Arcade Fire - We ALBUM REVIEW 

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Damn

Historically, most bands tend to slip (even unintentionally, sometimes) into these trends. I sense like we were not ready to see Arcade Fire changing so much by almost sounding like everyone else. They have been productive, and they probably have all good intentions, and their hands are itching from how the perspective on outside might be different from theirs... but, all this, since Everything Now, just feels not so well thought. Neon Bible was released 15 years ago, yet, from the astounding album cover, to the variety of sounds and the creativity on the writing, it feels miles ahead than the latest Arcade Fire, almost as if the blood was much more eager to come out, and now, it just wants to stay inside. I think, once again, that the key point is intention. In the end, maybe the view from the band itself is just different than what the constantly-starving public sees. To the point where it almost feels like they are making a record for themselves, but trying to fit in, too.

That burn was so harsh it snuffed out Arcade Fire’s…. fire.

Maybe they planned it that way all along.

Totally misunderstood gem, agree.

I loved reflektor

@@StephanDallaPria I mean how can someone listen to Afterlife and go "meh", idk some people just don't have a soul I guess.

Absolutely! The only album of theirs I can really get behind.

Agree , superb album

Best AF album no cap

What are the relevant themes?

Pretty great for what it is, but unfortunately I think it's fair to say that they've still peaked with Funeral

I agree for the most part. "You Already Know" kind of blows. The rest of the album is great though

Great album

Fantano doesn't know what he likes lol

I don't like either but this was definitely better than Everything Now

This is the real top comment.

There’s nothing on this album that’s even close to be as grating as the infinite content songs.

it’s a tough call. both can dive deep into cringe, but i think EN is barely put over by the fact that i like the title track, put your money on me, and we don’t deserve love better than anything on WE. end of empire iv + unconditional i go toe-to-toe with the worst moments on EN and the really muted, unfocused production keeps other tracks (rabbit hole etc) from reaching their full potential

you had me until "perfect turning point". I would have settled for "perfect musical break". In retrospect theres a lotta good songs on Reflektor, but problem is, the "bad" in Reflektor became the normal in Everything Now

@@terencecaron2922 Well if Chemistry and Peter Pan were not in EN it was going to be a much better album, i love EN the song, Signs of Life (i’m a sucker for disco), Creature comfort and Put your money on me are really good songs and i even was a fan of Electric Blue

I love Reflektor. Possibly bc of the time it came out, blasting it in the car, living the vibe. And I hate disco!!

It's a fantastic record but it really isn't a turning point in any sense. Before that album they were great, during that album they were great. Sonically it was a turning point but I don't get the sense that is what you meant

peter pan and creature comforts are the best tracks on the album. you need to open up to the new things they did. arcade fire has so much to offer with their new tracks that is so underrated cuz it’s “different”

I swear haha, I love that album!

Amen. Reflektor is pure gold and it moves me every time I hear it. I cannot take seriously anyone who regards it as mediocre.

Some songs are kinda meh imo, f.e. I can't stand Here Comes The Night Time (I and II). Normal Person is a track I really like, but it can feel dull at times, same goes for You Already Know

Orpheus and Eurydice existed far before Reflektor

I too have an O&E tattoo and love the shit out of Reflektor.

It is a great opener - shame so much if that double album is really tedious

I also feel like Afterlife is one of their better songs - like full discography. Really great tune.

@@markarbanasin4 it's a great song

Agreed - afterlife is excellent, and always loved the song Porno. And supersymmetry, but not sure it warrents a double album for those highlights... Editing needed in retrospect (of course in my humble and not-so-successful subjective opinion)

It's not better than any of Kendrick lamar's album openers

For real I broke down twice when listening to lookout kid back to back! Something about it really hits, like the band you’ve grown up with coming to comfort you after a shitty few years

A banger? Gross

@@mrradio6223 Yeah, it helps that I heard the live version first which is definitely better, I'm not completely happy with the production on the album version but I'm warming up to it

My issue with "Lookout Kid" is that the melody feels plagiarized from "Creature Comfort", just minus the disco dance synths.

Afterlife is beautiful too ❤️

YO I HAD A DREAM WHERE I SAW THIS EXACT COMMENT WTFFFF

@@platinosgay BRO YOU GOT PRECOGNITION

no1 asked

@@beaualIoevv Recent comments on this channel: "jack harlow record was below mid smh" "no father?" "cringe"

@@beaualIoevv yes my name is no1

@@squal6216 doesn’t change the fact that literally no1 asked still..

@@beaualIoevv no1 asked for your opinion either.

Maybe I should give it a shot. I only heard the single "We Exist" and did not like it at all, so I passed over it.

​@@jeremyc9593 Huh We exist is actually the only song on the album I like tbh

You're right It should have been much higher at 4.1 / 10

I'm not even an Arcade Fire fan and I think you're right. It should be at least a "strong 5" territory.

Yeah. It should have been 4/11.

This guy has been not getting Arcade Fire for years, so no surprise here

@@jonathanlgill as a not arcade fire fan, how do you feel about suburbs, just out of curiosity? That record was life changing for me. Granted I first heard it on mushrooms. But I've loved it since it came.

everything now has so much more to offer than people take it for. i hear people say peter pan and creature comfort ruin it cause it’s too “different.” i think people need to open up to EN

@@noahhenninger5543 Everything Now is up their with their best It's a masterpiece IMO

@@APanther9 I wasn't crazy about everything now at first listen, but now I love it. Re-listened to it last week and, yeah, it's awesome

An arcade fire fan that hasn’t heard Funeral? Literally the best album of the 2000s tbh.

I would skip Everything Now. I have been sarcastically calling WE the first Arcade Fire album in 9 years

@@RB-.- I’ll make sure to put it on next!

@@luigi290 if you can see them when they tour I highly recommend, theyre super fun live

@@luigi290 their first 4 albums are pretty darn worth it :)

This is a healthy opinion, it’s good to recognize things for what they do right.

If that’s the case, then Arcade Fire is about to turn it around and make some damn classics. 90s Macca is glorious.

exactly

Well....

Well, the band has definitely aged differently than we thought...

I mean, their last two albums still have some good production but Win Butler has completely regressed as a songwriter (among other issues...) There is no universe where the lyrics on Creature Comfort will age well, for example.

@@m.j.8226 Agreed 😂

I second this. ONE LAST ROUND BEFORE WE GO

If everyone subbed to this channel would take the advice of End of the Empire IV, Anthony would be stuck with precisely 0 subscribers! Keep that in mind, to me it's a masterpiece.

End of the Empire I-III is great but VI is just... I unsubscribe

I absolutely agree…I especially like the lyrics towards the end of movement III (It’s you and I, it’s so or die, Suicide mission baby, by my side, we got one life and half of it’s gone, you know I can’t sleep with the television on)

I couldn’t agree more.

Agreed totally

Yep....the more you listen to any of their records, the more you get it and fall in love with it

For sure reflektor and everything now ages as wine.

I absolutely agree. I feel that people are so critical of Arcade Fire's newer discography because they produced three god-tier albums in a row. Yeah, not all of their music is going to be as great and ground-breaking as Funeral and The Suburbs but they don't need to be. If a band with mediocre discography produced AF's newer discography people would probably be much more receptive to it. In fact, I think that AF's later discography will age just as well as their first three albums.

i couldn’t agree more! i disagree with anthony here

Agreed.

This album is fantastic. Loved it so much more than EN. Which I already enjoyed

Loved every second of it.

Definitely agree. Arcade Fire is in a tough spot because if they decide to make an album that’s sounds like their earlier work, people will be upset over their sound regressing, but if they keep changing their sound they are at a risk of alienating their fans. I thought they worked around this really well on this album with songs that feel reminiscent of older albums while not being exact copies while also having songs that evolve their sound.

The Coldplay syndrome

Viper comes to mind

@@garethfitzpatrick3932 this is a perfect name for this. The only other one I have is maybe muse?

Or wire. Maybe even new order and spiritualized.

@@quetzal7432 or weezer

Agree

Yeah and after 3 shitty reconds in a row they are pretty much dead. A Funeral, if you will.

@@hamdiatasoy2456 🪦🥀

A Reflektor, if you will.

UN, DEUX, TROIS, DIS: "MIROIR NOIR."

@@hamdiatasoy2456 That's a bit harsh, Reflektor is far from being shit and even WE has its merits, I'd give it a better score than Melon

Agree. Went to the opening show of that tour and it was probably the most fun ive ever had at a show.

Saw that tour in Winnipeg on my birthday. One of the best concerts I've been to

Yes so happy I saw this your. We exist and afterlife were big records for me.

he does not like good things

Come on dude it's a 6/10 at best

@@hotbeefymcd8162 no

​@@hotbeefymcd8162 people aren't allowed to have different opinions

@@xertiasstrat8957 people aren't allowed to have different opinions

Even Win Butler said to not dismiss the record on first listen. It is definitely a grower. My first listen I would give it a 6, my second a 7, and my third, a 7.5

do you think he just listens once and gives a review lol

I agree it grows on you with each listen, and it's probably their best since Suburbs, but that isn't saying much unfortunately lol.

@@vvvictoriav5958 Never said that, you’re just assuming that

@@vvvictoriav5958 in one video he said he usually listens to each record 3/4/5 times before reviewing it!

But melon tells me what too think But I like it

Their past absolutely does. Cause art isn’t created in a vacuum. Using the merits of past performance creates context to evaluate this album. Sure you can go in blind but when you’re a long time fan it’s impossible to separate past work when evaluating present work. And if they were more successful at creating and presenting compositions in the past, that’s a point of reference to judge one’s level of enjoyment on the current project.

maybe it's better than the average album releases, but for an Arcade Fire album, if we know they can and did do much better in the past, I understand that it can be underwhelming

@@CKool057 the problem with that is if you expect one thing to be like the last you’re always gonna end up disappointed.

You're still in the honeymoon period That will wane and in time your school will also decrease

well said!

Preach it!

Same

It's their best album.

Agreed, I love Reflektor. Not keen on EN and WE though.

It was fine, but far from the first three

I agree as well i don’t understand why people don’t appreciate Reflektor as a good companion of the first three, Reflektor is an amazing song, We exist is very dope, Joan of Arc, here comes the night time, Come on Normal Person ROCKS, Awful sound and It’s never over are amazing 2 part song and Afterlife is amazing. People are crazy

Brad will definitely drop his score after this

@@spamsingles5948 Yeah, he’s too influenced by big Daddy Fantano’s opinions and wants to impress him

and if my grandma had wheels she would be a bike. Arcade Fire set the bar really really high with their first 3 albums, Funeral is probably in my top 5. You can't evaluate their art in a vacuum, thats not how it works. We have a standard by which to compare them to. We know what they look like when they are great. No one is saying you can't like this album but its nowhere near where they have been in the past

Absolutely - it's strange that people are divided on this. Their best song(s) since Funeral!

@@richardgurney1844 take a fucking seat. No

It's weird - based on his review i thought he'd go light 6 or strong 5 And then that 4 came out of nowhere!! Like ...why?! Definitely didn't sound like he hated it as much as EN

I couldn't disagree more. I've listened to it a few times and Anthony more or less affirmed my exact take. This is lyrically some of the cringiest stuff AF has put out. "I/We/She Unsubscribe(s)" is not good, but neither is "Rabbit Hole/Plastic Soul" or "I can be your race and religion/You can be my body and soul". This album is just packed with bad lyrical ideas. It's very instrumentally confused as well- it's super weird that Anxiety I is a two parter with the second half being a synthpop instrumental, and then Anxiety II is... another synthpop instrumental? The track naming here is just very awkward. Lightning II was the only song I said I'd go back to on this thing.

I love this idea that if you condition yourself to like something, that makes it good

Literally lol. But it's ok we all have our biases and weak spots, as long as we are honest about it who cares.

@@86starscream music sort of works that way when it comes to the albums you really need to digest so they can grow on you (not saying WE is the case, although I only gave it one and a half listens)

I feel the opposite. I like EN but didn’t like Reflektor.

any one who likes EN is tonally obtuse

@@trumpsdailytruthsmakelibsc6952 I’m going to go ahead and take anything you say with a grain of salt. Hard to take you seriously. Idk why

I love reflektor too but I gotta be honest and say that I understand the hate. It’s really different from their first three albums, it’s a little bloated, and flashbulb eyes as well as normal person kind of suck and this is coming from someone who has overall positive feelings on the record. I don’t understand how anyone could hate the second side of that album though because it’s absolutely perfect.

That’s the way I feel about Everything Now. Have never understood the hate for that one.

Its not a bad take just because you don't agree with the score

@@JazminJazHunt it is in his eyes

And then Pavement in the '90s

or 80s bands eating shit in the 90s lol

Or almost every band

@@jubba4623 Part of me is like "Should bands only exist for 12 years?"

Welcome to the club. Exactly my feelings with Muse. They were so fucking great in the 2000’s…

cringe

no father?

@@beaualIoevv no u

I love reflektor, I have listened to it at least a hundred times

That’s how I feel with Everything Now. To me, it’s easily their peak. It’s concise & concentrated relative to any of their other albums, and it’s catchy to boot. The latest album doesn’t meet at least 2 of those 3 benchmarks for me, though

You're not in the minority- most people love it.

Where did you get that “everyone”? That’s quite the opposite, the majority enjoys the album. Almost all critics praised it and on metacritic it has 8.8 rating form audience. Haters are in minority, just the most loud ones.

Like every song (except "You Already Know". That bassline bugs the shit out of me). Reflektor rules

You obviously didn't listen to the first half of the album

IDK. I liked the album but my #1 issue with it was that the lyrics were complainy.

@@trumpsdailytruthsmakelibsc6952 the first half of the album presents actual problems . The last half is a hopeful ending

@@Ayavaron is there a certain song your referring to?

The Quietus also has a pretty negative review if that sounds interesting

Most of Arcade Fire's songs have good melodies. Everything Now is just not good in almost any other capacity. The instrumental variety on that album sounds more like desperation for variety than it does genuine curiosity or respect (e.g. Everything Now is basically ABBA; the lift of dub influence for the energy devoid Peter Pan; I have no clue what the fuck is going on with Chemistry). The lyrics are so entrenched in the ironic self-fulfillment concept without shedding any light whatsoever on that concept for listeners to take home that it becomes exhausting before we even get to the real lowlights of the album (Peter Pan, both Infinite Contents). Some of the later, more elaborate tracks are fine (Put Your Money on Me/We Don't Deserve Love) but they don't exactly shine compared to the more textural and ambitious tracks of Funeral/Neon Bible, and they're too long. As far as instrumental connections to Reflektor, EN relies more on synthpop and dance instrumentals (EN, Signs, Creature, Electric Blue, Put Your Money on Me). The way I usually describe it is it's like Reflektor with only disc 1, with disc 2 of that album being so much higher quality imo.

Infinite Content was garbage

@@hippiecheezburger5457 i like that song, it's quite catchy

Really enjoyed the album at the time. But I love ABBA so that‘s one explanation. „We don‘t deserve love“ is absolutely beautiful.

Chemistry, infinite content, signs of life, electric blue, Peter pan, and good god damn are their worst songs. The rest however, go hard as fuck

Reflektor just isn't that good of an album. It's better than the last two albums which Anthony even scored as but it's no where as good at their initial albums. Arcade Fire getting away from Indie rock wasn't an edgy move.....rock basically died off after 2010 and electronic was the 'in thing'.

That's the order I'd rank the albums too.

I'd give WE a 7 but otherwise completely agree

Strangely I can’t get race & religion off repeat.

Also, while some lyrics could have been better, Age of Anxiety I, The Lightning, and End of the Empire I-III had some great lyrics. And Win's vocal performance in the lightning II is some of the best he's done in years.

This is exactly what I thought. The live version of Rabbit Hole were so exciting and euphoric...the studio version sounds so restrained & limp in comparison. Such a shame

Being a fan since 2005, i subscribe each word you've said. They've reached a boring and low point in their career, when people still go to their shows to see their major hits from more than 10 years ago.

Lol I thought Flashbulb Eyes and Porno were highlights, 2 out of 6 good songs from Reflektor! Each to their own I guess

You’re not alone

I don't think it's their best but it's certainly much better than Melon gives it credit for

The album deserves to be on top for "Afterlife" alone, even if you're willing to ignore We Exist, Normal Person and the title track, which was strange at first, as a hard rocker type, but it became good. What pulled me in was that live performance of Afterlife dressed in white. Unforgettable and peak of their career, yet.

There are dozens of us!

lmao you guys are smoking crack

Rabbit Hole got the worst of it, the drums and synths are so weak compared to the live versions.

@@moricwilson Bro listen to thin thong by the smile… Nigel took a shit on that song

@@moricwilson I think End of the Empire III got screwed too, could have been even more of a powerful moment if they turned up the backing music

Absolutely based comment

they wrote a boomer facebook post, they’re not david foster wallace lol

@@soma8756 see edit: they’re Tom Petty. no one’s talking ‘bout DFW.

@@soma8756 Love it! Best analogy I’ve seen in awhile. I can only imagine what DFW would have thought of the lyrics…. RIP

@@Segkee I think you missed the point

Agreed. Lot of moments I wanted to like on this album but the clunky lyrics got in the way, as with the last album.