ARCADE FIRE - WE
Making sense of the ever changing world, and finding a sense of community in it, forms the basis for WE, the sixth album from Canadian indie-rock band Arcade Fire. This new release is proof that, whilst they are not a new band, their music is continually evolving to fit the world around them.
Whilst it may have began life as ponderings on the piano at Win Butler and wife-come-bandmate Régine Chassange’s home, much like the rest of their discography, WE is as much a reflection of the concerns of the couple as it is a reflection of the wonderful, yet increasingly dystopian world we are living in.
Split into two sides (marked I and II), the first side documents the band’s concerns regarding technology, climate change and the very startling realisation that things must end. The album begins with the piano-centred opener, ‘Age of Anxiety I’, which could almost be mistaken for a solo track from Butler until it builds into a blend of thumping dance music, drums and cohesive vocals on its companion track (subtitled ‘Rabbit Hole’), evidence that the band have not stopped creating slow burners which gradually build into wonderful stadium ready anthems.
Instrumental track ‘Prelude’ guides the listener into the latter half of the album, which begins with ‘End of the Empire I-III’, leading into ‘End of Empire IV (Sagittarius A*)’ - a track which bleeds with worry but also with tenderness as Butler refrains “I unsubscribe/she unsubscribes”. The track proves to be a futuristic sounding detour before previous singles, ‘The Lightning I’ and ‘The Lightning II’ take the listeners back to the band at their best, carving out songs that will go down just as well from our sofas as they will at the stadiums.
The trademark tenderness returns on ‘Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)’, musical life lessons to Butler and Chassange’s child, as Butler sings warmly “There are things that you could do/That no one else on earth could ever do/But I can't teach you, I can't teach it to you”. It is in tracks like this one that the band truly excels, letting the audience into their world.
Penultimate track ‘Unconditional II (Race and Religion)’, featuring Peter Gabriel, is a piece of art pop that not only channels the band’s influences but also features one of them. The track is evidence that the band are always trying new things but they (thankfully) never stray from the unique world that they have created over the years.
Album closer is an acoustic ballad-esque song, ‘We’, where Butler ponders giving up worldly possessions for a moment or two alone with his wife. It is a simple track yet it is exactly the formula that works, and has worked, for the band all this time.
Arcade Fire could have used this ever changing world and the ever-shifting idea of what “normal” is — both in the music and non-music world — as a vehicle to change their sound completely. There are glimpses of a change in their movement towards dance and dance-pop but, at face value, this is an Arcade Fire record. It might be their shortest offering but it proves their most impactful, as listeners don’t have to make their way through filler tracks but straight to Arcade Fire at its core: thoughtful songs that encourage moments of pondering, singalong and a sense of togetherness which never goes amiss.
Jen Rose
★★★★★