Arcade Fire
The Suburbs

After the splendid "Funeral" and "Neon Bible," Win Butler and his Arcade Fire reach the third test, ready to be consecrated as superstars, aiming for a huge commercial success, or to extinguish as an ephemeral flash in the pan.

Our heroes choose neither of the two aforementioned paths. Win, Will and Régine, along with their countless and talented colleagues, opt for the most difficult and hidden path of all, returning to the "Suburbs" from which they come, resurrecting the ghosts of the Butler brothers' childhood, crafting an intimate album, not at all immediate and, above all, renouncing the big hit, key to mainstream success and a few million more.

The unstoppable passion for music of our Canadians bursts from every pore of this album, to be listened to in one breath, over and over again. Everywhere there are obvious nods to great artists (the sound of the album has been defined by Win himself as "A mix of Depeche Mode and Neil Young"), everywhere a veiled melancholy, more or less hidden. Despite its one-hour duration, the nostalgic "The Suburbs" flows fast, never missing a beat and gifting us with splendid songs such as the title track, the Bowie-like "Rococo," "City With No Children" and the single "We Used To Wait."

So Arcade Fire shocks us again, with "Their OK Computer" (Mike Diver), a record suitable for listening to while waiting for autumn, as summer is flying away.

If "Funeral" was a love at first sight, an irresistible attraction, if with "Neon Bible" you had fallen in love, with "The Suburbs" it will make you realize that you want to spend the rest of your life with them.