As the Montreal outfit's 5th LP approaches, we take a look back at their career.

 

When Arcade Fire dropped ‘Everything Now’ - the lead single and title track of their upcoming album - it solidified their place as modern indie's most popular shapeshifter. A new, disco inspired sound, yet still undeniably them. This is a process long term fans are now used to, with four records, each with their own distinct sound. Let’s take a closer look.

 

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Funeral (2004)

 

The debut record propelled the group to the forefront of the alternative scene. Dark, emotive, sometimes jarring, often beautiful chamber pop. The album gained its name after a number of the band's family members' died during recording. On Funeral, Win Butler's cries are real. Hear the way that he opens up; "And if the snow, buries my neighbourhood” and the tinkle of the piano that comes with it. The scene is set, and it’s an adult-free world of childhood freedom where anything is possible, the kids dig tunnels to each other’s houses and swing from the power lines. Though, as the album progresses, the characters are forced to deal with death as it comes. Win confronts himself on ‘Wake Up’, singing “now that I’m older, my heart’s colder.”The sound of a man confronting death in the adult way, this is the essence of the album.

 

Funeral remains the rawest and most human record in the group's oeuvre, and it's jagged edges are what gives it such a unique identity - the harsh guitar slide on ‘7 Kettles’, Win's voice breaking in ‘Power Out’, Regine’s scream on ‘In The Backseat’  - it now occupies a precious spot in modern music history.

 

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Neon Bible (2007)

 

2007 saw the back of acute childhood observations, and brought with it the sound of politics, war and religion. Keeping to the baroque brief that made them successful, but much moodier, the sophomore LP came packaged with a new aesthetic for the band; Dress code: all black.

 

Perhaps the most radical difference with ‘Neon Bible’ was Win Butler’s transformation from storyteller to preacher. “Working for the church while your family dies”, he screams in the chorus of ‘Intervention’, a strong denunciation of a religious soldier. Unlike ‘Funeral’, there is a sense of importance present here, Win seems confident in his position as an educator. Though less dense than the debut, this album still manages to reach similar anthemic heights, most notably on ‘Keep The Car Running’ and ‘No Cars Go. From this release, it was clear that Arcade Fire were hear to stay, and a band comfortable in their sound.

 

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The Suburbs (2010)

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Three years later, at the turn of the decade, The Suburbs arrived and seemed to put a stop to the natural progression of the band. Many thought it likely they'd carry on their path of preachy criticism, yet The Suburbs simply oozes childhood nostalgia and melancholia. Americana tones borrowed from Springsteen that blow over the ears and punk driven ballads come together to make the sound of a teenage summer. Those long days spent with friends doing nothing in particular that seem endless and brief at the same time – this is what The Suburbs sounds like. Even lines as simple as "we rode our bikes to the nearest park, sat under the swings and kissed in the dark" are strikingly effective in context.

 

Now with three highly praised albums under their belt, and a Grammy in hand, where do they go?

 

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Reflektor (2013)

 

The band returned in 2013 with their most dramatic change is sound to date. Reflektor - an ambitious double LP - was made to feel like a Hatian carnival. Two Bongo players were added into the live mix, and old classics such as Power Out were redesigned with the help of steel pans.. In hindsight, Reflektor will go down as a hit and a miss. For a band with a startlingly low amount of throwaway tracks up to that point, songs like Flashbulb Eyes and You Already Know seem like wasted energy. However, the title track and near-enough all of disc two showcase some of the band's best work to date. The carnival atmosphere of ‘Here Comes the Night Time’ is fun, but it’s on tracks like the pair of ‘Awful Sound’ and ‘It’s Never Over’ where the sound excels.These songs take a fresh sonic direction, whilst never not sounding like Arcade Fire. Rich concepts intertwining human morality and Greek mythology showed a new maturity to Win's lyricism, a stark contrast to the one-dimensional "what if the camera really do take your soul" of Flashbulb Eyes. 

 

The Reflektor era showed us a completely new Arcade Fire; far away from the preachings of Neon Bible, this is a band that want to make you dance.

 

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Everything Now (2017)

 

The first four tracks to be released from the upcoming record again show a shift in sound. They are more pop then they’ve ever been, with the notable influence of ABBA. The sound works especially well on the title track and ‘Creature Comfort’, which are two of the best songs they have ever released, though latter singles ‘Signs of Life’ and’ ‘Electric Blue’ don’t quite hit home. Though it looks set to be the bands most divisive record – an impressive feat for the follow-up to Reflektor – there’s no denying that they now have more mainstream appeal then ever; more big festival slots, more single sales and more public interest.

 

Arcade Fire are once again in sonic transit. It’s this movement that makes them one of the most important bands of this century, and keeps their hardcore fanbase coming back for more. New album, ‘Everything Now’ will be released tomorrow.