20 years on from their first appearance on record, the seventh long-player from Canadian indie-art-rock behemoths Arcade Fire comes off the back of four consecutive UK album chart-toppers.
Also lurking in the background are the 2022 sexual misconduct allegations against mainstay Win Butler. He seems to have weathered them better than most, supported by his wife and bandmate Régine Chassagne. This review is not the place for an investigative deep-dive. Make your own mind up. But Pink Elephant, especially its first half, contains some impressive songs.
Working with Daniel Lanois, Butler and Chassagne produce the best material on the album so that it balances huge arena heft, synth throb and an ear-pleasingly smeary murk, also bringing it in at a nifty 42 minutes, end-to-end. The lyrics throughout are opaque, although often intriguing (“Families faking on the TV/Live in the spectrum that we can’t see/Crying tears that we don’t believe/Keeps your mind off of me”) but it’s the sonic imagination and tune-smithery that carry the day.
The second half of the album is the lesser, the songs not as memorable, more typical of the band, also reminding of Lanois’s work with U2. But it’s hard to argue with the first half. “Year of the Snake”, an initially Chassagne-sung roller, rides a steady “Common People”-ish throb, expanding into lighters-in-the air stadium expansiveness that’s irresistibly involving. “Circle of Trust” has a steady dancefloor pulse swirling amid its extensive effects and, once again, a catchy-as-hell tune that doesn’t overstate its case. “Alien Nation” is also foot-moving in its weird way, a muffled funk groove with call’n’response lyrics, before eventually imploding into a delicious controlled noise-fest.
The three aforementioned songs are the album’s peak material. The lethargically strummed and more straightforwardly rockin’ title track will also likely appeal to many. Hardly any artists could muster three songs as good as “Year of the Snake”, “Circle of Trust” and “Alien Nation” on a single album, which is persuasive for a long-confirmed non-fan like this writer. It also makes it probable those firmly into Arcade Fire will find more to enjoy.
Below: watch the video for "Year of the Snake" by Arcade Fire
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