[LP] ARCADE FIRE are READY TO START getting some more plays around here /// The Burning Ear

but I would rather be alone than pretend i feel alright

At 16 tracks, Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs will be one of the most bloated albums on people’s best of 2010 lists. You can either take issue that I called the album bloated or you can take issue that I assume it will make the best of cut, but the reality is that both parts are true. In this day of 9 track LPs and running times that barely crack the half hour mark, The Suburbs is practically a double album. Well, thank goodness it isn’t because a, who the fuck likes double albums, and b, The Suburbs works brilliantly as a cohesive 16 track musical examination of life on the outskirts of the city. I have never been a huge Arcade Fire fan but am always curious to hear what they are up to. First taste tracks “The Suburbs” and “Month of May” left me unimpressed but curious of what would follow. Fast forward 2 months and I didn’t need to venture farther than track 2 on The Suburbs before I was thoroughly rocking out to “Ready To Start” (above) and already convinced I was going to like the rest of the album. An hour later I was left more than satisfied and itched to repeat the adventure. It’s all the things that people love about Arcade Fire: anthemic, big hooks, lush instrumentation, but somehow it all fits so much better. While there are a handful of epic tracks, there are a bigger handfull that don’t really standout yet but are nonetheless essential to the experience of The Suburbs. I might not be humming them later but I sure as hell am not skipping them in the moment.

♫ Arcade Fire – Month Of May

Early shoulder-shrugger ”Month Of May” has definitely taken on a new persona while listening to the whole disc. Initially seeming like an awkward attempt at punk rock, it now makes perfect sense and I love hearing it rev up after the 4 relatively calm tracks that precede it. Anyway, I’m sure that at this point 94% of you already have The Suburbs but for those other 6% I encourage you to give this one a chance. It just might change your opinion of Arcade Fire, or at the least, 16 track albums. And definitely go check out their video experience for “We Used To Wait.” It’s interactive in the smallest way but packs a huge punch for the short line of text you will enter. And besides, it’s Arcade Fire set to film, something we can all agree is awesome.

Bury your face in MySpace /// eMusic too