Seems like a big deal now: as innovative and exciting as its promotional onslaught
No longer Canada’s “you gotta hear this!” indie darling, Arcade Fire is, as we speak, on top of the world. The incredible promotional rollout for Reflektor, their first LP since 2010’s The Suburbs, was as impressive as it was progressive. This is the model of the here and now – making a buzz with something substantial to show for it – and boy, do they ever show for it.
Growing from the initial cryptic veve-inspired graffiti (or, Haitian vodou icon) found in cities around the world, into wild and vivid music videos directed by Anton Corbijn (“Reflektor”) and Roman Coppola (“Here Comes the Night Time”), Arcade Fire envisions promotion as a living, breathing thing; utilizing listener, medium and performer in a truly contemporary, postmodern sense. This is a band that knows how to draw a listener and hook them into a sensual and thrilling experience, both sonically and visually.
Although lyrically dour and serious as ever, Win Butler and company fuse bouncy grooves and Haitian-inspired flavours (largely courtesy of singer/multi-instrumentalist Régine Chassagne) into their distinctive, massive sound. James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem and long-time Arcade Fire producer Markus Dravs helm the production with great care, with enough new to not distill Arcade Fire’s familiar, distinctive sound.
The album opens with the title track “Reflektor,” and is followed by “We Exist,” both carrying vibes of Remain in Light era Talking Heads and New Order, as well as a welcomed backup vocal by David Bowie on the title track. These cuts set the binaric tone of the album with dark, brooding textures and insatiably fun grooves. “Flashbulb” and “Here Comes The Night Time” stand out as the most Caribbean-inspired tracks, with striking dub and rara inspired melodies and production.
“Here Comes the Night Time II” marks the album’s crossing into its more moody second half, and its adaptation of the Orpheus myth. For this reviewer, “Awful Sound (Oh Eurydice)” and “It’s Never Over (Oh Orpheus)” are the standout tracks and some of the most powerful in the band’s entire catalogue. Duality is a central theme of the album as a whole, and these two tracks that channel the classical Orpheus myth highlight the dual nature of the album vividly-Orpheus/Eurydice, French/English, and acoustic/electric are just some of the “reflections” present throughout.
Arcade Fire’s choice to use the Orpheus myth as more of a footnote than a centerpiece is an important artistic choice. Few people want to listen a bloated, self-righteous concept album these days, and Arcade Fire seems to know this, being careful to not make “Reflektor” one of them. The result is an album that not just warrants, but demands your attention, and is sure to reveal more depth after multiple listens.