What is it about Arcade Fire? They're back with a new album called WE. Watch out folks. They've been reading dystopian fiction again. Someone should take their library cards away really. On the surface, after a couple of shaky albums over recent years this feels like a return to form. These are good songs. Clearly. But somehow it doesn't resound. At least not with me.
First of all it needs to be said that Arcade Fire are definitely not the zeitgeist anymore, and never will be again. Once, they arguably were. This must be an enormous, irritating itch for them. One they can't scratch. Particularly given how messianic and zealous and full of self importance they've always been and remain.
This lot have always thought they were the best band in the entire world and for a while, many, many people thought they were too. You could probably consider their imperial period covered their first three albums, perhaps a minor blip, for their second Neon Bible, which was considered a misstep by many at the time.
The problem for me with this band is they appear to have swallowed their own myth, good and proper. Just because they relased a couple of records that had a good claim to be the albums of the year, they seem to be convinced that every record they have has a god given right to be accorded that status. Life doesn't often work like that. It hasn't for them anyhow.
Unfortunately they still think that the tricks that worked so well on Funeral and The Suburbs will always work. Essentially, bombast, turning everything up to 11, full on anthemic mode at all points, whether they really have anything to say or not. On first play with WE, they don't particularly except that Big Brother and The Man are still out to get us. Is that really news? I won't be listening to it again to find out if I'm wrong or not.
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