By: Taylor Fulkerson

After three years, Arcade Fire has finally released another album.

“Reflektor” follows the band’s 2010 release “The Suburbs,” which took the Grammy Award for album of the year, along with other numerous accolades.

“Reflektor” follows “The Suburbs” well, and in typical Arcade Fire style.

Whereas “The Suburbs” seem to utilize mere cynicism in comparison to the deep, spiritual malaise represented by tracks like “Windowsill” and “My Body is a Cage” on Arcade Fire’s 2007 release “Neon Bible,” “Reflektor” plunges back into the corridors of the mind, beckoning the listener to confront his or her own demons.

This album explores more sound than their previous, lyric driven releases.

However, the lyrics of “Reflektor” are still jarring. For example, try lines like, “If you wanna be righteous, get in line,” and, “If you’re looking for hell, just try looking inside.”

Still, the band is more prone to lyrical repetition on this album than in the past allowing for more focus on instrumental and synthesizer- driven sound.

The feeling one gets from the ambient noise is equally as important as the lyrics. It also seems that Arcade Fire could be moving away from lyrics in order to have more vocals in the overall sound.

The album is well-paced and fluctuates through driving rock anthems like “Normal Person,” quick, fun tracks like “You Already Know” and dark, contemplative songs like “Here Comes the Night Time Part II” and “Supersymmetry.”

For those who missed vocalist Régine Chassange’s voice on “The Suburbs,” “Reflektor” offers more of her vocals in her native French tongue.

This album merits five stars for a number of reasons, primarily due to what Arcade Fire gave its listeners.

Another fantastic album was expected from this indie super group, and it delivered more than anticipated.

After three or four albums, a band will either grow mature in an unexpected way or it will run out of fuel and its music won’t be worth it, even for the most dedicated fans. Arcade Fire is unsurprisingly, but pleasantly, the former.

 

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