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.

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

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

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

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

who wants to start an arcade fire?

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.

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

I am listening this album for years. Brilliant.

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.

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!

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

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.

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

Too generic for my pallet.

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

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.

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.

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.

not bad so far. had never listened to arcade fire

A fantastic album

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.

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.

I once followed a meme page that actively hated Arcade Fire

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.

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

A bit whiney for me

I imagine this is what a barbecue in Tremont sounds like

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 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

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

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 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.

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

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 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.

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

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.

jakieś hipstery z H&M

American idiot for men too scared to wear guy-liner

😴

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.

Arcade Fire perfectly encapsulates an aesthetic of the suburban dread that most modern Americans experience. Not only that, but sonically they found a sound that uniquely identifies them as major players in the 2010s indie rock scene two albums after their first.

Well, what a JOY that was. Really loved it. Arcade Fire are such a brilliant band. Weirdly one song went a bit ABBA at one point I thought, but I liked that about it. Such epic optimistic music - always puts you in a good mood. would love to see them like at some point

Gostei muito desse álbum, principalmente ready to start.

Love Arcade Fire. Their 4 album run from Funeral - Reflektor includes some of my most formative music. When this album came out I think I likely ranked it 4th out of those 4 album (Funeral #1, Neon Bible #2, Reflecktor #3) but it seemed much stronger on this listen. Made me very nostalgic for guitar driven indie rock. Ready to Start is the clear highlight, but all of the first 3 songs are bangers. 4.5/5

Remember being a kid in the summer of year two thousand something? That's what this album sounds like

I’ll never forget how baffled my famil was when this won album of the year

Brilliant album.

Much maligned due to its predecessors. I still love it. Really stands up. Less bangers and more a feeling!

El Hadra El 5amsa Me Rbo3 Etheleth Is Done. Good Days When It Comes To Work, It Just Started Paying. Thank You Lord

This is not Arcade Fire's best album, but it is their most focused and complete. Nothing quite captures the despairing ennui of suburban life quite like The Suburbs. It's critical, of course - "dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains" isn't the most singable line, but they make it sound sickly sweet - but there are also touches of nostalgia (We Used to Wait and Rococo) to balance out the despair (City with No Children. among others) and outright panic (Month of May). It's a successful concept album that's more than the sum of its parts, but the parts are damn good to start with. Best track: Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)

Probably my favorite arcade fire album

28th March 2022 Listened throughout the day working in the front room. Went to the cinema for screen unseen which turned out to be the novice. Jen hated it. What a record. Big, intimate, sprawling look at small town life. Arcade arguably at the peak of their powers.

This is my favorite Arcade Fire album!

Good stuff

Great vibes

A seemingly post-apocalyptic look at my own childhood in a Texas suburb. Post-rock in places, indie-rock in others. 6/5 stars for this one. This album made me miss a place that I had forgotten that I forgot.

Gave me The Smiths energy and also Sprawl II ???? A bop

Probably my favourite of their albums. They performed it brilliantly live. SHACK'S wet dream....but with fewer kids obviously. ...the big silly nonce.

I honestly don't know how they captured the feeling of drinking a cold Fanta while watching the sunset during the first day of summer break in musical form, but they did. I'm a sucker for this kind of "sad nostalgia". Sure worked on me, and I'm not even from the suburbs.

Nice and chill

Loved this! Amazing album 10/10

Nostalgique moi ? serieusement ^^ haha on me l avait pas sor

I distinctly remember disliking this at the time, but I have no idea what was wrong with me, it's a masterpiece. Epic soundscape, full of emotion, builds through the whole thing. What a fool I was to have missed out on this for so long!

This is one of my favorite albums ever. I used to hate it when it first came out. Compared to Neon Bible and Funeral, I thought it was boring and overly long. But it really grew on me and now it's one of my favorites. The opening run of songs is fantastic and Sprawl II is in the top 5 Arcade Fire songs of all time.

Majestic album, really hard to not like Arcade Fire.

I think Arcade Fire's "Funeral" is one of the best debut albums of the 2000s. And of course, it is notoriously hard for bands to deliver lauded follow-ups to much-buzzed-about debuts. Arcade Fire came close to dispelling the curse of the sophomore slump with "Neon Bible." In fact, in terms of sales and acclaim, there was no dip. But "Funeral" was almost impossible to follow. "Neon Bible" still has an amazing start with "Black Mirror" and "Keep the Car Running," and "No Cars Go" is also terrific, but nothing in between really stands out in the way that "Funeral" was consistently terrific throughout. Their third album, "The Suburbs," solidified Arcade Fire as one of the best of their era. Like "Neon Bible" and to some extent "Funeral," "The Suburbs" is not quite a concept album - maybe a thematic album? I'm not sure I know of any band that built three straight albums around interesting conceptual themes the way Arcade Fire did. I don't really know how to describe Arcade Fire's music or what I like about it so much. It's evocative? Lyrically beautiful? Passionate and intense without being loud and brash? They weave together many different instruments without anything ever seeming out of place. They use a secondary lead singer with a very different voice and style sparingly and almost always in ways and places that fit the progression of the album. They seem to deeply mean and feel their music. Does any of this make sense? As a full album, I think I've listened to "Funeral" and "The Suburbs" more than any other album released this century? "Reflektor" (#4) and "Everything Now" (#5) didn't quite hit the same for me, and I've only listened to the whole thing a couple times each. But maybe I should give them another chance as I listen to "Funeral" and "The Suburbs" and recall how wonderful they are? Their newest, "WE," I have not listened to in full yet. From what I've heard, it may be more uneven, with highs ("Unconditional (Lookout Kid)" is fantastic) and lows ("Age of Anxiety II (Rabbit Hole)" is kind of insufferable). Has Arcade Fire's output faded over time? Is it impossible to maintain the kind of consistency they had early in their career? Regardless, with three standout albums and great songs sprinkled through three more, they earned a place as one of the best bands of the 21st century.

This is a fabulous album. The driving beats and the excellent guitar work perfectly tuned to the vocals all combine for an absolute smash. Something about this music makes me feel comfortable and at home in my skin. I'm so psyched to go see two nights of AF later this year!

Cracking tunes

I had somehow managed to never listen to an Arcade Fire song, so this was a great introduction. I really adored the color and arrpeggiation of the chords and the interweaving of various instruments and styles. The reviews really hype up the lyrics so I'll have to listen again in order to grasp them. The mixing initially bothered me, but my ears got used to it. It was just challenging to have the guitars louder than the vocals.

Ved gjenlytt blir det klart at dette er ett av mine absolutte favorittalbum: det er lyden av sensommer og brytningstid. Tror dette vil stå seg som et såkalt «viktig» album pga. både tematikk («tidsånden») og estetikk (lyden av indierock på 2000-tallet). Klassiker!

Goodie. Didn't know, but glad that i found it.

Really enjoyed this one. The band seems able to write so many catchy hooks and well crafted songs

Stuffy, lively, does not bring misery.

This is a near perfect album for me. They haven't released anything before or since that I have liked but this one really gives me the feels. You can feel the city hollowing out, sucked in by the vacuousness of the suburbs. I was surprised it is an hour long because it has always felt fairly concise - a mark of exceptionally well crafted songs with something to say.

Pretty great day I'm still sorry 5

Mi disco favorito de AF, muy nostálgico para mí y uno que considero de los mejores de la década pasada y de lo que llevamos del siglo,

Literal es el álbum de Arcade Fire que tiene más scrobbles en mi last.fm 9/10

Incredible album from an incredible band. The lyrics, production and instrumentals are wonderful. Admittedly I'm already a huge fan, but I feel like anyone can listen and enjoy this album. It's really disappointing what they released after this album, nothing hit me quite as hard as the first three albums. Hard to believe this was released 12 years ago.

YAYYYYYY #love

Kam likes so I like

The question is not whether this is worthy of a 5. It is. The only debate is whether it is their greatest album. It is pretty much flawless it is the rare combination of concept album and great music. Saw them recently as they kicked off a world tour. This record still underpins their set list

This album does many things right, but I must highlight the brilliant use of strings on many songs, that wasn't something I expected!

Damn okday the title track is a strong start. Rococo has this big booming stadium sound. and then into Empty Room! what a banger! Sprawl I and II are also great. This album is fabulous, I need to relisten to get a full sounding of it.

Big sprawling and maximalist, just what the doctor ordered.

Just awesome indie rock

Ah, the music of my adolescence

Arcade Fire are titans of the indie rock genre and this album really showcases that. Probably the last time I came close to giving a shit about the Grammys too.

Good album

Wow I love this album too!!!!!

Such an amazing and personally important album for me. In 2010 when it came out, we were still in deep recession, I had a one year old son (but if it's too much to ask, send me a son), and I was experiencing parenting in a hyper-vigilant culture in a big city in an underwater house. This album powerfully described all of the above, pulling me into lyrics thick with nostalgia for my feral 1980s childhood "screaming and running through the yard." Of course the suburbs of my childhood had problems too, and this album doesn't shy away from them. The truly poetic lyrics plus driving guitar-heavy rock interspersed with moments of soft pathos and amazing catchy melodies- this album is so freaking addictive. Since getting it as my album I haven't wanted to hear anything else. It ends with this piece of pure poetry and philosophy: If I could have it back, All that time that we wasted, I'd only waste it again. If I could have it back, You know I'd love to waste it again and again and again.

My favourite Arcade Fire album which is a big deal considering their discography. Fantastic