Arcade Fire - WE
Indie Rock – Released May 6, 2022 – 10 songs, 40 mins
LUNDI
Arcade Fire have spent the majority of their career as indie darlings since being anointed as the next big thing by David Bowie following their 2004 debut album (Funeral) but after a mediocre fifth effort (Everything Now), a seemingly tumultuous band relationship, and an ever changing musical landscape, rumours floated of their demise. Despite the mounting evidence and a very quiet five years they shocked the music industry by blasting back on the scene with a surprise single and album announcement (WE) with promises of a return to what once was.
WE sees Arcade Fire make good on their promise to bring back their old sound from the get go with lead track Age of Anxiety I/II, a slow building musical composition supported by Win’s lead vocals and Regine’s harmonies, a formula any Arcade Fire fan will be fond of. In fact the majority of the album follows that makeup in some capacity and while it never amounts to the peaks of Funeral or The Suburbs the album is a damn good attempt.
From there WE, which is essentially made up of 5 complete tracks or musical thoughts if you wish, weaves its way into the heartbreaking David Bowie/John Lennon inspired End of Empire I-IV. It’s grand in all facets but has an overreaching fourth act where the band tries just a bit too hard to climax a track that was complete four minutes prior.
The album wastes no time getting back on track though with standout song Lightning I/II. The opening acoustic chords hit much harder on the album than they did as a stand-alone single and the song acts as the album climax from nearly every angle. This song will be no doubt a people pleaser and a set list mainstay for many concerts to come as it’s by far the best the band has sounded in nearly 10 years.
After this album peak and prior to the bubbling self titled closing track which in itself is a beautiful musical moment, Arcade Fire ignite a call to action on Unconditional I/II with Win promoting personal positivity, albeit a corny effort at it, on the opening leg and Regine absolutely shining on part 2, Race and Religion. The album could have certainly benefitted from more of her vocals but still it’s ever so clear across this album that the band is heartfelt and true in their beliefs and allows any listener to easily grasp the emotion being conveyed.
In terms of song writing, Win’s lyrical work on WE can verge on questionable or confusing but lets all consider it a win his isn’t singing about Peter Pan this time around. With that being said the band do provide some overall quality song writing on heavy hitting subjects facing modern society including anxiety, war, race, and religion. The lyrics are often masked with a copious amount of beautifully layered instruments but the message is often clearly delivered.
When Everything (now?) ends, can they do it again? The answer is a definite yes.
WE is a successful return to the mould that made Arcade Fire indie rock royalty. The album is built for stadium sing alongs and musical showmanship and see the band reenergized while attempting to make sense of a crumbling modern society.
Overall Rating: 8.5/10
Favourite Song: Lightning I/II
REID
Does Arcade Fire really need an introduction on a Canadian music blog? They’re getting one anyway, sorry..
Husband and wife, Win Butler and Regine Chassagne, return as key cogs on the indie rock band’s sixth studio album, WE. After what many critics considered an abject failure on Everything Now, fans waited anxiously to see what would come next. I just want to go on record and say while the album was a step down, songs Everything Now and Electric Blue will keep a place on my playlist for years to come.
Right away they made a great choice partnering up with English super producer, Nigel Godrich. On top of that, the COVID-19 pandemic gave them ample opportunity to create new material. Once the record was signed and sealed, they used the element of surprise as a promotional tactic. While I’d consider myself a casual fan, even their biggest supporters were taken aback by their mid-March release of singles, Lightning I/II, along with album news. Luckily for TSR, they didn’t stop there as they were a surprise addition to weekend 1 of Coachella. Take a listen to our most recent podcast for our thoughts on their show (Spoiler: They ranked in the top 2 performances of the weekend for all three of us).
WE returns to a trend of paired song titles not seen since Funeral (2004) or The Suburbs (2010). I’ll take a few minutes to discuss each duo. Only the 30 second interlude, Prelude and WE, the album’s closer remain on the 40-minute compilation.
Age of Anxiety - Before getting into the music, the phrase ‘Age of Anxiety’ is such a relevant topic in 2022. While stigmas still exist and effective health care programs and progress on long term solutions need work, it feels as if the needle is moving on awareness and acceptance. On the music side, piano-led ballads morphing into synth driven dance tracks make for a very fun twist. Although these two have a hard stop between them, they unmistakably belong together and are a great duo to get the album going.
End of the Empire – In an interview with Apple Music’s, Zane Lowe, Butler explained this quartet as being about the future. ‘It’s easy to interpret everything as being about the present…To me, the end of the empire isn’t about now, it’s about the future. It’s about what’s coming.’ Strictly from a listening standpoint, the end couldn’t come soon enough. There are strong points throughout but the nine plus minutes drag on too long.
The Lightning – The best tracks on the album and Arcade Fire knew it when they released them as the singles. I builds it up and II knocks it down. The lives renditions do them justice.
Unconditional – Lookout Kid is a catchy song written about Win and Regine’s son. While it borders on corny, images of a young boy doo-doo-do-do-ing along to his parents’ song is hard to dislike. Race and Religion is the only song on the album with Regine leading the vocals and it does feel a little out of place.
Win Butler describes this record as a journey. The beginning is the realization of and reaction to the weight of the world. But as it progresses and the protagonist navigates life, the overwhelming feeling is despite its challenges, he’d relive it all over again. What would you change if you could start over? WE is a journey worth taking.
Overall Rating – 8.0/10
Favourite Song – The Lightning I/II
ROZ
“Do you mind if we play some new songs?” an out of breath Win Butler asks the ravenous crowd, packed tightly within the Mojave Tent in the middle of the Californian desert. A question that is usually met with a begrudging moan is instead met with the exact opposite, as the crowd cheers and quickly sings along as we hear the songs of Arcade Fire’s WE for the very first time - a true testament to the quality of the bands new material.
The album plays through no different; digital and acoustic elements are used in equal amounts to give the album its own unique flair, with reverberation and echo being used in great amounts to give an overall ethereal quality to each song. Major album highlights make themselves known without hesitation, as Age of Anxiety I brings about the exact feelings as the title states by implementing subtle foley and vocal layers mixed deep into the background, from the left speaker to the right, up close and almost inside your ear. No song has accurately resembled an anxiety attack as well as this song has, so bravo to that.
Track one seamlessly transitions into its older brother Age of Anxiety II, and two really brings the heat. Emitting a seductive dance-tempo energy by mixing a haunting synthesizer sequence with a blend of acoustic and electronic drums (and boy am I a sucker for a good four-on-the-floor bass drum), Mrs. Chassagne gives her signature flair at the tail end and wraps it up with a nice little bow. Believe me when I tell you that this was simply amazing when TSR saw it live.
The listing continues to impress as the album marches on.“I unsubscribe”, Win proclaims - words that capture the essence of our current pop culture and fixation on social media throughout End of the Empire IV. “Fuck season 5”, a potential dig at their fifth (not so well received) album Everything Now, which I actually enjoyed immensely so hopefully this assumption is wrong. Lightning I crashes perfectly into Lightning II, living up to its namesake as the latter brings about a supercharged energy that is nothing short of infectious.
Much like 99% of all the albums in our universe, We is not without its faults. As Unconditional I (Lookout Kid) winds down (and after a few too many doo’s doo’s have been sung) I unfortunately attempt, in vain, to find the same feeling the album has given me so far anywhere in the last two tracks. If only it held out just a little longer… damn. So close. Regardless of this fact, the album holds on long enough to leave me with a positive outlook on the band’s future. Arcade Fire’s WE is a very pleasant surprise, holding up not only against 2022’s massive release schedule but against their very own backlog as well.
Overall Rating: 7.9/10
Favourite Song: Age of Anxiety II (Rabbit Hole)