When reading reviews for ‘The Suburbs’, I was amazed by how many comparisons were thrown up here and there as if the album was a succession of new songs that sounded just like standards.
The Springsteen reference comes back almost systematically, Depeche Mode is very common too, and some reviewers are very specific with certain songs, coming up with a reference for each of them:
‘The fuzzed-up Detroit rock of Month Of May is like Iggy’s Stooges, while Modern Man recalls Talking Heads’ says the UK dailystar.
‘(Sprawl II) is a Regine track, a surprising album standout that actually sounds a little bit like Siouxsie and the Banshees’ wrote Stereogum, whereas Thevine thinks that the same song ‘sounds like ABBA being fronted by Karin Dreijer Andersson from The Knife singing Blondie’s ‘Heart of Glass’.’
‘The screechy chorus and piano jingle of ‘The Suburbs’ or the rusty guitar kicks of ‘Deep Blue’ could have made its way onto (Neil Young’s) ‘After the Goldrush’ noticed Consequence of sound.
Win Butler sounds eerily close to the accented jibe of David Byrne and something like ‘Wasted Hours’ swaying only adds to it all’ wrote Adequacy
‘Ballads like ‘Deep Blue’ go for the swishy piano pomp of David Bowie’s Hunky Dory’ noted Rollingstone.
‘The Suburbs extends hungrily outward, recalling the dystopic miasma of William Gibson’s sci-fi novels and Sonic Youth’s guitar odysseys’ wrote Spin.
I could go on and on, the musical pedigree used to describe ‘The Suburbs’ is impressive and endless! Of course, the whole album has even been declared better than Radiohead’s ‘OK Computer’.
I have to add two of mine, ‘Half Light I’ sounds like a DeVotchka’s song and I thought that Beck had written ‘Deep Blue’ for ‘Modern Guilt’.
The songs are diverse, that’s why they got compared to so many different bands and musical types.
But Arcade Fire probably does not care about allhis, they got a #1 album, kicked ass in the Daily Show last week, where tall Win Butler, towering Jon Stewart and feeling protective, declared ‘Let me know if anyone gives you a hard time’.
I guess they are literally at the top!
Meanwhile they have announced new North America dates, and yeah, two dates in LA!
9/22/2010 – St. Paul, MN – Roy Wilkins Arena
9/23/2010 – Winnipeg, MB – MTS Centre
9/25/2010 – Saskatoon, SK – Credit Union Centre
9/26/2010 – Calgary, AB – Stampede Corral
9/28/2010 – Vancouver, BC – Pacific Coliseum
9/29/2010 – Seattle, WA – Key Arena
9/30/2010 – Portland, OR – Memorial Coliseum
10/2/2010 – Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre
10/5/2010 – Big Sur, CA – Henry Miller Library
10/7/2010 – Los Angeles, CA – Shrine Auditorium
10/8/2010 – Los Angeles, CA – Shrine Auditorium
10/10/2010 – Mexico City (MX) – Palacio de los Deportes
10/12/2010 – Monterrey (MX) – Banamex Theater