It's good to see so many positive user comments. While this particular album is not for me, I'm glad it's not disappointing the AF diehards. As for the review, I think it's dead on. Between the lines, I see a reviewer that desperately wants to like this record but can't quite commit. Arcade Fire is definitely wheelhouse for the general Stereogum readership, but the many hesitations in this review tell the story that the actual review does not.
First album I ever bought. I snapped it into my discman and listened to it end-to-end 6 times in a row on our ugly floral couch in front of the wood stove, pressing the cheap headphones into my ears until my wrists were sore. It was that night, taking off my headphones, I finally realized that music was the fabric that connects me to the world.
Yeah it's a cool track, but it just feels like amateurish writing with good production. It vamps too long, the vocals are crammed, and the melody just meanders too much for my taste. Again, I can see why people would love this tune, just giving some counterpoint to the assessment that this is a "great, great song."
I honestly love it. This track really breathes. Yeah it's a bit electro, but that's that. Yeah, it relies heavily on production, but it's not slick.. I think the production is really smart and musical. This song has a great hook, a strong melody, and some really interesting chord movements.
The first 2 mins sound like a song idea demo, and a pretty weak one at that. There's some really good writing in the last 45 seconds, but I can't understand why they didn't work in the payoff earlier, it could've been a good song if they actually assembled it as one. Also, the overdrive/compression that's so chic right now just doesn't work on Gibbard's vocals.
I personally loved Band of Horses - Infinite Arms, that woulda made the top 25 for me. I'm also surprised to see Jonsi, Dead Weather, and Grinderman omitted from this list. Overall, most of the music on this list means nothing to me, and that's unfortunate.
I think 2010 has been an amazing year for music so far. Just not for the music listed here. Great albums by Arcade Fire, Band of Horses, Dead Weather, Wolf Parade, Autolux (YES AUTOLUX), The National, MGMT, Spoon, Gorrilaz, Jonsi, Joanna Newsom, Broken Social Scene, etc etc just to name very very few. IMHO very few of these bands would make a "best albums of 2010" list.
The good news is, all these artists have perpetual music-project ADD, so precious few of these bands are sustainable. Bad news is, the media-marketing "airtime" of (gasp) established bands, who've had their mettle tested and passed, is getting jacked by these immutably indistinguishable "music projects," pushing adjectives like "dreamy, ephemerally atmospheric, ear-warming, pulsing, "whisper-close hazed-out," chilly, psychedelic, fuzzy, . If I NEVER heard a band described as "breezy island sounds" again it would be too soon. I mean seriously. What the hell is going on here.
Absolutely great. I love how it's such massive style shift, but I don't feel like he's turned his back on his earlier work. It still feels like Sufjan, because only he can write songs this good, and arrange them so tastefully. Production is A+ too.
Oh wait, I see. Because the writer (s?) at Stereogum are in some kind of secret handshake club with Beach House. Giving these guys press is like greedy movie producers funding another scriptless Adam Sandler summer money-grab. It's just flat insulting.
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