a more rock and happy vibes feel. i like their debut better, its more raw and in a way, closer to the strokes or something more rock and roll like that.

I imagine this is what a barbecue in Tremont sounds like

A bit whiney for me

Boring and inoffensive alternative. Felt like I was listening to a guy have an existential crisis for an hour.

I never understood this era of indie music, or this era of Pitchfork-core. I was the target audience of this album – applying to film school, going to hipster house parties, over with her hometown but also hopeless about the future. And yet, I never got this album, or Arcade Fire in general, besides a song here and there. It just felt more trite and put-on, even compared to my own suburban angst. Over 15 years removed, and I still feel the same apathy towards this music, and this band, and this general aesthetic. There's a song here and there that I can't deny, and generally, it's well-made, but it's still trite and it's still put-on – an aesthetic for the then 30 year old journalists to project onto, not one to be consumed by actual Millennials. It's only in the book due to the hype at the time, and the fact that it fancies itself conceptual. It's not going to stand the test of time, and the fact that we now know he's a gross creep helps me not feel guilty about not understanding the adoration.

The first couple of tracks are better than anything on their debut, though still instrumentally overburdened, but by the halfway mark the Arcade Fire had ground me down with their relentless pretentiousness. This is paper mache melodrama filmed in IMAX, no varnish spared. This time I do recognise a knack for hooks and stomps to go with empty climaxes, the lead songwriter’s speciality I have read. Lyrically, I close-listened to the last few tracks, and the paucity of concrete nouns outside vague, unanchored, oft-cliched analogy (“every corner of the earth”) is a giveaway: they’ve little to say, just the mundane usual, pumped-up with cheap obscurity. Simon, you may ask for an example of expensive obscurity: Bowie, if I’m being peaceable, but as it’s my birthday I’m throwing Scott Walker at you with a moronic giggle x

I didn't know this singer. No bad but it's the kind of music I don't heard.

With so many members and so many instruments, one would think an interesting sound would fill one's senses. But no. A dull sound like dustbins being moved in an alley. For a long time. Hurdy-gurdies, whirlygigs, and all manner of things joining in - but the result is yawneroo: one long track that goes on and on and on and on - please god make it stop. Pointless. I kept drifting off and forgetting to listen.

😴

American idiot for men too scared to wear guy-liner

jakieś hipstery z H&M

I am perfectly content to live the entire rest of my life never having heard any Arcade Fire at all. Yet here we are, listening to it. By the halfway point, I am bored to the point of desperation. And that's after some judicious skips. I'm going to have to stop. Made it as far as Half Light II (no celebration). I'm definitely celebrating the decision to stop listening to this bilge.

Was not my cup of tea. Very boring and depressing.

A meandering, self indulgent, boring pile of "look at me, I'm so Indie" shite. Not a single track on this absolute turd of an album is worthy of anything more than "meh". Usually if I don't like an album I can at least go "well it's not for me but I can see the appeal". Not with this. I'm actually angry they stole an hour or so of my life. Fuck them. 1 star and that's being generous.

Besides a few stand-out moments, this bloated album consists of mid tempo cheesy pop melodies paired with moderately interesting introspective lyrics placed over top of vaguely emotional instrumentals. Also I'm pissed off.

A good album

Lyrics: 5/5 Music: 5/5 Production: 4/5 Cohesiveness: 5/5 Overall: 5/5 Stand out songs: The suburbs Modern man Half light I Half light II Suburban war Sprawl II One of the only double albums ever made that is consistently good throughout The perfect coming of age album

This album was huge for me, as for a lot of people, when it came out. I haven’t revisited it in a while and it still holds up so well. Ready to Start and Sprawl II were on constant replay for me back in 2010 and my favorite tracks from this indie classic. Overall Arcade Fire had a solid 10 year run of incredible albums from Funeral (2004) all the way up to Reflektor (2014). I wasn’t as into the releases after that but this listen made me want to give those albums another chance.

My new fav band! Each songs are unique..

My gateway to the incredible world of AF - somehow gets better with every listen

Nostalgic for this kind of alienation. I wonder if this music would have felt underwhelming if we knew what was coming after 2010. Still, wove itself into my soul in 2010 and will always be there.

My favorite of their records. This was on repeat my first year of grad school.

Yeahhhh. A favorite album of my lifetime. Their sound is so masterfully dialed-in. Each song feels refined to its purest form. And there's an eeriness to the songs. Just shy of nostalgia or optimism. Their depiction of the groaning chasm that is the suburban sprawl is so heavy. I feel the emptiness. And just themes of waiting, going nowhere, lack of a sense of place. The void is real. But idk it doesn't feel like it's just trying to be depressing. It's like real reflection and processing. Also when they won the Grammy I love that their speech was basically "thanks.. now we're going to play some music" 😂

Pretentious as hell but I cried all the same.

Auf Arcade Fire ist Verlaß. Alle Titel sind in jeder Hinsicht anders, anspruchsvoll aufgenommen, selbst der Gesang überrascht mit Überraschungen. Mainstream ist Out, hoch lebe der Indie Mainstream.

Not necessarily my favorite thing, but credit where credit is due... this is a great album. 5

I love Modern Man and by Half Light I, I'd decided this is a masterpiece

i think maybe i should listen to more arcade fire bc all their stuff is stuff i like

Love this as a full listen more than picking and choosing singles. Really tells a story of what the suburbs used to be like before they really become cookie cutter houses and neighborhoods. The feeling of boredom, isolation and abandonment really come though on this. This is for a generation of kids that were sent out into the world to fend for themselves, at least until the streetlights came on!

A nice lilting breeze of classic bossa nova. Great sophisticated cosmopolitan 70s dinner party vibes

FFIIIIIIVE I LOV THIS BANGOR

this may be the best arcade fire album. fully matured, well rounded, dark, and twisting. it feels like a perfectly built album. and, for as long as it is, it doesnt have any bloat. i likey this one. explore it. listen to it again. the gentleness and ferocity are top tier.

Gave Neon Bible a 4, in hindsight should have been a 5. Not making that mistake again.

best of its genre

5 out of 5. This one has been in my collection for years now and it's solid.

This album came out just as I graduated college and moved into the suburbs. It defined that part of my life.

The Suburbs is the third album from Arcade Fire, which met with near-universal critical acclaim, and world-wide commercial success. Among many other accolades, the album won the Grammy for album of the year. The Suburbs is a "letter from the suburbs," as Win Butler said, comprised of a number of stories from his childhood. The band makes up-beat, guitar and synthesizer based, alt-rock, with an earnestness that Win Butler's vocals match. These songs about Butler's childhood have a feeling of a nostalgic longing, told through beautiful, melodic songs.

One of the top 20 albums ever.

yeah arcade fire is just really good

Is it as good as Funeral? No. Is it still a five? Yes.

I think this is AF at their best. I still have my tour tee. This set the bar for indie music in the 2010s.

4.7

Very melancholic but upbeat. Shame about the singer.

Really flows as an album and some stand out songs had albums half the length feel longer than this one.

Having already listened to some of their songs including the opening track to this album, I had high hopes. Pleased to say I wasn’t disappointed. Some personal highlights: Modern Man Wasted hours Deep blue Each song was enjoyable but as a whole, it was an experience. The transitions and story told made it even more worth it listening to the entire album.

Phenomenal. Loved the transitions

i love the over-arching urban apocalyptic theme and the subtle anti-car centrism. this is what i thought montenegro would look like before i got there. rococo is one of my favourites, i also really like sprawl I, yippee

I always liked their hits but never gave the albums a chance. This album is super good, no bad songs

Vamos cerrando agosto y hoy toca otro de Arcade Fire. Con éste disco entré a ésta banda, puntualmente con "Rococo", y me enamoré perdidamente en la época en que uno se enamora de todo: la adolescencia y la juventud. Álbum lleno de temazos, es imposible elegir uno y cometer la imprudencia de dejar el resto de lado. Inevitable conectar también con mi primera novia, nuestro disfrute de su música y luego verlos en vivo. Todo muy bien.

own

Very nice album!

Already a fan of this album. It admittedly lulls a little in the middle, but has a strong start and finish. Sprawl II is an immaculate song.

For some reason, this has a cozier vibe than their pervious albums, which makes sense given the concept. Still, Arcade Fire continue their perfect streak, although I do admit there is a fair amout of nostalgia at play here for me. Key tracks: The Suburbs Ready to Start We Used to Wait Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)

Nostalgic; beautiful; lyrically wit. Just an escapism album from one of the best bands of the 2000s.

Not been an Arcade Fire fan before, but this one blew me away. I think part of that corresponds to growing up in the American suburbs at this time. The concept hit me in the chest and the sprawling narrative kept me all the way through. There is a lot here, but the story is real and the songs are constructed in a way that make this a true masterpiece. Saved songs: - the Suburbs - Empty Room - city with No Children - Suburban War - deep blue - We Used to Wait - Sprawl II

Very good! Very very good!

Man if I'd heard this when I was really into alternative rock in high school it would've been my entire personality.

I never heard of them but I like the sound.

Okay this actually slaps. Took me a little bit to warm up to it. I think each song on its own is not a banger, but, as a cohesive body of work this album is great.

Opens with a bang. Flows from there. Great song after great song.

Really good but not my favourite

This is an album that once upon a time meant the world to me. In recent years, it's been a bit hard to revisit, in light of events that I won't go into detail about since I feel they're near inescapable with discussion of this band in recent years. But despite this... I still had damn near every word memorized upon relistening. Perhaps some things never lose that level of meaning, even if not quite the same as you used to think of them. Despite it all, this is an important album for me from a band that, even if slightly tainted now, had an impact on me.

LOVE this album. It's part of the regular rotation.

gives off pleasant nostalgic vibes !

Gran Mood, quasi shoegaze