'Sprawl II (Moutains Beyond Mountains) was undeniably the highlight from
Arcade Fire's 2010 album 'The Suburbs' and so it's little wonder that this
is the sound that they decided to pursue for their new double album.
'Sprawl II' was the little disco gem buried at the back of the 'The
Suburbs' and it almost feels like a promise from the band that this is
where they are going forward; a promise reinforced by the recruiting of
ex-LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy to produce their latest effort.
And 'Reflektor' is undenaibly Arcade Fire's danciest album yet. This time
there's a palpable rhythm to the songs, something that makes you want to
get up and move. Win Butler has said in an interview with the BBC, "If you
can get James tapping his foot, you know you're on the right track" and
that illustrates the biggest change that Arcade Fire have made from their
previous albums to this one. The drums feel more important here, but then
again the punch of these drums on the title track are a trademark of James
Murphy and is exactly the reason why you hire that man to produce an album
like this.
Despite this change in priorities the little things that make Arcade Fire,
Arcade Fire aren't gone. The first disc of this double album still contains
all the bombast that you'd expect from the band that made 'Funeral' but
there's a disco sheen to it now that is more than welcome. There are still
strings and horns but they're used as ways to bolster the sound as opposed
to the driving force that they used to be on previous albums. One of the
albums highlights is 'Here Comes the Night Time' where Colin Stetson's
horns are ever present and yet never become intrusive.
On disc one everything sounds live and raw, it's everything that was
promised by the union of this band and this producer. Disc two however
slows things down and takes a more contemplative look at the album's theme
of reflection. This doesn't create a lack of cohesion between the two discs
though, as the two styles compliment each wonderfully, particularly with
the frequent use of static across both halves or that the second disc opens
with a reprise of 'Here Comes the Night Time'. The centrepiece of the
second disc is the two part 'telling' of the Orpheus myth across 'Awful
Sound' and 'It's Never Over'. The Orpheus of mythology is presented as a
legendary musician, a theme important to what it is that 'Reflektor' is
trying to achieve, its reflecting music, the influences across the two
discs are too numerous to count, but much like James Murphy's own 'Losing
My Edge' from 2002, this album is a love letter to all of them, and for
that reason it works wonderfully.
It's easy to point at this albums 85+ minute run time and say it's too long
(it probably is), but that's kind of the point. 'Reflektor' is an album
that celebrates the excesses of music for good or for ill, the fact that
it's being done by a collection of artists who have been at the top of
their game for going on a decade is just the icing on the cake.
*Essential Tracks*: Reflektor, Here Comes the Night Time, It's Never Over
(Oh Orpheus)
By Benjamin Phillips
