Arcade Fire - Reflektor

Arcade Fire

“Reflektor”

It’s weird, scary, discombobulated at times, different, rockin’ but I love it.  “Reflektor” has received reviews ranging from one star to five stars.  How is this possible?  Where the poor reviews a result of the brilliance of their previous albums?  Did the five star reviews think this was a better album than the Grammy Award winning “The Suburbs” album?  I was really confused and had to find out for myself.

            When listening to an album from a band I love, I try to let the album stand on its own.  I knew not to expect another “Funeral” or “Neon Bible” which both have stood the test of time and are still brilliant.  Truth be told, I did not care for “The Suburbs” on my first listen.  I came to love the album after several listens and was pleased to see it win Album of the Year.  Regardless, I was waiting impatiently for some new stuff from the band.  Three years and a well-documented Haitian sabbatical later, the band gave us “Reflektor.”  The first text message I received from a fellow fan was “I don’t know about this new album.”  It scared the shit out of me.  How could this gloriously weird band spend three years on an album and turn out something so divisive?

            I bought “Reflektor” the day it came out and was hesitant to listen to it.  I didn’t want to hate it.  I had heard the opening track, “Reflektor” on XM radio and thought it was a great song.  Where the rest of the tracks terrible?  I hit play and rocked out.  I envisioned Win Butler sitting outside of a club in Port Au Prince as the sun went down.  He was listening the faded beats of a song he had never heard but could not get out of his head.  The beat rocks but makes him dance…he can’t sit still.  Clocking in just over seven minutes, “Reflektor” sets the tone for the rest of the album.

            Now for the nervous part, I moved to the second track, “We Exist.”  It sounds like the beginning of Billie Jean.  Is this Arcade Fire?  Wait a minute…I DIG THIS!  Track three, the same.  I thought the album would wane but “Flashbulb Eyes” kept the party going…Win’s body…still captured by the beat outside the club.  By the time “Here comes the Night Time” began I was ready for anything.  The track was an instant favorite.  I loved it, and still do.  “Normal Person” is vintage Arcade Fire and fits perfectly on this album while “Joan of Arc” finishes the first disc nicely. 

            Had the album ended with “Joan of Arc” not many people would have raised a fuss.  It was a solid seven songs brilliant in their own weird way.  The second disc needed a few more listens for me to understand what the band was trying to do.  Upon first listen, I thought “Here Comes the Night Time II” was a bit forced.  Perhaps Win found himself back at the same club for a second night except this time the club was playing a much more mellow set.  I am okay with this.  I am okay with the rest of the tracks on the second disc as well.  “Afterlife” and “Awful Sound (Oh Eurydice)” seem to stand out.

            I will never read reviews about an album prior to buying it.  Arcade Fire deserves an honest assessment from their fans.  I tried not to trust their hard work, but I was mistaken.  I really like “Reflektor” more and more with each listen.  My buddy now agrees with me.  He loves it as well.  Perhaps the one star reviews just need one more listen.  Keep on rockin’ Arcade Fire!