New Music: Arcade Fire

Yesterday marked the release of Arcade Fire's third full-length album, The Suburbs. So far I've only given it a couple distracted listens, but it seems to be worth the attention/critical acclaim it's already received.

At 16 tracks, the album is a wee on the long side, but luckily, the music is much more Arcade Fire lite compared to their previous work, so it doesn't get as overwhelming as you might expect. The arrangements are less heavy-handed, not every song feels like it's trying to achieve epic status, and generally, it's a lot more poppy and fun -- very suitable as a summer release. The abundance of male/female harmonies and synthesizers add to the accessibility of this album. I'm not sure it's their best effort (though it would be tough to top or even compare it to Funeral), but still a great release from a band that's released some of the best music this decade.

Plus, Amazon is offering the full MP3 download at only $3.99, and eMusic is offering it as a "deal" (only 12 credits for the full 16-track album), so there's no reason not to give it a shot!

Happy listening and happy summer, all.