Arcade Fire are back with their confident fifth album, exploring further than ever.
It has been well over a decade since their debut release Funeral, their output since has been bold and imaginative. Where will the the art-rock group take their fans on Everything Now?
Their musical style has been far from shy, leaving room for interpretation and potentially alienating less adventurous listeners. 2013’s Reflector was a slight wobble, in an otherwise pretty well received back catalogue. This year’s album is already polarising critics, and once again it has been followed by a weirdly wonderful promotional campaign. Narcissism, technology, anxiety, paranoia and other references to modern life are contained within the lyrics, and the theatrics used to promote the release. “Some girls hate their bodies, stand in the mirror and wait for the feedback, god make me famous, if you can’t just make it painless”.
Everything Now opens with its title track, which will have listeners scratching their heads instantly. As they piece together countless 80’s pop tracks, the backing singers and pan pipe breakdown create a nostalgic introduction for the album. It is not only the marketing campaign that was over the top, the band continued their tradition of a busy studio this time around as well. Musicians and producers from Pulp, Daft Punk amongst countless others have added an ingredient or two to the pot.
Everything Now is the fifth studio album by the Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire.
Uneasy themes of suicide and self harm appear, as frontman Win Butler paints a painful picture on Creature Comforts. However nothing they have recorded has induced as many tears as the powerfully emotive Wake Up, which has reached over 40 million streams on Spotify since 2005. With six band members and a large production team now their sound has lost some of its naïve appeal, but on Everything Now they have certainly pushed the boat out.
Not everything plays out as one might expect, like the bubbling reggae / ska rhythm of Chemistry. It could even be mistaken for 70’s pop-rock occasionally, and even though it sticks out somewhat the album would not be the same without it. Signs of Life is clearly one of the production highlights, but Butler’s vocal is an unnecessary addition. It is a funky-soulful-disco inspired number that you could listen to all day, the quick fire hi-hat groove and horn sections are reminiscent of the 70’s, but the whole track is modernised cleverly; fans of the band Jungle will be getting down to this one.
They wear their influences with pride on Everything Now. Electric Blue once again marries old school flavours with a futuristic palette, there are hints of Grimes here, as well as a distinctly oriental vibe throughout. Their use of synthesis is more frequent on this project, like the James Blake detuned strangeness on Everything Now; it all becomes weirder during the Beatles inspired outro, where they recreate the dissonance of an orchestra tuning up.
Life-long fans will no doubt be missing some 2005 nostalgia, and as the album progresses it becomes clear that their Rebellion (Lies) days are far behind them. Peter Pan experiments further with ugly beats, joined by equally unattractive vocals. The closest we get to their former glory comes in at track ten, where they avoid putting a foot wrong. There is a bass line to die for, cocky, scratchy vocals and more space for a change. It is hard to fault this one, the combination of the guitars, synths, strings and an engaging performance from Bulter, demands your attention for three and a half meaningful minutes.
Even though this album might need some time to marinate, you have to commend them continuing to evolve with each release. Come and hear it for yourself on one of our seperate hi-fi systems in store today.
