Band: Arcade Fire
Release: 8/2010
Label: Merge

1. “The Suburbs” – (A) – This tune is really likable. It does suffer from length issues, but this is Arcade Fire we’re talking about.

2. “Ready to Start” – (B) – The instrumentation is really great, but the vocals weaken it for a while. It does get a little bit better, but the whole Interpol/Peter Bjorn and John dark thing makes this random.

3. “Modern Man” – (A) – This has an old feel to it. It’s really good! The bass is awesome!

4. “Rococo” – (B+) – This doesn’t stand out, but is humorously okay.

5. “Empty Room” – (B-) – Sounds like Sonic Youth meets ABBA.

6. “City With No Children” – (B+) – Private prisons aren’t cool.

7. “Half Light I” – (B+) – Sort of epic.

8. “Half Light II” – (A) – A bit more than sort of epic. Reminds me of Girls.

9. “Suburban War” – (B+)

10. “Month of May” – (A) – I like the drumming.

11. “Wasted Hours” – (B+) – Kind of slow, kind of so-so. Interesting, though.

12. “Deep Blue” – (B)

13. “We Used to Wait” – (B-) – A bit like Spoon.

14. “Sprawl (Flatland)” – (C+) – Probably the worst thing on here.

15. “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” – (B+) – A strange dancey number.

16. “The Suburbs (Continued)” – (B) – Okay, we get it.

Final Comments: This will probably end up being one of the more disappointing records of the year for me. It’s pretty forgettable save a few numbers. A good five or six songs could have been cut out, but I must say the band’s foray into a bunch of different styles is refreshing as a listener. If they cut it short after “Month of May,” I’m not so sure the album would be any better, but it’d save us from a few less than stellar tunes.

Grade: B+ (87)