Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

the fucking Suburbs video is fuckign awesome

Album Rating: 4.0

the short film it's taken from is also extremely well done.

Spike Jonze = the man.

Album Rating: 3.5

This is growing on me. Didn't like it much at all the first listen.

Album Rating: 3.5

Honestly, it's started to grow off me.

Album Rating: 3.5

Well I've only listened 3 times so it might do that too...

Album Rating: 4.0

should probably raise my rating

Album Rating: 3.0

I really want to like this album, but outside of a few tracks, can't get into it at all.

Great album, I love listening to the first two tracks when I'm hungover. The third track however is quite the opposite and it actually made me puke (new years morning)... not because its a bad song, in-fact the timing is brilliant - but not when you are sick... fair warning...

Album Rating: 5.0

Month of May rages so damn hard. Win's rhythm guitar sounds so crispy. They pull off a punk song better than most punk bands.

album is a huge grower, i wouldn't dismiss it after a handful of listens

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

Agreed Raspy. I said it in my sound-off, this album is gonna be a huge grower because of its themes. Teens just won't get it & they will think it a different album when they're 5 years older.

Album Rating: 4.0

^ agreed wholeheartedly Mr. Davey Sir.

I guess I have to see the whole short film but the Suburbs video felt awfully like film-students-first-serious-film stuff right down to the oh so clever WE'RE LIVING IN A POLICE STATE backdrop. Of course, I could be totally wrong and should see the whole short film I guess.

Album Rating: 4.0

I need to meet your friends who can make such a potent first-serious-films



furthermore with a production budget through the roof.



More importantly I need to meet their investors.

Album Rating: 3.5

I guess I have to see the whole short film but the Suburbs video felt awfully like film-students-first-serious-film stuff right down to the oh so clever WE'RE LIVING IN A POLICE STATE backdrop. Of course, I could be totally wrong and should see the whole short film I guess.

But incredibly obvious metaphors never wield interesting results especially when they're put forth in such obvious ways. You have to entirely subvert the metaphor before it becomes interesting again, which idk maybe he does through the rest of the short film. Maybe I'm just in a cynical mood today idk I usually like Jonze's stuff too

Album Rating: 4.0

I'd focus more on the interaction between the children more so than the environment in which they're growing up.



The direction alone is worlds beyond anything an amateur film student could hope to pull off.



It seriously feels like a day in the life of those kids--and their simple interactions with each other (imo one of Jonze's directorial strong points) illicit more emotion in me than the backdrop ever could.



it's not so much where they're growing up--as much as how and that in the situation: it's amazing they're even able to at all (i.e. riding bikes around, breaking shit, falling in love or all around acting like kids while those around them are executed/shipped off)



but as far as the film itself; yes the Suburbs video acts as somewhat of a climax and the scenes work best in the full piece.

my question would be, why have the backdrop at all? eff this I'm going to go watch the whole short film, will probably answer my questions.

Album Rating: 4.0

...to juxtapose the ideal of innocence with that of an otherwise villainous world.

Jonze is in essence trying to highlight the brilliance of youth that the Arcade Fire strive to get across with like 90% of their music.



the backdrop is chosen, I would assume, because in a 4 minute music video (or 20 min short film) you're not always granted the convenience of letting an idea grow from it's birthing point to full fruition (which is more indicative of say, a novel.)

While it would be nice to watch the years of buildup that led to what the world had become in the visuals--it's more important to the overall idea for you to just be plunged right into the middle of the fire-fight.

also: just watch the film, it's boss.

Yes, it would probably make more sense with the film. But in 2011 making your point with an oppressive military presence as your backdrop just seems friggin lame and redundant.