The Suburbs - Arcade Fire

The first time I heard of Arcade Fire was during U2's Vertigo Tour a few years ago.  Well I say heard of them, it was their song Wake Up, played just before U2 took to the stage, that caught my attention - it was amazing.  I found out who sang it and have enjoyed most of the bands music since.  There are seven main band members, but on stage they are also joined by others (I've never worked out how many), so they are not your average four piece rock band visually - or sonically.



I downloaded their third album The Suburbs a while ago.  I'd heard lots of positive reviews but I've been busy and only listened to bits of it here and there.  But tonight I made the time and sat down and listened to the whole thing - and this album most definitely has to be listened to as a whole, it's an amazing, powerful sonic experience. 

The Suburbs is complex lyrically and musically, and like most U2 albums, the songs are interlinked in theme, it is very much a single entity and a grower.  I feel I need to listen to it a good few more times before I could attempt a proper review, but what I can say now is that this is an excellent album well worth buying.  Arcade Fire have their own "wall of sound" and are like no other band around.  And in this age of  made-to-order bands it's refreshing to know young people still have the hunger to create and express themselves and how they see the world around them via excellent rock music!

Read a review by NME here that says it better than I ever could.