Arcade Fire - Modern ManAlbum: The Suburbs [2010]
in my opinion, one of the best songs from 2010 coming from perhaps the years' best album.
arcade fire successfully avoided the sophomore slump with 2007's moody "neon bible", though it was more uncertain than their near perfect debut, "funeral". having already fled the cold comforts of suburbia on "funeral" and suffered beneath the weight of the world on "neon bible", the band found peace in their past, and translated it perfectly on the nostalgia of "the suburbs". inspired by brothers win and william butler's suburban houston upbringing, the 16-track record plays out like a long lost summer weekend, with the title track serving as its bookends. carefully paced and conservatively grand, fans looking for the instant gratification of past anthems like "wake up" will find themselves reluctantly defending the album upon first listen, but anyone who remembers excitedly jumping into a friend's car on a friday night armed wit hope and no agenda knows that patience is key. multiple spins reveal a work that is as triumphant and soul-touching as it is sentimental and mature. at it's most spirited ("ready to start", "city with no children", "month of may", "sprawl II", "we used to wait"), the band makes the suburbs feel positively electric. quieter moments reveal a changing of the guard that create a very present atmosphere. the fact that they were able to make an album that can arguably stand beside "funeral" is impressive enough, and it may be their album that ages the best.
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