Reviews (page 12 of 14)
Not a bad album. Probably wouldn’t listen to again because it’s not my kind of rock. Weird time for instrumental music.
The suburbs - It's a vibe, wouldn't put it on intentionally but wouldn't skip 3/5 Ready to start - Sounds damn near identical to other song 3/5 Modern man - Still decent vibe, love chill guitar riff at the end 3/5 Rococo - Kinda cringy, feels like they were out of ideas but needed another song 2/5 Empty room - Forgettable 1/5 City with no children - Anti rich propaganda 100/5, song 3/5 Half light I - Sounds kinda orchestral, 3/5 Half light II (no celebration) - More upbeat, 4/5 Suburban war - Good vibes, continued upbeat feel 4/5 Month of may - Starts high, turned volume up 4.5/5 Wasted hours - Good vibes, enjoyed it 3/5 Deep blue - 3/5 We used to wait - 3/5 Sprawl I (flatland) - 3/5 Sprawl II (mountains beyond mountains) - 2/5 The suburbs (continued) - 1/5 Overall - Overall pretty chill vibe, wouldn't really seek out this album, but for a laid back hangout not a bad album
還是挺好聽的弦樂融進去的方式很有趣但是不知道為什麼是沒辦法提起太多興趣的一張，沒聽完
A formative album for me. AF could have just repeated "you can never go home again" for 90min and it would have hit the same.
Added two songs to my playlist. Songs were either extremely generic or very experimental and it worked for a few songs to leave an impression but nothing major to freak out about. Likely a between a 5/10 and 7/10
Easy on the ears, Foals vibes, vocals are getting lost - questionable mixing? Good background music, can enjoy without focusing on it
Absolutely forgettable album. It's not bad; it's just meh. All the tracks sounded relatively the same and blended together.
Absolutely forgettable album. It's not bad; it's just meh. All the tracks sounded relatively the same and blended together.
Forgettable
Ihan ok. Kakkosbiisi vei kyl suoraa 2010 rumaan
Better than nothing
Nostalgic coming of age album. Transition from youth to adulthood amidst devastating housing crisis in 2008 and neighbourhood decline. The lyrics are mainly about growing up in the suburbs, reminiscing childhood and adolescence, remembering old friends and realisation that everything’s changed now. All in all, generic indie-rock of 2010s vibes.
Didn't liked. Just not my type of music.
Listened to 3/4 of it. A few songs I liked. Most of it too British for me.
Semi kedelig indie rock
Not bad but kinda boring, some good tracks but nothing that I'd really good back to
Damn, another AF purchase I need to make! Great album! 4/5
Enjoyed it! Bit repetitive and long though
Haven't listened to this album for about a decade but it holds up well
Beautiful. Feels complete, yet have to be in a special mood to listen to it fully. Favorite track: Suburban War
While this may not be a 5 star record for everyone, this record is the culmination of all the work that arcade fire put in with their previous LPs. It somehow reaches the climaxes of the first album, further explores production as an instrument (like neon bible started to do) and brings about somewhat universal themes in a tidy concept album. Loss of youth, loss of identity, anger and resentment of the lives we are living in the endless sprawl where we struggle to find our happiness and a place we would call home. For me this is 5 stars
Just bad
Good album but 3 or 4 songs too long. Win Butler also hogs the vocals when the female vocalist (not sure of her name) is far better.
I love it.
Summary: The album title and cover art really describes the album better than words could. Semi-urban, semi-rock/country feel with solid playing and pretty good vocals. The lyrics are really strong. Transitions between songs are sometimes good and sometimes not. The atmospheres in each song are inoffensive and unadventurous for the most part, but because of that it's difficult to find genuine fault in the album other than the songs just being plain and uninteresting. The mixing and overall sound quality could be stronger and much more engaging at times, especially given the lush textures throughout. The melodies are consistently below average. The Suburbs: Weird chord progression! I love it! Fun vocal, especially during the chorus. The rhythm section (particularly the drums) have a slightly muffled sound - interesting. At around 2 minutes you start hearing high string alternating with high backing vocals - this leads to a thick, ethereal texture. Only problem I have is that the melody isn't very catchy or singable, which (for the album's lead single) can't be a good thing. Ready To Start: Transition! Gotta love it. Immediately, an energetic and slightly foreboding rhythm section. There's a strange, subtle vocal effect throughout that is either a really convincing double-track, an echo with incredibly short delay, or me imagining things. Winding-down of texture following the climax at 3:00 is effective. Again, the melody is pretty unremarkable. Nice ending. Modern Man: Strange time signature, but only sometimes. Same vocal effect as the previous song (I wasn't imagining it). Otherwise, not much to say here. Solid, inoffensive track. Rococo: The vocals should be put even more at the front of the mix. The lyrics, enunciation, and emotion are great, but they're held back by the loud, repetitive backing. Another good ending, but the next track shatters this too quickly. Empty Room: The female vocal here is a great change of pace. Not much else to say. City With No Children: This isn't a new vocalist, but it still sounds very different. Percussion (apart from hand claps) is put back in the mix, and the result is very effective, especially when the second singer starts harmonising. Some of the lines are a little clumsy ("cityy withh NO CHIL-dreninit") but it does make for a more memorable chorus. Chord progression is uninteresting. Half Light I: Atmosphere-wise, the same pros as the previous track. Half Light II (No Celebration): Good transition, very similar to the transition between tracks 1 and 2. Sounds suspiciously like a celebration for a track titled "No Celebration". Nice percussion that's especially noticeable around 2:30. Vocals sound really good here. Woo! Suburban War: Not interesting until around 3:30 when the tempo and percussion change completely, reflecting the track's title. Month Of May: Grungy. Velvet Underground-ish, but with more harmonies. Alien-like drone synths at around 2:50 are nifty. Wasted Hours: Brought down substantially by an awkward (yet boring?) melody. Not a fan. Deep Blue: Atmospheric! The low, distorted guitars work excellently throughout. We Used To Wait: The backings in this track are great, if quite repetitive. The bass drum backs the synth, piano, and vocal at 1:00, which creates a nifty little texture. Sprawl I (Flatland): Strong vocals here. Strings are very pretty, but are begging for more layering. Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains): Whoa. Completely different sound here. Powerful, pulsating bass synth notes contribute greatly to the texture. Actual emotion in the vocal (though it's hard to tell what emotion it is). ABBA-esque. The melody's the catchiest it's been so far. Repeating synth melody at 1:30 is prominent in the mix and makes it very radio-friendly. The Suburbs (Continued): Short reprise-y track tacked onto the end. Probably not necessary. The fade-out certainly wasn't.
An important album in my life. It is unfortunate how far the frontman has fallen in terms of his behavior and conduct but this was one of the first indie bands and concerts I got into. This tour was unreal on how epic the music felt. Truly operatic in theme and intensity. Growing up in the suburbs feels more visceral with these tracks about adolescent wonder turning to angst and age. I’ll never not go back to this one.
Atmospheric, symphonic, strangely interesting
There were a couple of good songs, but a lot of the album seemed experimental with odd time signatures and unique chord progressions. For the most part it was not enjoyable to listen to.
Arcade Fire is one of my favourite bands, and The Suburbs is their third album. The album’s concept was inspired by the childhood of Win and William Butler, who grew up in a suburb of Houston, Texas The album features 16 tracks that vary in style and mood, but share a common theme of longing for something more. Some of the songs that stand out to me are “The Suburbs”, which is a catchy and poignant reflection on growing up in the suburbs; “Ready to Start”, which is a fast-paced and energetic anthem of rebellion; “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)”, which is a synth-pop dance track that expresses the desire to escape from the monotony of the sprawl; and “We Used to Wait”, which is a piano-driven ballad that contrasts the past and present modes of communication. The songs are richly orchestrated with strings, horns, keyboards, guitars, drums, and vocals. The band also uses various instruments such as accordions, harps, mandolins, xylophones, and percussions to create a diverse and layered sound. The album is a masterpiece of musical storytelling, as it captures the emotions and experiences of living in the suburbs. It is also a commentary on the social and cultural changes that have occurred in the past decades. The album resonates with me on a personal level. I listen to this album frequently, as it never fails to move me or make me think. The Suburbs is my second favourite Arcade Fire album, after Funeral. It’s really close between this and Funeral, but Funeral just pips it on run time, and the fact it came first. I still think this is an absolute beauty of an album and one I would give a full 5 stars rating.
Un tanto soso y falto de chispa. Muchas canciones me han parecido similares. No lo escucharía.
Très sympa, bonne découverte
Solid, but not as spectacular as their debut.
Some Matt Pond PA vibes - would listen again.
"2009, 2010 wanna make a record how I felt then" -Month of May They crushed it. This album was already in the rotation for me, but reiterating here that it's an incredibly good one. I think this is basically peak 00s-10s indie/alt rock. The album is just so effective at capturing the feelings associated with a former suburban life (and it's not always positive or negative; there's despair or sorrow in there for sure, but also a sense of nostalgia as well). Musically it's also awesome, varied and consistently interesting, with very few misses. A number of classic songs too; The Suburbs is one of their most popular songs and Sprawl II is my personal favorite. Sprawl II also highlights the female vocals that are used on a few songs (and highly underutilized in my opinion). This is just a really great album where things just totally came together on one record. The topic might be a bit on the tame side for some, but that's ok. It's relatable for me and I'm really glad it exists. Favorite song: Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) Other: The Suburbs, Ready To Start, Modern Man, Rococo, Empty Room, Half Light I, Suburban War, Wasted Hours, Deep Blue 10/23/23
Good album, not bad. Not really my style of music.
meh
Something different on here, more to my original flavours I like it
Has some good songs, but bloody hell is it long. I'd rate it 5/10 if it would let me
Good vibes, nice to walk to 6/10
it’s fine it’s just a bit too theater kid for me
Art rock
Another 7/10 bit of a swagger walk. Easy to listen to.
Not really my jam.
Not my jam, kind of forgettable
Meio chatinho, mas tem umas músicas legais
Fav Song: Rococo, Empty Room, Suburban War Nicht mein Musikgeschmack Zu langsam, zu wenig Abwechslung Album könnte auch halb so lang sein Ne nett gemeinte 2 von 5 wird es denke
Essential Tracks: Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) (Playlist) The Suburbs Modern Man Rococo
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.
boring and dragged on
I love Funeral more, but this holds up for me. Their most grown up record (though I hadn't noticed before how much he talks about 'the kids'), with some beautiful moments, but not their greatest.
arcade Fire has some amazing songs, but this is not my favorite album of theirs
Era headlining
Yeah, me. I’m from the suburbs. Good indie.
If Brandon Donlon was an album. the suburbs
I like a few songs (especially sprawl) but this was mostly boring and too long. 2.5
didn't like the first half, kinda grew on me, not gonna listen again
Fantastic from start to finish.
Not bad but didn't grab me.
Solid album no skips
9/10. I really liked this. Definitely sounds like it was made in 2010, but in a good way, I find.
About the same as the other Arcade Fire we've had imo. Never as good as I want it to be, but never as bad as I make it out to be. 7/10
Decent album. Starts strong. Probably a bit overrated. Not too much to say about. Probably didn’t give it the most thorough listen through.
Eh, it was alright.
инди пост панк местами что-то более фанковое и что-то такое из панка 80-х под конец первой половины я уже заскучала, а во второй началось что-то другое вторая половина - спокойное инди с налетом Keane, Beatles и похожим музыка для вечера
Just so great.
The epitome of angsty end of the decade indie. A couple of good songs in isolation (the shared vocals on Empty Room were especially good) but on the whole too long and too average. Don't get the hype.
Nice chill album overall. Great easy listen but a couple songs, to me, were underwhelming.
Not really my thing
Good beat. Dancy.
I feel like I'm suppose to like Arcade Fire but that makes me not like them, and there's nothing wrong with them.
Already have listened to this. It’s good.
Feels very "safe" without much edge. Can't say most of the songs grabbed me. Modern Man was a stand-out though. Probably won't make it into a rotation for me, but found it inoffensive.
About the first half of this keeps my attention. It tapers off a bit after that but there are still a few bright spots. I saw them in concert around this time and I didn't really go willingly but then the show ended up being an actual show so I have soft spot for them. Not sure if the lead singer is a piece of shit, though, so minus one star.
Yeah, I don't mind this. I don't particularly rate it either, but it choogles along inoffensively in the background. The occasional track breaks through, but otherwise this feels almost like functional music. Albeit this is a notch above most of its peers, this roundly falls into that category of slightly fey guttar indie that relies on hummable melodies underscored by the most crushingly basic rhythmic patterns. That's my biggest beef here really - the rhythms are barely more sophisticated than a toddler banging on a saucepan. Without any particular knowledge of the genre, if you were to ask me when this came out I would've said around 2010. It absolutely reeks of 2010.
You know what? I was prepared to pan this. I moved on to other things after Neon Bible and had yet to really check back in to all things Arcade Fire until this list thrust it upon me. It's too long. But it's not bad. Of all the bands out there attempting to write indie rock anthems, I'm not sure many do it in a way that's as interesting or genuine (?) as Arcade Fire on these first few records they put out. But there's just no way that continued, right? I feel like I would've heard some of their music sneak onto the radio or into movies since 2010, but I don't recall that happening. Maybe I'm just unawares.
Very British sounding, with barely a hint of canada, to my ears at least. Fairly bland, but decent background music. Not a band I can see myself exploring much further - they just don't grab my attention like some of the others I have encountered through this list.
Much of a muchness - plenty of albums that are similar or better than this
Probably one of the very few times the Grammy awards were right While I personally never grew up in anything like the album’s suburban environment, I can still interpret and understand the messages in the lyrics Echoing guitars and sweeping orchestras also beautifully convey the emotional themes of the album, which is carried all the way through from beginning to end Favourite tracks: The Suburbs, Ready to Start, Empty Room, City With no Children, Half Light II, Month of May, Wasted Hours, Deep Blue, We Used to Wait, Sprawl II
Solid. Middle drags, but it's strong and cohesive.
Giving me this and Funeral just a couple days apart is pretty messed up. Maybe not Kanye back-to-back messed up, but close. As for the album itself, I'm conflicted, because I find some of the songs here to be the best of the band's whole discography (of what I heard) but other songs here are just as boring and soul sucking as Neon Bible, which I gave a one. Generally my system has it so it at least gets a three if I enjoy a few songs to add to my musical rotation (rounds up from a 2.5) but my disdain for not only this band as a whole, but the rest of this album still makes me feel like this is a two. You're probably thinking "then give this a two," but I hate to break tradition, it would bother me. So, if you're reading this, this three is the lighest three I've ever given, and I think as an album, Funeral is far and away the best of their albums here, I just seem to like parts of this one the most, and that helps it in my system. It's flawed, but I'm in too deep. One thing I can say no matter what is Arcade Fire is not a good band by any means.
I liked this more than I remember liking it when it came out. Pretty good album.
Like it, but I like Funeral better
I don't get the hype. So many songs lacked any dynamics, eventually sounding like a wall of noise. Nothing memorable or catchy, and so much repetition of simple beats (bang on every quarter note!) or chords/notes. Just... blech.
This was pretty good and pretty fun. I don't think I've ever heard Arcade Fire before. Bonus point because this felt like an album rather than a bunch of songs tossed together.
I used to really like this album. Unfortunately I was very bored by it on this listen. I guess tastes change
Arcade Fire is the type of band that I don't mind if their music comes up in a playlist but I won't go out of my way to listen to them.
Not really my taste, but I liked Rococo, Empty Rooms, Month of May, and Sprawl II.
Not my style of music but not the worst
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.
decent and interesting pop. Varied songs. A mix of U2 and others pseudo punk
Peaceful
Was not my cup of tea. Very boring and depressing.
This was a great one to see on this list. Always happy for a 2010 or later album. While I'm not a big Arcade Fire guy, I'm glad this one is on here and I kept a song to remember it by, Sprawl II.
Second Arcade Fire on this list, and I was ready to be somewhat bored, but this album's pretty great. Lots of solid tracks, and I really enjoy the alternating lead vocals (even though I think most of the songs I liked were Win Butler). More bangers than I was expecting, I'm totally on board with this inclusion. Favorite tracks: City with No Children, Half Light II, Suburban War, The Suburbs (Continued), Rococo. Album art: I've seen this one many times, it's a washed out picture of a car parked next to a house. Kind of funny to me that this looks like California due to the palm tree, which I would never associate with "the suburbs." But it's a pretty solid cover. 4/5
The album has a good vibe. The band has a distinctive sound with some new wave influence in there. Good music for chilling at a bonfire or taking a road trip. Favorite tracks: The Suburbs Ready to Start Modern man Empty Room Half Light II Suburban War Month of May We Used to Wait Sprawl II
Standouts: The Suburbs, Month of May, Ready to Start, We Used To Wait, Sprawl I Others: Wasted Hours, Modern Man, Rococo, Empty Room, City With No Children, Half Light I, Half Light II, Sprawl II,
This album is so wonderful. This is one of several works that define the idea of 'album' to me.
Simple, calm and yet melancholy album that captures the feeling of suburban angst like lightening in a bottle
Not my favorite; not bad, might need another listen.
Better than Neon Bible.
Love this album
Strong start, felt like second half was weaker. 3.5
Prototype of this genre, but feels dated now.
Really dislike this band…. I mean, I hate them. Pretentious “art” drivel. That said: this album has maybe 3 or 4 songs that are listenable.
Really good album. Very intresting sound, similar almost to Radiohead but more of their upbeat stuff and less artsy stuff. Has a good mix of enjoyable song to original and creative tones.
The first three Arcade Fire albums - Funeral, Neon Bible, and this one - are all incredible. In fact, it may be one of the greatest three-album starts by any band ever. There are great songs, anthems, complex arrangements, lyrics that make you think, and much more to like. Of the three, this one may be my least favorite. It drags a little at times, but it’s still a masterpiece in my book. 5 stars.
The album is very non-imposing. okay to have on in the background but didn’t hold my attention.
Blended into my day nicely.
Great album.
Someone should tell Win Butler this album sounds neither like Neil Young nor like Depeche Mode. Not even a little. But it's really excellent, probably one of the best albums of the last 20 years. A melodic and bittersweet masterpiece of its time with a nuanced, cohesive sound and low key undercurrent of angst. Would have improved by dropping 2 or 3 tracks. Fave Songs: Modern Man, Wasted Hours, Deep Blue, The Suburbs, Half Light I, Half Light II (No Celebration), Ready to Start
no skip!
I always seem to say the same thing about Arcade Fire. When I’m listening to them, I love them. And then time and memory turn them into vapour. I wish I had more time to really listen. I had this on in the background yesterday but I was so busy it just filtered through as something that was great to listen to but I couldn’t really concentrate. Until Month of May came on and that had me energised. One day, I’ll have enough time to appreciate them even more. Or maybe not…
I’m not sure if this album is better than the other two arcade fire albums we’ve had, or I am just being worn down by the cumulative exposure.
OK... so three Arcade Fire albums in and another 4-star rating. These guys are going to win the "best band I'm not 100% sold on" award. Individually, I was equally impressed and held at arm's length with each record. I went back twice to try to really dig into Funeral after we reviewed and found it wasn't the right vibe for the moment. So ... did I LIKE it or just admire and recognize that there's something special going on? Dunno. I just revisited my review of Neon Bible, and it was very much the same. Took me a while to get into... wasn't entirely sure what I thought by the end. So this is another 4, though I wasn't sure I was exactly a fan. I guess I'll listen at another time and see whether it sticks.
Some days I'm just not in the mood for that day's album. Today was one of those days. I'm sure it's good, but I just couldn't connect with it. I really like Funeral, but this one isn't nearly as inventive. That's all I got. Three Arcade albums on this list is two too many. And I know that's not Arcade Fire's fault, but c'est la guerre. That's French for "My god, this singer is boring me to death."
Have we already listened to an Arcade Fire album in this project? I can't really recall. They sound like if you asked ChatGPT to create a sound for an indie rock/pop/alternative/sensitive-type band. ho-hum.
fuck I really did hate them back in the day but they're just such classic little cute indie music where u imagine some cringe ass romantic gesture happening to it. It's CUTE and people that don't like it are AFRAID!
Hørte en del på Arcade Fire på ungdomsskolen/vgs så litt nostalgisk:) noe litt bra, noe kjedelig. Likte Sprawl 1 & 2 best tror jeg. 2.5
Over the years, I really grew out of love with Arcade Fire’s music. What once spoke to me now seems mundane, uninteresting, and pretentious.
Another hour plus long album. Call me old. Call me short attention span. I find 40 minutes give or take usually leaves me wanting more. An hour plus leaves me wondering when it's going to end. About half of this album is strong.
Quite interesting. Makes me want to explore them further.
End to end, emotional, touching, staring at the sky, a touch of existentialism, an amazing ride
6 years separate this and the last Arcade Fire album we reviewed. Kind of had this in the background through the first 3 songs. Enjoyed it fine, but didn't get perked up until Rocco. Instrumental on Empty Room almost has a post-rock quality about it, except with vocals. It reminds me a lot of an Explosions in the Sky song that I can't quite place. In any case, I really enjoyed it and the seamless transition into City with No Children. I listened to this twice through, and, just like their last album on this list, I didn't find myself too terribly moved. I think that the songs on their own are fine and in some cases really strong, but for whatever reason this doesn't push beyond the background noise. I'm a 3 / 5. Really liked Empty Room and Suburban War.
I didn't expect two Arcade Fire albums on this list. A pleasant, triumphant sounding album. I enjoy the seamless transition from one song to the next. I like the electronic/strings mix in Half Light II, feels very much like an Arcade Fire song. There is a lot of variety in this album. When Sprawl II came on, I thought the album had ended and went to a random artist. I was tuning in and out on this album, but I think it certainly deserves another listen. It had a distinct sound to it, and I didn't recognize any songs on it.
Pretty standard sounding album until it got to Suburban War then it started picking up a bit. Sprawl II was probably my favorite song, it was cool that it sounded like a new singer. Pretty underwhelming compared to the Funeral album from a couple weeks ago
Liked Funeral more than this tbh. It's good just nothing spectacular. Definitely find myself really liking some moments of certain songs but overall I just don't really see the HUGE appeal of Arcade Fire. Idk I'm going to listen again but this is a solid 3.
I like the sound of the first track but the rest of the album sounds the same to me
Very blah. Reminds me of Imagine Dragons.
Aside from "The Suburbs", this was surprisingly boring to me. I liked their other album "Funeral" more. I actually didn't manage to finish this one because I just really wanted to listen to something else instead...
Vraiment moins aimé que Funeral, je mettrais pas mal les mêmes commentaires que pour Neon Bible. Je pense que c'est un bon album, mais c'est un tantinet overrated. L'album est un peu long et beaucoup de pièces sont trop du pareil au même. Mais j'ai clairement un biais négatif avec ce genre de indie rock. 6/10
Some good songs, very outdated musical aesthetics
Some good songs. A lot of forgettable songs. Nowhere near as good as Funeral or Neon Bible.
Good background music while working
There are some good tracks on here, but it's also long and forgettable
unoffensive
Great listen, I will be listening to it again.
Concept album + dynamic genres across the album and some really good themes and composition means 5 stars from me!
Great indie album! This band took a while for me to get into. But now I love most of their albums! Not sure if Funeral or this one takes the crown 8 out of 10
Not really my cup of tea.
Glad I listened to it. Generally liked it but many of the songs felt too similar. Probably wont be putting it into rotation.
Arcade fire is good, I dont know why I dont LOVE them, but they are great
It’s nice but not normally what I look for 6.5
Non riesce a conquistarmi del tutto ma vi sono alcune chicche indimenticabili
Touches on innovative but slips into boring sometimes for me. Overall good.
8/16, 50%
Boring, monotonous. It tries to be a cheap hit, but it rarely succeeds... I realized at track 4 that this is not the first track. The start of Empty Room was promising, but then it too sank back into the commercial garbage that flows from everywhere. Up until Half Light I I had planned to somehow make it halfway through the album and give up, but by II I had changed strategy, if nothing worthwhile happened for a minute and a half, move on to the next one. Unfortunately, I still had to listen to the last song. It was a pity. I may be being nasty, but I think I'll rename the bookmark: The 1000 albums you wasted your time on - that'll be the new name.
FAR too many songs. makes it a slog most of time. thank god there are some absolute gems hidden in the slog. fav songs: rococo, city with no children, half light I, we used to wait.
Dull and pretentious...the James Murphy stuff is clearly much much better
Pretty alright, some beautiful instrumentals and a nice , loosely cohesive theme
Their most consistent album, centered on themes of growing up in the suburbs and looking back on it. Just as atmospheric, catchy, and emotionally powered as their previous album with the use of baroque strings and synths, but not as strong or beautiful as Funeral. Still very much based on the garage revival formula with some very punky songs and basic beats. Super strong start. Lots of weak songs, especially in the middle. Could have been cut down by a third. Favorites: The Suburbs, Modern Man, Rococo, Suburban War, Deep Blue, Sprawl II
great album. brings back memories of smoking weed for the first time. a bit long and i don’t think it needed to be. great album with a few whatever songs.
Too bad he’s a creep.
There aren't many albums from the past 15 years or so that I find brilliant but Arcade Fire's 'The Suburbs' is one of them. It's a very well made, high quality album musically, lyrically with so many great songs on it. They created a magical sound on this album and it works so well - it is majestic, and grandiose. Personally I can also relate to the album because I live in the suburbs of a big city and the theme of the songs speak to me so much. My favourite songs are Empty Room, City With No Children and Sprawl II (this might be my favorite Arcade Fire song from any of their albums). 5/5 without a doubt.
DALE BOOOOOO 8.5/10
Never listened to this band before, and didn't hate it.
Very good album. Standouts: The Suburbs, Ready to Start, City with No Children, Month of May, We Used to Wait, Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) Others: Wasted Hours, Speaking in Tongues 3.5/5
Really boring. I might have tolerated this more if it was like a half hour shorter.
That was quite a ride. Some really nice tunes with uplifting changes. Really liked some of it. Some other bits felt a bit generic. I’m going I be generous and give it a 4. It feels like Christmas. It’s no. It’s August.
"Light" indie rock. First two songs are good and special in their own way. Modern Man feels just another song until the bridge comes in. Rococo has a really good instrumental, but this chorus "ROCOCOCOCOCO" is annoying. EMPTY ROOM BEST SONG City with no children has good harmonies and the "Halves" lights are incredible. Suburban War is a strange song, not bad but the only memorable thing is the outro. Month of May has a faster pace with the harmonies, and stands out too, and the next song comes to calm it down. Deep Blue is cool but the "lalala" isn't my favorite thing. We used to wait is a good song. Has cool lyrics and a nice rythm. Sprawl I is just normal, but II is something else. The last song is a perfect way to end this album.
Busy instrumentation, don't do anything interesting with their multiple instruments. OK as background. No actual bad songs, but it's just not my thing. 3/5
Just a bit bland
Favourite tracks: ready to start; the suburbs; suburban war; month of may; city with no children; half light II, sprawl II
Probably my 2nd favorite Arcade Fire album behind Funeral.
Un álbum muy destacable dentro del panorama indie de los 2010s. Con paisajes interesantes y narraciones llamativas, el disco es un muy buen album debut del cual Arcade Fire aun vive en las sombras.
Definitely a bunch of quality tracks on here and thematically on point. For me there is just a lot of, not necessarily filler, but tracks that didn't grab my attention and left the album feeling a bit bloated. Fav track: Half Light 1 Strong 3
My first fartcake mire record all the way through. Enjoyable, but I never felt like the songs earnt their anthemic presentation. To be fair I'd need to give it another go to dig into the lyrics and everything a bit more, but I'm not necessarily compelled to. You'll have to wait until next time fartcake! *was 3.5 but Al slighted me and honestly I don't remember this album really anymore Fave track: Ready to Start
This one grew on me quite a bit. Always found this group a little overrated or out of my taste but this honestly was pretty good. Great flow and solid songwriting. Was nearly giving this a four but for now will mark down. Maybe will change my mind on more listens. Three and a half. Fave track: Modern Man
I have never heard of Arcade Fire before, but when I started listening to this album I wish I had because the song "The Suburbs" is an excellent piece of music and probably one of the strongest starts to an album so far. Ready to Start and Modern man were also really good, I was thinking this is going to be an all timer but then you realise the album is very and I mean VERY front loaded and the album loses steam very quickly. I don't think it's bad and they can make nice sounding instrumentals I suppose but man the lead singer can only really sing in one kind of way and whenever the lady got to sing it was probably the most skippable songs in the Album. There's also not a lot of variety here which is a shame. I was originally going to give this 3 stars but the biggest problem is the Album out right disappoints you. While the album started well Arcade Fire just feel like one of those band that people claim to love as real music while saying The Beatles are overrated or something.
I am a big fan of this genre and I do have quite a few albums of this caliber in my library and yet, this just didn't do anything for me. It's well produced sure but every song was just a tad too slow. It's a shame too because the first song was setting me up for great songs that just unfortunately didn't quite get there. Sorry guys
Nothing to recommend it besides Sprawl II.
Back in the game now..
By far the best album by The Arcade Fire. It perfectly reflects the feeling of being young in suburban America. It's both comfortable and uneasy, with a longing to get out.
La verdad me gustó, sería algo que volvería a escuchar en conjunto, aunque si no supiera que está dentro de la lista, no me lo hubiera imaginado
One could see the paradigm shift the moment Arcade Fire had their moment in the spotlight upon the bestowing of music's highest honor in early 2011, thus marking the end of a golden age in blog-era indie rock and the end of Arcade Fire as a bubbling niche concern and it all starts in The Suburbs. The high point of the band's brand of epicly cinematic styling, The Suburbs weaves an exquisite tale that is apparent yet could very well fly over most listeners heads upon first glance. But the exuberance, the energy and the wholehearted commitment to grandiosity more than accentuate the subjects at hand and Arcade Fire were perhaps the very best of the mid-to-late 2000s rock groups in regards to that whole shtick. With or without Recording Academy recognition and the excess change that followed the group for the next decade or so afterwards (to an incredibly disappointing degree), The Suburbs will be seen as the band's greatest moment and a high level to which they may never obtain again. Favorites: The Suburbs, Ready to Start, Modern Man, Half Light I, Half Light II (No Celebration), Wasted Hours, We Used to Wait, Sprawl I (Flatland), Sprawl II (Mountains Upon Mountains).
Pretty hooky easy listening stuff, sounds a bit older than it is - well played stuff
Win Butler being a creep aside, this is an impressive indie effort that unknowingly heralded the genre’s shift into the smoother, radio-friendly anthems of the teens. What the band lacks in dynamism, they make up for in composition and verve – a few lyrics here are cringe to the fullest, but they’re chanted over fun synths/guitars so many times that it’s easy to let it slide. This weakness does poke through a few times, however, when the melody just doesn’t hit right and the tracks drag on beating a dead horse of a chorus. Still, there are some ideas and lines here that show the band getting ahead of (or even defining) the synth-fueled aughts-teens transition. The hypnotic drone of “Sprawl II” (check out the Soulwax remix), pounding urgency of “Ready to Start”, and melancholic paranoia of “We Used to Wait” are only a few of the highs of this album, and they’re lofty enough to wash out the bad and keep me coming back to this LP year after year. I’m doing my best to put nostalgia aside here and be fair even though I was like, what, 12? when this came out– does anyone else remember the interactive music video webpage for We Used to Wait? Loaded that thing on my Grandma’s computer and crashed it. Good times!
They have a couple of songs that I really like quite a bit. But they also have a lot of songs that are a meandering, muddy mess. They need to sharpen their production values and figure hone their songwriting. They get the third star because it is listenable.....in small chunks.
This is an album I've been looking forward to for a while because I've heard this is considered the best arcade fire album and I really wanted to like the last couple albums of theirs I've gotten on this list. Thankfully, this really lived up to the hype and is essentially banger after banger starting with the first track. I especially liked the suburbs, modern man, and sprawl 2. The mix of synths, keyboard, and vocals all work perfectly to create a vibe that makes me nostalgic for a decade I wasn't born in.
The production for this project is beautifully dense and clean. The musicianship is also well-presented. The songwriting is great but needs more idiosyncratic moments at times. The cohesiveness of this project is a double-edged sword because it produces a body of work rather than a collection of tracks, but sadly they end up blending into one another too much overall. Score: 72/100
Nothing special. Overhyped imho
listened to again boring at times, lovely at times, overall a solid album
I've listened to the top songs from Arcade Fire before (The Suburbs, Wake Up etc.) but doesn't evoke any special emotions in me. Kind of the same in this album, but I did enjoy Half Light I and Suburban War quite a lot actually. Feels like a proper 3, definitely not higher.
I think this albums features one of the better songs of the decade, namely Sprawl II. It was a great hit when it came out and it still holds up over a decade later (maybe being 20 when it came out gives it an extra point or two). There are a few other very good songs on the album such as "Ready to start". None of the other songs really stuck out and as a whole album I would rather cherry pick my favourites. I think as a whole, the next album "Reflektor" is better although it doesn't have the same number of large hits.
Maybe with additional listens, I’d appreciate this album more, but on first listen it reads as whiny suburbanization apologia. The instrumentation is solid, but everything else is not really to my taste.
i’ve always had an irrational dislike for arcade fire and i feel like it was justified here. uninteresting both musically and lyrically, feels like it was designed in a lab for gen x to feel nostalgic towards
The Suburbs has flawless sequencing on CD, and the vinyl sequence is strictly better. It means the least in the titular suburbs, opens up the rest of Arcade Fire's discography, goes for far too long. Without a doubt one of the most indulgent artifacts of 2010s indie-rock, there's little sneering about it that can be dismissed. But even the rightly-criticized tracks are jewels, and this rating was a foregone conclusion when I started. Even after a year of Arcade Fire mostly-ignorance, this is an absolute favorite.
Meh
Fine indie rock album. A bit of variety, but still fairly generic, IMO.
A pretty chill and pleasant indie album with some real emotion. The instrumentation was wonderful too. However it did kinda catch me on a day where I was looking for more energy (even though Month Of May did switch it up in that department), but I may go back and give it another listen sometime. Favourite: Month Of May
A bit too rowdy for me
I hadn't really listened to Arcade Fire before, and honestly thought they weren't going to be my style. Boy was I wrong - this hits like Radiohead, has some great bangers, and is one hell of an emotional trip.
Arcade Fire is a good band. This album defined the sound and style of all the band's other albums. All very similar!
Great album. I'd rate this as a 4*.
Listened to this on Friday afternoon, reviewing on a Monday morning. I've mostly forgotten about it except I remember enjoying the female lead vocal songs more than the others. Didn't love or hate it, so just giving it an average 3/5.
Mellow with a couple of songs that are more rocking
Mismikil snilld, en mjög mikil á köflum. Virkilega flott og skemmtilegt. Myndi líklega hækka ef ég hlustaði oftar.
4 stars, pretty good but not blowing my mind
kinda good sound design and nice vocals... ...but i didn't like the album anyway.
Sounds quite nice, the songs all sound the same after about the 3 or 4 song. Got very repetitive after awhile.
Fav: deep blue/ sprawl ll Least fav: rococo Maybe it’s recency bias, but I think the second half of the album is much better This is my introduction to arcade fire.
4.5 stars. Solid indie rock album despite feeling a bit repetitive and metronomic. Similar sound throughout means no really strong hits but no weak tracks either. The steady pace gives a consistency as the husband + wife duo singers alternate and lead a feeling of floating toward a dreary future while holding on to nostalgia.
Awesome album, great
1/6/23 i think i heard this so much as a kid that i physically can’t anymore Fave Track; the suburbs :)
J’ai adoré. + un 4,5. J’ai ete heureusement surprise. Je connaissais plein de tune hihi.
I liked that a lot more than I expected to. I'm not sure there were any bangers here but there were no duds either. The production was solid throughout and there was a strong flow from beginning to end. Sure, it started to drag towards the end of the album but it never fully fell apart. I didn't really dig the concept of the album as I'm not into suburban, middle-class American ennui as an aesthetic. It seems a bit pathetic which is the main reason this doesn't score a 5 for me. The other reason is that it's bloated. There are at least 3 tracks here that could have been cut to make the album super tight. I know, I know, "It's a concept album! Every track tells part of the story!" Well, maybe you should tighten up your storytelling, then. Kill your darlings. It's close to great but falls short. But it is pretty darn good and that's not nothing.
Genres: Indie rock, art rock, baroque pop Formed: Montréal, Quebec, Canada in 2001 Run time: 16 songs, 1 hour, 3 min This is their third album. Track 11, “Wasted Hours” is the least played track but it still has over 7M plays on Spotify. Track 1, “The Suburbs” has over 146M plays. Track 10, “Month of May” had a punk feel to it. The big sound of the album reminds me of the fact they’re from Canada. I just can’t make my mind up about this album. As a whole I enjoyed it, and I liked a couple of tracks, but nothing really grabbed me. Perhaps after a couple more listens it will grow on me, so for now, it will remain on my playlist and we’ll see. My Rating: ***
Enjoyed this and will definitely listen again. I never got on the AF bandwagon so it's nice to be able to come at this with fresh ears.
Beautiful album. Just a bit too long. I’ve been listening a lot to Sprawl II the last couple of years. Arcade Fire has always been a singles band for me. But this time it clicked in album form. Listened through it three times. The three first tracks are really great. New favourite: Ready to start
After what I consider one of the all time great debut albums - Funeral, they came out with the truly awful (flat, boring, insipid) second effort Neon Bible. Apparently the band agreed with me as in the four times I've seen them they've never played a song from Neon Bible. The Suburbs was a return to form. Although not as strong as Funeral (which they've never equaled in my opinion), it is a strong album throughout.
It’s a great album. It’s not my fave of theirs and I don’t pick it up often but I’d find it incredibly difficult to listen without thinking of sweaty summer nights dancing in crowds watching this racket play. It’s an even better album for conjuring those memories.
This was good - a varied set of sounds. But I don't think I'd rush to listen again.
6/10. Decent indie album. I probably liked their album Funeral more, but it's been a while.
Tiene un sonido similar a lo largo de todo el proyecto, pero la realidad es que no casna, las letras por momentos son profundas y los ritmos sumergen en una especie de historia de soles y calidez, en la que se plantea un punto de vista intimo y personal. Como digo, no cansó pero al ser similares pasan desapercibidads es un buen disco, pero con falta de un monton de cosas 6/10.
Another classic, although I don't know that it's actually that high up on my list of AF albums I usually listen to. Definitely has some hits. City with No Children -- really feels like one long song so far. Really enjoying it. Modern Man had some fun time signature bending which was neat. Didn't get it finished, but will listen to the rest today
good album
While the nostalgic vibes were there, I could not get into it. All of the songs sounded the same, and the lyrics which were supposed to be "hauntingly beautiful" were rather mediocre. The songs went on for too long and seemed meaningless. There are maybe 1-2 I enjoyed, and the rest fell dramatically flat. The fact that this won AOTY is shocking, as all four other albums were more deserving. Genuine Ranking: 3.5/10
Yeah man not sure whether i like this or not, some songs are compelling, however the whole thing feels stunted somehow.
Liked the first two albums more
I was really impressed by the credentials and accolades when I read about this album. I didn't get the same by listening to the album, which was fine. Just fine. I know a few Arcade Fire tracks to hum along to, and I'm not sure why this album was picked instead of one of their other albums.
Yet another ex-1001 album!™ http://1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie.wikidot.com/album-artists-a-z-ex I do like Arcade Fire; Funeral and Neon Bible were on regular repeat, but then their subsequent albums somehow passed me by. The Suburbs is good, though quite long, defo worth a few listens, but their earlier albums still hold closer for me.
Have listened dozens of times. Amazing.
Better than the previous Arcade Fire album that I was given but still didn't really excite me. Had some parts that stood out though. If I could go back I'd give that a 3 and this maybe a 3.5 but a 4 will have to do.
Glorious Indie Rock/ Pop - shades of REM, Radiohead, even a bit of Ride and MBV here and there. An obvious 5 out of 5.
Loved the beginning and end. It gave me nostalgic feelings from a time gone by as a kid who grew up in a suburb. Some of the songs in the middle felt a bit flat but overall great album.
Already heard it- 8/10
I only discovered Arcade Fire the other year with Funeral. Enjoyed it but didn't venture elsewhere in their discography. Likewise, I really enjoyed this album. Similar veins to Funeral, but the longer runtime resulted in a few more songs that I think could have been cut. Some great tracks though
Arcade Fire is from Canada. This is their third album. They have three albums on the 1001 list. Singles from The Suburbs ------------------------------------- The Suburbs"/"Month of May (#94 CAN) We Used to Wait (#75 UK) Ready to Start (#67 UK) City with No Children Speaking in Tongues Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) Standouts: Rating: 3/5
This never ends
First 8 or so songs are bangers, gets a little long after that otherwise would have been a 5
I’ve liked some other Arcade Fire tunes but this seems boring and all the same. I wondered at first if that was some brilliant social commentary on “The Suburbs”, but I think not.
Meh
Why? The only band I've ever fallen asleep watching live... This was marginally less rubbish that I expected. Marginally.
Salut Chatgpt, peux-tu me créer une critique musicale qui soit à la fois valable pour The World is a Ghetto de War et The Suburbs de Arcade Fire parce que ça fait deux semaines que je dois écrire une critique des deux et je les confonds. Bien sûr, voici une critique courte qui convient aux deux albums : The World is a Ghetto de War et The Suburbs de Arcade Fire sont deux albums qui abordent la question de l'aliénation sociale de manière émouvante. Alors que The World is a Ghetto explore les tensions raciales dans les quartiers défavorisés, The Suburbs se concentre sur la solitude et l'isolement dans les banlieues. Les deux albums offrent des réflexions sur les difficultés de vivre dans un monde où la communauté est en train de se défaire, tout en proposant une musique captivante et rythmée. Si vous cherchez des albums qui parlent de la condition humaine avec une grande sincérité, The World is a Ghetto et The Suburbs sont des choix incontournables.
C'était sympathique, mais loin de leur apogée musicale, à savoir leur association avec une Miley Cyrus couverte de drogue de la tête au pied au milieu des années 2010.
8/10 while I can’t call myself an arcade fire fan, this is still an undeniably good album
one of the great of last fifteen years
it's alright. Never understood the appeal.
Not my sweet spot. Agha I thought I liked the band, some sounds are good but a whole album is aaahhh, what the word? To closed and constrained ? kind of flat homogeneous and featureless and I suppose no life to it... 3 stars... That kind of serious music you hear and think "what's this?". Sounds interesting, but then after a few songs nothing seems to happen. Yes, worthy, good background atmosphere cool stuff but I'm not getting it.
Worth a listen, Empty Room is pretty damn good. I cooked a curry while listening to this and other than Empty nothing stood out, I didn't get hooked as it were. The words are interesting, but as with so much 21st century pop music it flatlines, there's no vertical movement across the stave, it's all horizontal. So an ok album which is not doing anything special.
Never been a big fan, but didn’t mind this. Really loved Month Of May, which is the only track here that gallops at a clip & could have belonged to a punk outfit. A lot of this has a dreamlike feel about it. The tracks do reflect the subject matter in a way I can’t really explain. But I have lived there.
Described as anthemic, grandiose, dramatic, sweeping, cathartic, emotional, oh, how the critics swooned. I am so bored. Bored, bored, bored, bored, boringly bored, bored, bored. I am so bored, I can't even be bothered writing a new review. This is recycled from the Arcade Fire's Funeral album, which at least had the song Wake Up on it. Nothing as catchy as that on here.
Average. Didn't grab my attention much and felt like casual background music. Not my thing.
Beautifully crafted indie pop. Elements of electro/punk/folk/rock. The more I listen the higher the mark got. I’m going to try and find some time to dig in to the rest of their work.
Zalige plaat.
Bloody brilliant, arguably their last great album, followed by two of their worse, reflector had a few decent tracks on it. Everything now had the title track and the rest was dire. But this is class, sprawl is my personal highlight.
Really not my style but average.
Yep, this is fine and good, just not my personal favorite.
Enjoyed
I love the structure and felt the journey of the album particularly with the reprise, but didn’t grab me as much as I’d hoped.
Nice, but really boring
took me a while to listen to because the first song is so good i kept replaying it for several days modern man is also okay rest of the album is mid
I don’t get them.
I’ve had Arcade Fire on my list to listen to for a little while now as I’ve seen their debut album float around quite a lot, which I’m sure is on this list as well, but I ended up with this album first instead which is very enjoyable nonetheless. Despite the band’s sound being primarily indie rock there are a multitude of sounds on this record that really keep you listening, from the upbeat title track opener that has this steady beat reminiscent of an old speakeasy with a band playing in the corner, the piano really helps with that, to the to the build up instrumental of ‘Rococo’ that starts with an acoustic guitar riff and builds up to this grand finale of an electric guitar lead by some steady drums. Further examples include ‘Half Light II’ that has the pace of an electronic track consistently beating through, and ‘We Used To Wait’ that prioritises the piano into a build up of the drums really letting the instrumental speak. My other 2 stand out tracks are ‘Empty Room’ which is very fast paced accompanied by some dreary almost shoegaze instrumentation in the back ground, both vocalists do incredibly well too being very in sync with each other and keeping the energy. The other track being ‘Sprawl II’ which is definitely a bit more electronic inspired with keyboards taking over accompanied by what sounds like the maracas. I think what makes these 2 stand out the most is the inclusion of the female vocalist, she fits the style so well and really adds to the tracks. What’s stopping me from giving this album a top rating is the length of the album. Although some tracks are very memorable I had to go back and really re-listen to some others as they just flew past me. Another part is sometimes I find the lyrics a little bland, for the most part they’re great but on songs like ‘Rococo’ and ‘Month of May’ the over repetitive nature of the tracks titles does slightly ruin it for me, I want to hear more verses because the verses are great! Overall, I did like this album quite a bit, some things not so much as others but the sound that was created on this record was fantastic and I look forward to going back to a good handful of these songs. 4/5
Made for good background noise as I worked.
Beautiful music
Enjoyable
Þetta er drullugóð plata!
Ok. Not really my thing but they were talented for sure
I liked this album quite a bit. I liked how the songs merged into each other, it made it feel more like a concept album, even though it really isn't. I liked the instrumentation, I liked the feel and nature of the songs (being from the suburbs myself). I related to the lyrics a lot. I remember hearing Arcade Fire on SNL and they really did not impress me. But this album did. I don't know if I would run out to get their latest, but this was something I appreciated.
I like their debut album better, but I do like this one too. I feel like I had a copy of it at one time - maybe it was a roommate's. The first 4 songs are great, though I like Modern Man even more than the two singles (title track and Ready to Start). I can't believe they released 7 singles (since Month of May - not their best - was packaged with the Suburbs) but yeah, I do recall all of them on the radio at sometime. They have some songs that are a bit meh, but every time the album dips it picks right back up. Like Half Light I or Sprawl I - both meh - but Half Light II and Sprawl II are both awesome. I'd almost say the album is too long, but the back half has a bunch of real gems with Deep Blue and We Used to Wait (the best single in my opinion). Yeah, real solid effort but not quite a 5.
This is a grower. My first impression was "I didn't need to hear this before I die" and I wasn't surprised to see it was removed from the book. By the third listen, I was really enjoying it and by the fourth listen I was liking every track. I definitely want to keep listening. Tracks I really liked (usually by the third listen): Ready Start, Modern Man, Rococo, City with No Children, Half Light (I and II), Suburban War, We Used to Wait, and Sprawl II (sounds like Daft Punk meets 70s disco - I like).
I feel like I should have liked this more. It seemed good, but something about it just left me cold.
This sound is a dime a dozen. The first song sounds like a commercial, it feels like I'm being sold something. This album/band is not horrible, it's just nothing special. I personally find it tiring to listen to. And they've completely lost the fucking plot with Rococo. There's like 30 more minutes of this shit, nah I'm good. 2/5.
Boring, left no real last effect on me
Very bland
ekasta biisistä tietää.. jo osaa aavistaa.. Konsepti albumi... ja on hieno.... Väliaine jolla tunne tuodaan kuitenkin.. HÄVETTÄÄ KUUNNELLA.. harmittaa koska todella hyvä toistaan tukeva kokonaisuus.. mutta noi rummut on vaan niin MYÖTÄHÄPEÄ EI HELVETTI! Kitaran laiskan lörpökkä römpötys... pistää vihaksi.. hankala kuunnella jos ei anna kaikkea albumin syntejä anteeksi.. SYNTEJÄ ON USEITA...
Invokes a nostalgic feel. A lot of the songs sound the same to me though….
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
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.
Its dense and long and probably needs several listens (which i can't give it). I adored Funeral and thought Neon Bible was v good. This however feels a bit laboured. That's probably a bit harsh. 3.5
Not as good as funeral, but there is some good in it
Interesting, 7/10
Already have heard it 8/10
These fuckers. They're like Danny DeVito's Penguin in Batman Returns twirling an umbrella at Christopher Walken's character, who asks if the umbrella is supposed to hypnotize him. The Penguin replies, "No, I'm just trying to give you a splitting headache."
not really my cup of tea but some tracks that were ok
Good but didn’t blow me away by any means. Maybe for the time it was
Hard not to compare this to funeral and I prefer funeral in almost every way. Not a bad album but doesn’t have the same charm, and my most common complaint nowadays applies: too long. Albums should have a hard cap at 45 minutes
I was quite taken with this. More so than Funeral, I think. I wish I could listen to it all day tomorrow again.
This was an acceptable album. It didn’t overly tickle my fancy, but I liked some it and didn’t hate any of it.
I hadn't listened to any of Arcade Fire before this project and I found their album Funeral (our album #65) bold and theatrical. I felt an arc and an intention. I listened several times. Now it's a year and a half and 500 or so albums later and maybe I'm tired and maybe it isn't fair to compare this album to the previous one but that's what I found myself doing. I heard glimmers of what I liked about Funeral but overall found The Suburbs much less compelling. I don't particularly want to devote much attention to it again.
I’ve been a huge fan of this album since it was released. It’s filled with great hooks that are twisted just enough to make this really unique yet still accessible. A not quite despairing but still somewhat futile paean to the suburbs.
Classic Indie Album
Absolutely fantastic, modern classic!
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.
Verry 2010. Love it!
This album won a Grammy. Without knowing what it was up against, that fact alone should land it on the list. After listening to it, I can add my opinion and say the voters didn't get it wrong.
Rating: 10/10
Ready To Start is good the rest was forgettable
Damn near a perfect album.
Every song lands an emotional hit. It doesn’t shred but the instrumentation is great.
I didn't particularly love Arcade Fire before the controversy and have even less of a reason to bother trying now. That said, this was the album of theirs I found myself most interested in. I've lived, worked, and travelled with many Arcade Fire fans through the years, so I've heard their music quite a bit for a band I could never get into. I never actively disliked them either at least. But something about the morning-after vibes of this one always felt more enjoyable for me than largely indifference toward the others.
No bad songs but no stand out.
The transition from The Suburbs to Ready To Start had me sold from the beginning.
Great album sprawl II is a great song, 4.4
classic alt rock - great vibes all around
Pretty good. Quite chilled.
Knew a couple tracks ahead of time and they're great. This goes from folky to some harder tracks. It's a little too long perhaps and I'm not sure I love the singers voice. Otherwise pretty good.
Two Arcade Fire albums in a row. This is the superior one. 5/5
Wow what a great record!
Not a fan of these guys at all. I feel like we already did this one, but then I realize that was a different Arcade Fire album, which makes me realize there are more than one.