The businessmen are drinking my blood like the kids in art school said they would

Continuing my trip back through the 2010 album charts.

15/08/10 : The Suburbs - Arcade Fire

This is our fourth trip with the Canadian multitude - I always appreciate the sound they're trying to make, without necessarily appreciating the actual sound.  So I'm expecting another "well, it's OK" this time around.

Yeah, that's pretty much where are.  "Ready To Start" did jump out at me, but the rest of it all kinda blurred together on first listen.  I can, being reasonable, accept the argument that it's a grower - but I suspect if they were going to grow on me, then they would have done so by now.  If you like Arcade Fire, then I'm sure you like this album but there was nothing here to drag me into it, I'm afraid.

We're at #2 in the charts this week on their second week of a 36 week run, which was way longer than I was expecting - and it debuted at #1 as well!  It's actually their most successful album over their 18 year career (which includes four #1 albums).  The rest of the top five were Eminem, Plan B, Eliza Doolittle and Lady Gaga and the highest new entry this week was Skream all the way down at #43.

Wikipedia doesn't have an awful lot on the album but I like a couple of quotes from Win Butler that the album "is neither a love letter to, nor an indictment of, the suburbs – it's a letter from the suburbs" and that it is "a mix of Depeche Mode and Neil Young" (and, surprisingly, I can feel what he means by that).  The critics absolutely loved it - there were some very pretentious things written about it!  It also did well in awards season - getting the Grammy's Album of the Year and the Brits' Best International Album gongs.  It also appeared on a LOAD of year-end best-of lists and it got to #1 in the US as well - so maybe I should give it another listen! (don't worry - I won't)

"Customers also listened to" TV On The Radio, Interpol, LCD Soundsystem and The Flaming Lips - all of whom approach Arcade Fire levels of quirkiness in places.  But there's not really anyone like Arcade Fire and a big part of me wants to like them more - I can't be accused of not trying over the years but they just haven't clicked for me.

08/09/10 - I'd like to like this more than I did
22/09/10 - Not for me

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