The Arcade Fire - Empty Room

Empty Room by Arcade Fire  
Download now or listen on posterous

05 Empty Room.mp3 (7357 KB)

So, I got drunk and listened to the new Arcade Fire album tonight.

I've been listening to The Suburbs since the second it leaked, but tonight was different. Not only was I less than sober but I've read several reviews of it now, most notably the one on Pitchfork.

Now look, I'm a fan of the 'Fork, and I really love this album - I'd say it's a solid 7.0 instead of an 8.7 - but that's basically arguing semantics. Brilliant is brilliant, right?

Everybody, and I mean everybody, seems to agree that this uber-talented group of Canucks has done it again. Like each of the first two records, this one just gets better with every listen. 

But let me lay this out, because I'm sure the music-loving masses will follow the P-Fork lead: This thing sounds nothing like Springsteen. I know it's hip to give The Boss his due in indie circles these days but come the fuck on. Wiiiiin sounds nothing like Bruuuuuce. Not in vocal or in lyric.

No doubt, The Suburbs is a concept album focused on modern life. Part of its resonance, and I think this because I can identify, is that most of the people who will embrace this thing grew up in a relatively gentrified suburban area. It is, to put it simply, about us. Our past and future, both inside and outside, this is one of those albums that is a reflection. In that way, it just might be Springsteen-like. But that's a stretch, and that's about it.

I posted "Empty Room" pretty arbitrarily and mostly because it kicks and rolls, from opening violins to fade-out-that-should-be-a-sudden-stop ending. I could just have easily picked "Wasted Hours," because it's the track that really hit home and roped me in, but I wrote most of this after several pints of PBR (How hipster am I?) and I wanted a barn burner. Sue me.

Just acquire, listen to and enjoy the album. Trust me, it's worth however long it takes you to download it and whatever you pay for it.

(Aside from the comparisons to other artists and bland categorization of song type, the Pitchfork review of The Suburbs is, in fact, a good series of thoughts on the album and what The Arcade Fire is up to from an overall perspective. Don't be surprised - there's a reason that music fans continue to flock the Internet generation's Rolling Stone.)

Posted via email from One Stupid Mop