Expectation can be a crazy thing. Especially when it comes to a band as reviled and praised as Canada's own Arcade Fire. Though they've long been known to shatter expectations and revamp convention with each of their previous 3 albums, their newest addition to an already laudable catalog is a concept (what else?) double-album of proportions they'd only hinted at before. Expectations were considerably high, and for good reason. This is a band who have never shied away from doing something overblown and spectacular, and their 2010 album The Suburbs was nothing shy of a masterpiece that captured the disenfranchised isolation of the life of suburban young adults through a series of ruminations on the mundane. The album was a success because of how it captured that reasonably common experience and drew out the spectacular shades of emotion within, in a way that only Arcade Fire would have the talent and audacity to do. The pressure to follow that award-winning album with something even more visionary and accomplished would be hard for any band to live up to, but Arcade Fire have met and exceeded expectations with Reflektor. Knee-jerk negative reviews by first-listen only critics not withstanding.
Let's get something out of the way before I continue. If you're going to despise an Arcade Fire album for being (1) too highly conceptual, or (2) overblown and bombastic, you're asking of the music something it never pretends or wants to be. Of course it's overblown, highly-conceptual, and will challenge the limits of your attention-span. That's a given. Reflektor demands of the listener just about as much patience and indulgence as the band held onto to bring it to life. But what you'll find upon giving it the time of day, is a record that stands defiantly unafraid to be great. Even in its flaws, and it does have some flaws, you will find something to admire or enjoy. Arcade Fire have literally taken every trick they have and thrown them, guts and all, onto tape-- making sure to twist them in new and refreshingly combustible ways to prove they aren't afraid to be exactly what they are. It's also danceable, so for the less cerebrally inclined, there's still a lot to like.
The truth is, Reflektor isn't about disco or David Bowie revivalism. Sure, there are shades of every rock excess (both in theory and in practice), hinted at throughout the record but it's also something much more. Underneath the sound of the album is an uneasy feeling the permeates almost all of it. There's nothing one would be able to call "uplifting" to be found, and this is where some critics have levelled their attack on Reflektor. Melodically, it is certainly not warm like The Suburbs was, but it is definitely full of melody and memorable hooks. The difference is that the veneer of calm settled Americana has been eschewed in favour of an underworldly decay and decadence-- Arcade Fire are warning everyone that the party is over, but they're doing it by throwing the be-all, end-all. Like all great albums that tell of a time and place, Reflektor threatens to explode into a forest fire at any second, yet it backs off just that little bit to control its impulses. It is rough around the edges, and it is long-winded in its execution. But it's an indulgence you'll take every bit of pleasure in while spinning it on repeat.
If you couldn't already tell, I'm shying away from nit-picking song specifics and analyzing lyrics because I don't believe it's my place to do that for you. You have ears, you have brains, you can listen and decide for yourself how it all comes together for you. I don't have to sing the praises of Arcade Fire's technical proficiency because that is something that has never been questionable. The album rocks, but it rocks for a purpose and it leaves me with the feeling like there's something about myself I don't quite like-- something that needs to change. If a record can make me question how I'm living in my daily consumption-heavy lifestyle, I consider it a winner. What will you find when you look into Reflektor? What's staring back? Just listen.
No comments:
Post a Comment