A marathon. An odyssey. A death march.
Each adequately define Arcade Fire's fans' three-year recess between the release of the band's new record, "Reflektor" in late October. The groovy, all-encompassing album serves as the follow-up to their 2010 Grammy-Award winning spectacle, "The Suburbs." With plenty of outlets, awarding artists for the best albums and songs of 2013, "Reflektor" has been continually mentioned. Whether it wins or not, the record's anticipation and reception are noteworthy enough.
Although it follows Arcade Fire's trend of immortal indie rock, it is different. Simply put, but simply seen. From the get-go, fans wondered how the Montreal-based band could muster up something as signature as "The Suburbs." With the help of a number of variables, the band has easily done so.
Front man Win Butler and his angelic-voiced wife, Regine Chassagne, recently welcomed their firstborn child into the world. The seven-pound baby boy's name has not been released, but without question, has had some sort of stylistic impact on the band. That, though, is another tactic the band has mastered - secrecy. One may have to heavily dissect the lyrics to find out just how.
This wasn't the only anticipated addition. When the world caught wind that James Murphy, the mastermind of LCD Soundsystem, was on board to produce "Reflektor," there were a number of responses. Sure, a mass of fans undoubtedly praised the Indie-Rock gods for such a perfected communion. Partnering two masters of their craft, how could this go wrong?
Fans were set on the sounds that mastered Arcade Fire's image. After nearly a decade of pure, captivating art, why add anything? Some worried that the band would adopt too many of the pop and percussive tendencies that make Murphy the mogul that he is.
Fans may not understand that this is not Murphy's first stint with the band. Murphy's guidance dates back to 2006 during Arcade Fire's construction of their sophomore record "Neon Bible." Although he worked on 11 of the 14 tracks on "Reflektor," he only spent a combined month with the band. As Butler revealed to Rolling Stone, Murphy lent an influencing helping hand, but stepped back accordingly.
Murphy's percussive expertise shines. It is easily seen in songs such as the title track "Reflektor", as well as its overall form. Synth-additions in "Here Comes The Night Time", "Porno", and "It's Never Over (Oh Orpheus)" make their presence known. This, combined with a more-distinguishable bass-foundation, hint at Murphy's work.
Arcade Fire made this work by adapting these themes into their own sufficiently. They followed similar trends in song styles. "Normal Person" shows ties to the adrenaline-inducing "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)" off of "Funeral," their first album. Reflektor follows the dual-song format that shined in "The Suburbs," with "Here Comes The Night Time" and "Here Comes The Night Time II".
Most importantly, the band builds upon the dark bedrock that they've taken on for years. Sure, "The Suburbs" was loved by many for its fun-loving ditties and playful melodies. However, this album was only the surface of a dismal look at the scenes of the suburbs.
"The Suburbs" follows "Reflektor," but with more of an outright attitude. No, there aren't any fluffy tidbits of unrealistic outlooks. Instead, Arcade Fire reveals more of a "take-it-or-leave-it" attitude that they aren't afraid to assert. Their attitude shines in "It's Never Over (Oh Orpheus)" as demonstrated in the lyrics, "Wait until it's over / wait until it's true...Seems so important now / but you will get over/ when you get older / you will remember / that it's never over."
"Afterlife" asks the wondered questions, "I've got to know / Can we work it out?" and additionally "When love is gone, where does it go? / And where do we go?"
There are plenty of major-keyed anthems that will shine live alongside other Arcade Fire classics. "You Already Know" could play effectively off of "The Suburbs" track, "City With No Children" and the "Funeral" track "Rebellion (Lies)". "Afterlife" joins a cast of foot-stompers and head-bobbers with "The Suburbs" track "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)".
"Reflektor" is new. "Reflektor" is different. But "Reflektor" is Arcade Fire. Some may notch it as an overhyped entity. Some see it as step ahead. Nevertheless, it is an attention-worthy record that'll be dissected heavily as "Best Of" contests continue.