The Suburbs – Arcade Fire ★★★★★

Year	Album	Artist	Stars	Score	Genre
2010	The Suburbs	Arcade Fire	★★★★★	98	Rock	Alternative Rock	Indie Rock

Arcade Fire’s first three albums would win head to head against almost any other group’s opening run of records, and The Suburbs in my mind is the best of the bunch. Fusing together the childlike wonder and imagination of Funeral with the grand, anthemic triumphs of Neon Bible, and adding in more mature themes and sounds, Arcade Fire reached the peak of their creative and artistic abilities on The Suburbs in 2010.

I’ve always felt the band’s growth could be easily seen on album’s second track “Ready to Start” which almost works as the inverse of “Keep the Car Running,” Neon Bible’s second song. Both tracks are practically the same tempo, have similar drum beats and are rhythm guitar driven, but while one swells up with optimistic sounds, vocals and resolving phrases, “Keep the Car Running” is more dissonant, grounded in reality and frantic.  

The darker, minor tones on songs like the title track, “Wasted Hours” and “Deep Blue” feel more personal than ever and add a seriousness that was missing on earlier records. Some of the humorous moments still remain on tracks like “Rococo,” the youthful energy of the past can still be found on “Empty Room” and “Month of May,” and the long instrumental builds on Neon Bible are matched by the more subtle and emotional builds on “Half Light I,” “Suburban War” and “We Used to Wait.” 

But the true standout elements of the record are the more varied volumes, the addition of more stings, the introduction of keyboard synths and the fantastic performances by Régine Chassagne, who is a pleasure throughout and absolutely steals the show on “Sprawll II.”

It’s cliché, but the record does, by design, feel like a journey through the suburbs— the highs, the lows, the history, the friendships and the realization that what once was is always changing and will never be quite what you remember.