my fav band of this century have new album out next week (preview copies floating about out there as per usual )....once i get listen...will post short review here but funeral was soooo good and neon bible was great as well so here's hoping they have done it again......

I'm not really a fan but was reading this today, thought it might interest you:

Terry Gilliam will be directing the webcast of their upcoming Madison Square Garden gig (next Thursday) during which they will no doubt be debuting material from the new album. BBC Article here.

(of course, you probably already knew about it, but hey ho).

I'll be looking out for this, I'm interested to see what Gilliam can come up with. I mean, directing a webcast seems straightforward enough, without much room for creativity, but I expect to watch and learn, to be shown otherwise. Gilliam seems like the perfect candidate to come up with something interesting.

Neon Bible was a HUGE disappointment for me (after such timeless debut/masterpiece, Funeral, they recorded a good but just ok record,... it wasn't certainly a Murmur+Reckoning or Suede+ DogManStar...Neon was a worthy but random follow-up) , so I have great hopes for this new LP...can't wait for it...

[Edited 7/29/10 11:58am]

Reviews I've read so far and the snippets I've heard here and there are very promising. It is being described by Q magazine as their masterpiece - not that their opinion means sweet f a in the grand scheme of things but hey....

I don't hate on anybody for liking almost ANY music. There are a few exceptions - but very few. If it makes you happy, cool. So I'm not trying to convince anybody to not like this band. But maaaan! I don't get it. I don't get them, or their music. It just doesn't move me AT ALL! And Muse is not far behind. Those two bands are criminally overrated, imo. However, so many people love them and talk about them that I just. keep. trying to find the love for 'em.

That being said, since they're talked about and lauded over so much (and because I love Terry Gilliam) I will be checking out the webcast.

Cerebus said:

I don't hate on anybody for liking almost ANY music. There are a few exceptions - but very few. If it makes you happy, cool. So I'm not trying to convince anybody to not like this band. But maaaan! I don't get it. I don't get them, or their music. It just doesn't move me AT ALL! And Muse is not far behind. Those two bands are criminally overrated, imo. However, so many people love them and talk about them that I just. keep. trying to find the love for 'em.

That being said, since they're talked about and lauded over so much (and because I love Terry Gilliam) I will be checking out the webcast.

Arcade Fire was one of the few mid to late-00s bands which crafted truly GOOD songs (catchy choruses, dynamic production, etc. ) hell, even some of their very best songs (Wake Up, Rebellion, Neighborhood Parts 1,2,3&4 or Crown of Love) are just as good as any classic of the Beatles or The Doors and I'M NOT KIDDING

Funeral: Best debut of the 00s, that's for sure...

Arcade Fire and Coldplay have crafted the best songs of 00s alternative rock, and that alone makes them completely worthy of course

We're not talking if a band moves us or not, we're talking about GOOD songs, and Arcade Fire, as I've said, wrote an impressive bunch of GREAT songs for Funeral, even the certainly weaker follow-up, Neon Bible, has four or five stand-out tracks...

I don't want to sound brash or whatever, but I'm tired of people who just can't appreciate a good song because they don't like the band; ... a good song is a good song, even Mariah has some good songs. Period.

[Edited 7/29/10 19:07pm]

JoeTyler said:

Cerebus said:

I don't hate on anybody for liking almost ANY music. There are a few exceptions - but very few. If it makes you happy, cool. So I'm not trying to convince anybody to not like this band. But maaaan! I don't get it. I don't get them, or their music. It just doesn't move me AT ALL! And Muse is not far behind. Those two bands are criminally overrated, imo. However, so many people love them and talk about them that I just. keep. trying to find the love for 'em.

That being said, since they're talked about and lauded over so much (and because I love Terry Gilliam) I will be checking out the webcast.

Arcade Fire was one of the few mid to late-00s bands which crafted truly GOOD songs (catchy choruses, dynamic production, etc. ) hell, even some of their very best songs (Wake Up, Rebellion, Neighborhood Parts 1,2,3&4 or Crown of Love) are just as good as any classic of the Beatles or The Doors and I'M NOT KIDDING

Funeral: Best debut of the 00s, that's for sure...

Arcade Fire and Coldplay have crafted the best songs of 00s alternative rock, and that alone makes them completely worthy of course

We're not talking if a band moves us or not, we're talking about GOOD songs, and Arcade Fire, as I've said, wrote an impressive bunch of songs on Funeral, even the certainly weaker follow-up, Neon Bible, has four or five stand-out tracks...

I don't want to sound brash or whatever, but I'm tired of people who just can't appreciate a good song because they don't like the band; ... a good song is a good song, even Mariah has some good songs. Period.

Umm, yes we are talking if a band moves us or not. If they don't, why would I listen to them? I voraciously collect and listen to music. It's something I do pretty much every day. It's possible that this band has written something as good as The Beatles or The Doors, but not IMO. I don't enjoy listening to them enough for that to hold truth. Also, Funeral IS NOT the debut of the decade, IMO. And Coldplay is annoying as hell, IMO. Hey, we all got opinions. I'm glad you like them. I respect your passion. I know quite a few people who think they're great - they try to convince me of it on a regular basis. I feel that way about a lot of OTHER music. But Arcade Fire doesn't do it for me.

Cerebus said:

JoeTyler said:

Arcade Fire was one of the few mid to late-00s bands which crafted truly GOOD songs (catchy choruses, dynamic production, etc. ) hell, even some of their very best songs (Wake Up, Rebellion, Neighborhood Parts 1,2,3&4 or Crown of Love) are just as good as any classic of the Beatles or The Doors and I'M NOT KIDDING

Funeral: Best debut of the 00s, that's for sure...

Arcade Fire and Coldplay have crafted the best songs of 00s alternative rock, and that alone makes them completely worthy of course

We're not talking if a band moves us or not, we're talking about GOOD songs, and Arcade Fire, as I've said, wrote an impressive bunch of songs on Funeral, even the certainly weaker follow-up, Neon Bible, has four or five stand-out tracks...

I don't want to sound brash or whatever, but I'm tired of people who just can't appreciate a good song because they don't like the band; ... a good song is a good song, even Mariah has some good songs. Period.

Umm, yes we are talking if a band moves us or not. If they don't, why would I listen to them? I voraciously collect and listen to music. It's something I do pretty much every day. It's possible that this band has written something as good as The Beatles or The Doors, but not IMO. I don't enjoy listening to them enough for that to hold truth. Also, Funeral IS NOT the debut of the decade, IMO. And Coldplay is annoying as hell, IMO. Hey, we all got opinions. I'm glad you like them. I respect your passion. I know quite a few people who think they're great - they try to convince me of it on a regular basis. I feel that way about a lot of OTHER music. But Arcade Fire doesn't do it for me.

Well, I think it's odd (and, to a certain extent, cheesy) to buy music only if "it moves me", what's that supposed to mean, anyway??? I mean, a dude can "like" a song but if it doesn't "move" him he won't bother listening to it?? wtf?...

I think that a vast majority respects a band if they have well-crafted songs, and Arcade Fire has many; that's why Dylan is considered to be the greatest pop songwriter of all time: his voice sucks, the production (many times) is uneven or cheap, but the songs are sooooo good (so masterfully crafted) that you can't help but LIKING him and his songs, even if he doesn't move ya. And a good song is ALWAYS entertaining, if we're looking for sheer entertainment.

On the other hand I don't give a damn 'bout Muse because they can't write a memorable song to save their lives, it's all production and experimentation, but the songs are not there. Just as good as Pink Floyd (as many critis has said)??? BULLSHIT. I'm still wating for something as good as Comfortably Numb. The point is that Arcade Fire has written some songs just as good as A Day in the Life or When the Music's Over...

and Funeral WAS the best rock debut of the 00s... . And Clocks, In My Place, Speed of Sound and Viva la Vida are 00s classics...

It's YOUR personal favorite. Calling a single piece of art the best is simply unquantifiable. Your belief that they're written songs as good as A Day In The Life or When The Music's Over is nothing more than a personal opinion. A good song by what qualifications, and whose standards? Because by that logic Britney Spears and Justin Bieber are insanely great. Because their fans think their songs are good. Also, Dylan doesn't write pop songs and he never has. Lastly, let me make this more simple for you, I don't LIKE them. Since I'm now cheesy for wanting music to affect me on some level deeper than somebody elses opinions that they write good songs, I think this conversation is over. Hope you enjoy the webcast.

I'm greatly looking forward to it! Funeral is one of my favorite albums of the 2000s, and Neon Bible was also quite good in my book.

I've got to say though, JoeTyler, that Coldplay is absolutely awful. They couldn't get more boring and insipid if they tried.

AsylumUtopia said:

I'm not really a fan but was reading this today, thought it might interest you:

Terry Gilliam will be directing the webcast of their upcoming Madison Square Garden gig (next Thursday) during which they will no doubt be debuting material from the new album. BBC Article here.

(of course, you probably already knew about it, but hey ho).

I'll be looking out for this, I'm interested to see what Gilliam can come up with. I mean, directing a webcast seems straightforward enough, without much room for creativity, but I expect to watch and learn, to be shown otherwise. Gilliam seems like the perfect candidate to come up with something interesting.

hi , no i didnt know about this....thanks for letting me know...

Cerebus said:

I don't hate on anybody for liking almost ANY music. There are a few exceptions - but very few. If it makes you happy, cool. So I'm not trying to convince anybody to not like this band. But maaaan! I don't get it. I don't get them, or their music. It just doesn't move me AT ALL! And Muse is not far behind. Those two bands are criminally overrated, imo. However, so many people love them and talk about them that I just. keep. trying to find the love for 'em.

That being said, since they're talked about and lauded over so much (and because I love Terry Gilliam) I will be checking out the webcast.

give arcade fire debut funeral a few listens....then if they dont do it for you then ok but it takes a few listens......i bought muse's last album but couldnt get into it....they are well overrated imo....

JoeTyler said:

Neon Bible was a HUGE disappointment for me (after such timeless debut/masterpiece, Funeral, they recorded a good but just ok record,... it wasn't certainly a Murmur+Reckoning or Suede+ DogManStar...Neon was a worthy but random follow-up) , so I have great hopes for this new LP...can't wait for it...

[Edited 7/29/10 11:58am]

I loved "Funeral", and it's among my favorites of the last decade for sure. "Neon Bible" didn't hit me as hard, but I still liked it - and "Intervention" is an incredible song. I have the new album but haven't checked it out yet. Perhaps sometime this weekend.

I disagree on the Suede analogy though - - - "DogManStar" is their best album overall, IMHO.

Moonbeam said:

I've got to say though, JoeTyler, that Coldplay is absolutely awful. They couldn't get more boring and insipid if they tried.

I'm with you here... They are a dumbed-down version of Radiohead with U2-esque stadium-rock pretentions. Bono ain't God, but Chris Martin sure the hell ain't either.

That said, they do have a handful of songs I really like - especially "Lost" from their last album, and "Don't Panic" from their first album.

NoVideo said:

Moonbeam said:

I've got to say though, JoeTyler, that Coldplay is absolutely awful. They couldn't get more boring and insipid if they tried.

I'm with you here... They are a dumbed-down version of Radiohead with U2-esque stadium-rock pretentions. Bono ain't God, but Chris Martin sure the hell ain't either.

That said, they do have a handful of songs I really like - especially "Lost" from their last album, and "Don't Panic" from their first album.

I'd rather watch paint dry five times over than listen to Beigeplay!

well i have listened to the album about 3 times....its a long album....16 tracks ...over an hour....and i have to say ...so far.....i am disappointed with it ....it starts off very well with 3 strong tracks...and the first half of the album is strong but after the 'month of may' track.....it quality of the songs drops off quite noticably...for me....if it had been a ten track album....i would have been happy with it but i think arcade fire have been too ambitious and went for a long album without the quality of songs to pull it off....

..

its still early days but at the moment....it isnt as good as neon bible and well below the classic debut album 'funeral'.....but its getting great reviews by the music critics so what do i know.....they do seem to be the flavour of the month with critics and can do no wrong but that doesnt last.....ask prince....

Cerebus said:

I don't hate on anybody for liking almost ANY music. There are a few exceptions - but very few. If it makes you happy, cool. So I'm not trying to convince anybody to not like this band. But maaaan! I don't get it. I don't get them, or their music. It just doesn't move me AT ALL! And Muse is not far behind. Those two bands are criminally overrated, imo. However, so many people love them and talk about them that I just. keep. trying to find the love for 'em.

That being said, since they're talked about and lauded over so much (and because I love Terry Gilliam) I will be checking out the webcast.

co-sign

I was even taken to a show of them and hated them even more afterwards.....Win Butler is an ass.

abierman said:

Cerebus said:

I don't hate on anybody for liking almost ANY music. There are a few exceptions - but very few. If it makes you happy, cool. So I'm not trying to convince anybody to not like this band. But maaaan! I don't get it. I don't get them, or their music. It just doesn't move me AT ALL! And Muse is not far behind. Those two bands are criminally overrated, imo. However, so many people love them and talk about them that I just. keep. trying to find the love for 'em.

That being said, since they're talked about and lauded over so much (and because I love Terry Gilliam) I will be checking out the webcast.

co-sign

I was even taken to a show of them and hated them even more afterwards.....Win Butler is an ass.

That's exactly what happened to me as well. I was on the fence with this band when Funeral came out. I liked some of the melodies, hated the bombast in the lyrics & vocals, but I was willing to be won over, so I went to the show when they came through town. I found them just horribly overblown: every gesture was overstated, every moment was soaked in melodrama. I hated every second of it, and after that gig I was firmly pushed to the hate side of the ledger.

[Edited 8/4/10 16:18pm]

I'm kinda disappointed, honestly. I really loved Neon Bible (better than Funeral actually), cause I think that sort of paranoid melodrama was the perfect fit for him (and also made sense with what I was feeling during a lot of the Bush years). But now they seem kind of rudderless without something to react against. There are some pretty songs and nice orchestration - still gets a B+. But won't be making my top 10 this year, at least at this point.

MendesCity said:

But now they seem kind of rudderless without something to react against. There are some pretty songs and nice orchestration - still gets a B+. But won't be making my top 10 this year, at least at this point.

This is kinda how I feel on first impression, but i'm willing to give it some time.

damosuzuki said:

abierman said:

co-sign

I was even taken to a show of them and hated them even more afterwards.....Win Butler is an ass.

That's exactly what happened to me as well. I was on the fence with this band when Funeral came out. I liked some of the melodies, hated the bombast in the lyrics & vocals, but I was willing to be won over, so I went to the show when they came through town. I found them just horribly overblown: every gesture was overstated, every moment was soaked in melodrama. I hated every second of it, and after that gig I was firmly pushed to the hate side of the ledger.

[Edited 8/4/10 16:18pm]

Damo, you might like this one better. Definitely less melodramatic.

damosuzuki said:

abierman said:

co-sign

I was even taken to a show of them and hated them even more afterwards.....Win Butler is an ass.

That's exactly what happened to me as well. I was on the fence with this band when Funeral came out. I liked some of the melodies, hated the bombast in the lyrics & vocals, but I was willing to be won over, so I went to the show when they came through town. I found them just horribly overblown: every gesture was overstated, every moment was soaked in melodrama. I hated every second of it, and after that gig I was firmly pushed to the hate side of the ledger.

[Edited 8/4/10 16:18pm]

Wow, and I thought I was the only one........ Arcade Fire always seemed to be one of those bands everyone must love.

When I went to that show I knew nothing about them, had not heard a single note of their music, I had only read some stuff about them. My buddy was raving about them and I know he knows about good music, so I gave it a chance.

First, the concert took place before the smoking-ban in Europe. However, Arcade Fire had placed posters everywhere in the venue in which they demanded that the audience would not light up...... Europeans don't like to be told what not to do!

Once they came on stage, Win Butler and his wife were just plain arrogant. The show started and it was immediately clear that this was an overly pompous arty-farty band.........so much that it really got on my nerves, and Win Butler became even more of an ass! I wanted to leave but out of respect of my friend (he had bought the tickets) I stayed until the end.

I have never gotten over it, I don't think I will give them another chance......

abierman said:

damosuzuki said:

That's exactly what happened to me as well. I was on the fence with this band when Funeral came out. I liked some of the melodies, hated the bombast in the lyrics & vocals, but I was willing to be won over, so I went to the show when they came through town. I found them just horribly overblown: every gesture was overstated, every moment was soaked in melodrama. I hated every second of it, and after that gig I was firmly pushed to the hate side of the ledger.

[Edited 8/4/10 16:18pm]

Wow, and I thought I was the only one........ Arcade Fire always seemed to be one of those bands everyone must love.

When I went to that show I knew nothing about them, had not heard a single note of their music, I had only read some stuff about them. My buddy was raving about them and I know he knows about good music, so I gave it a chance.

First, the concert took place before the smoking-ban in Europe. However, Arcade Fire had placed posters everywhere in the venue in which they demanded that the audience would not light up...... Europeans don't like to be told what not to do!

Once they came on stage, Win Butler and his wife were just plain arrogant. The show started and it was immediately clear that this was an overly pompous arty-farty band.........so much that it really got on my nerves, and Win Butler became even more of an ass! I wanted to leave but out of respect of my friend (he had bought the tickets) I stayed until the end.

I have never gotten over it, I don't think I will give them another chance......

i can understand why you would not like them ...win butler does come across as a bit of an ass sometimes......but some of their music is stunning and funeral is the best debut album i have ever heard......

Just listened to this for the first time. I rarely write reviews of albums after just one listen, but I couldn't resist here.

http://rateyourmusic.com/...ng31603162

Sorry, kids, but this is where I bow out. I'm reviewing this album after one listen, so my opinion very well may change, but the setting of said listen was quite appropriate, so I'll document what I felt. My wife and I put this on while headed to work in Sydney. We live in... wait for it... the suburbs! As anybody can tell you, commuting in Sydney by car isn't exactly pleasant, so putting in a new Arcade Fire album to enliven the journey seemed like a good move. Unfortunately, the long, toiling feeling of the voyage from the suburbs into the city was only compounded by listening to The Suburbs.

Right away, things got dicey, as the title track takes a frightening turn toward honky tonk. A few strings and some added melodrama seemed to assuage my fear slightly, but it was indicative of the experience in the end. Sadly, that unpleasant moment was among the more memorable ones on the album. As each track passed, I kept waiting to be grabbed by the cajones and reminded why I lavished 5 and 4 stars upon their first two albums, respectively, hopeful for some sort of insight into aspects of suburban life painted with a little magic reminiscent of The Wonder Years, but it was not meant to be. Ultimately, very few of these songs resonated even seconds beyond their duration. Perhaps that is part of the style the band aimed at, but I sure miss the hard-hitting hooks that etched themselves so effortlessly onto my inner soundtrack with Funeral and Neon Bible. There just don't seem to be any "oo-oo-oo-oo-ooo-oo" starry moments like "Tunnels" nor any "set my spirit free!" viscerally cathartic ones like "My Body Is a Cage" among others that generously populated those first two albums. And while the band can tick the twee box with The Suburbs courtesy of a few wistful melodies and some string section decoration, these elements merely act as pretty ribbons on Christmas day that promise much more than the mundane pair of underwear or tie contained within.

There are some moments of promise scattered throughout, as much as I can remember. I'm sure that "Ready to Start", "Empty Room" and "Deep Blue" sprang out of the vapid morass while I listened, but they present themselves as mere song titles to me now an hour later. I vaguely recall that "Month of May" showcased some sort of punch as well. And wait! Is that a latent synthesizer threatening to wake me up from the mind-numbing clusterfuck of traffic that WON'T FUCKING MOVE in "We Used to Wait"? Unfortunately, it rather innocuously fizzles back into the background, much like the hints of emotion that bubble then fade beneath the surface without a trace like Coldplay is so adept at doing. Gosh, what a scary comparison that is! But wait! It came back for a good thirty seconds or so to finish the song!

By the time "Sprawl I" chimed in, we were amidst the sprawl of the city and I dropped my wife off, so the rest of the review is for you, Minute Face! That's the nickname I have for my wife when she's sleepy and wants to doze for a few more minutes, and fitting for the morning in question as she threatened to drift off at several points while the album played. Babe, you missed the best track in "Sprawl II", which sees Regine stealing the show as she did with "In the Backseat" and the "Black Wave/Bad Vibrations" on the first two albums, this time flirting with the dancefloor with a knowing gaze at synth pop. Unfortunately, that is the only immediate payoff the album offers, and the closing reprise of "The Suburbs" brings things back to a limp whimper. In a rather serendipidous bout of comedy, as Win Butler sings something like "If I could have the wasted time back, I would waste it all again", my cell phone burst to life with "Editions of You" by Roxy Music serving as a ringtone to identify my father-in-law, who was calling to congratulate me on the 5-year anniversary of my engagement (it's been a great 5 years, Gwen!). This is relevant to the review only to illuminate the sharp contrast to the drowsy doldrums of The Suburbs epitomized by that paraphrased lyric about wasting time, as Roxy Music in "Editions of You" were aiming to do anything but waste time with the swaggering sonic onslaught of proto-punk madness. Fracture time? Warp time? Sure, but not waste time! So yes, it turns out that through some spontaneous act of God, my shitty cell phone speakers provided the jolt that I was awaiting throughout the entirety of The Suburbs.

I may end up changing my opinion of this album once I give it another chance. Nevertheless, the fact that I got through the entirety of this album and then some (most of Robyn's Body Talk Pt. 1 too- booyah!) on my morning commute seems to place me firmly in its target audience. If the band sought to capture the tedium of the suburbs, they succeeded mightily here. It isn't downright offensive like Fergie or Ashlee Simpson or Kings of Leon, but this sure feels like a pretty steep step down from their previous work. So here are a decidedly middle-of-the-road 2 and a half stars that seem apropos coming from a worker bee living in the suburbs.

Moonbeam said:

Just listened to this for the first time. I rarely write reviews of albums after just one listen, but I couldn't resist here.

http://rateyourmusic.com/...ng31603162

Sorry, kids, but this is where I bow out. I'm reviewing this album after one listen, so my opinion very well may change, but the setting of said listen was quite appropriate, so I'll document what I felt. My wife and I put this on while headed to work in Sydney. We live in... wait for it... the suburbs! As anybody can tell you, commuting in Sydney by car isn't exactly pleasant, so putting in a new Arcade Fire album to enliven the journey seemed like a good move. Unfortunately, the long, toiling feeling of the voyage from the suburbs into the city was only compounded by listening to The Suburbs.

Right away, things got dicey, as the title track takes a frightening turn toward honky tonk. A few strings and some added melodrama seemed to assuage my fear slightly, but it was indicative of the experience in the end. Sadly, that unpleasant moment was among the more memorable ones on the album. As each track passed, I kept waiting to be grabbed by the cajones and reminded why I lavished 5 and 4 stars upon their first two albums, respectively, hopeful for some sort of insight into aspects of suburban life painted with a little magic reminiscent of The Wonder Years, but it was not meant to be. Ultimately, very few of these songs resonated even seconds beyond their duration. Perhaps that is part of the style the band aimed at, but I sure miss the hard-hitting hooks that etched themselves so effortlessly onto my inner soundtrack with Funeral and Neon Bible. There just don't seem to be any "oo-oo-oo-oo-ooo-oo" starry moments like "Tunnels" nor any "set my spirit free!" viscerally cathartic ones like "My Body Is a Cage" among others that generously populated those first two albums. And while the band can tick the twee box with The Suburbs courtesy of a few wistful melodies and some string section decoration, these elements merely act as pretty ribbons on Christmas day that promise much more than the mundane pair of underwear or tie contained within.

There are some moments of promise scattered throughout, as much as I can remember. I'm sure that "Ready to Start", "Empty Room" and "Deep Blue" sprang out of the vapid morass while I listened, but they present themselves as mere song titles to me now an hour later. I vaguely recall that "Month of May" showcased some sort of punch as well. And wait! Is that a latent synthesizer threatening to wake me up from the mind-numbing clusterfuck of traffic that WON'T FUCKING MOVE in "We Used to Wait"? Unfortunately, it rather innocuously fizzles back into the background, much like the hints of emotion that bubble then fade beneath the surface without a trace like Coldplay is so adept at doing. Gosh, what a scary comparison that is! But wait! It came back for a good thirty seconds or so to finish the song!

By the time "Sprawl I" chimed in, we were amidst the sprawl of the city and I dropped my wife off, so the rest of the review is for you, Minute Face! That's the nickname I have for my wife when she's sleepy and wants to doze for a few more minutes, and fitting for the morning in question as she threatened to drift off at several points while the album played. Babe, you missed the best track in "Sprawl II", which sees Regine stealing the show as she did with "In the Backseat" and the "Black Wave/Bad Vibrations" on the first two albums, this time flirting with the dancefloor with a knowing gaze at synth pop. Unfortunately, that is the only immediate payoff the album offers, and the closing reprise of "The Suburbs" brings things back to a limp whimper. In a rather serendipidous bout of comedy, as Win Butler sings something like "If I could have the wasted time back, I would waste it all again", my cell phone burst to life with "Editions of You" by Roxy Music serving as a ringtone to identify my father-in-law, who was calling to congratulate me on the 5-year anniversary of my engagement (it's been a great 5 years, Gwen!). This is relevant to the review only to illuminate the sharp contrast to the drowsy doldrums of The Suburbs epitomized by that paraphrased lyric about wasting time, as Roxy Music in "Editions of You" were aiming to do anything but waste time with the swaggering sonic onslaught of proto-punk madness. Fracture time? Warp time? Sure, but not waste time! So yes, it turns out that through some spontaneous act of God, my shitty cell phone speakers provided the jolt that I was awaiting throughout the entirety of The Suburbs.

I may end up changing my opinion of this album once I give it another chance. Nevertheless, the fact that I got through the entirety of this album and then some (most of Robyn's Body Talk Pt. 1 too- booyah!) on my morning commute seems to place me firmly in its target audience. If the band sought to capture the tedium of the suburbs, they succeeded mightily here. It isn't downright offensive like Fergie or Ashlee Simpson or Kings of Leon, but this sure feels like a pretty steep step down from their previous work. So here are a decidedly middle-of-the-road 2 and a half stars that seem apropos coming from a worker bee living in the suburbs.

yes moonbeam...i agree with most of what you said......i have listened to the album 4 times and although i do like the first half of the album....as the tracks go on....nothing at all grabs me the way funeral and neon bible did.....i will give it another listen right through but ...at the moment....the album is nowhere near the first two......i suppose a drop off was to be expected......dont know where q magazine are getting their masterpiece rating for this album......its not.....

wow, surprising this album has so little buzz around it on the org, but also not, considering how many old P-heads have fled the joint.

anyway - interest Christgau review, not sure I totally agree but as usual, I feel where he's coming from

http://bnreview.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Rock-Roll/Maturity-for-Modern-Kids/ba-p/3173

it has grown on me a bit more.....but it wont get near funeral as their best album....but i am still a big fan and look forward to seeing them live in the uk...