There are great albums and there are masterpieces. The only difference between the two is that a masterpiece, while being equally solid from top to bottom, possesses an ethereal quality about it, as if the album is alive and has its own distinct personality. The Suburbs is a masterpiece for that very reason. Every track is solid on its own merit, but it's when the album is taken as a whole that it comes to life. There is no standout track; set aside an hour and absorb it in its entirety.… Collapse

Arcade Fire's third album is a little different to their previous two. On first listen, it appears that the crescendos and walls of sound we've come to expect have mostly been faded out to be replaced by more space and an unhurried saunter through the places the Butler's grew up in. None of this is bad; the band as tight and melodies as gorgeous as ever. Two tracks highlight the band's fondness for new sounds. The first, Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) goes into electro territory, Regine's vocals perfectly complimenting the mirrorball soundtrack. The second, Month Of May takes things in the direction of straight ahead punk rock but is no less stirring than when the church organs are ramped up to 11. These are sounds I hope we will be hearing more of in the future. For now though, this is a very modern blend of folk rock and synth pop which should open the door to wider popularity. Best of the homely gems for my money is City With No Children. It quickly achieves lift-off the same way as Rebellion or No Cars Go do on previous albums. And then back down to earth... but never for long. It's this pattern of peaks and troughs that run throughout the album; a collection of stunningly played songs put together with some thought. One reason to press an album on to plastic, and then play it from beginning to end.… Expand

Not in the ballpark of Funeral, though they do work to recreate that sparer sound, largely dropping the bombast from the trying-too-hard Neon Bible. They certainly have pushed their early The Cure influences to the forefront. It starts fairly strong - The Suburbs (and its album-closing revisit) is solid and Ready to Start is certainly the highlight of the album - but the majority of the tracks that follow fall rather flat. Modern Man fulfills the E-Street comparisons they've garnered for a while and is pretty dire, lyrically. The hipster-bashing Rococo is a fire and a miss, attacking a strawman target, and even worse, is annoying. Empty Room is short and pretty, but disappears quickly into the hand-clappy and dull City With No Children and the Beach House-y Half Light I. The tempo, and quality, picks back up briefly with the the second part, Half Light II, which wouldn't sound out of place on Achtung Baby. Month of May serves as a merciful change of pace, a little bit poppy post-punk, but it's still remarkably slight. After that, the album pretty much disappears into an unmemorable haze until it hits the two-part The Sprawl - the first half, Flatland, is pretty great and is the only thing that sounds like a genuine moment on the record. Too bad then it's followed up with the ABBA-esque second half, Mountains Beyond Mountains, with the most eye-rolling put-upon-artist lyrics in an album already filled with them: "They heard me singing and they told me to stop / quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock." Sadly, the album frequently delves into pitting the narrator against a phantom 'Them' or 'They' which is a really juvenile antagonist, it's vague, paranoid, and uninformed. If the band's hook is a world-weary adult's look back at the decline of childhood innocence, the lazy intangible of 'they' undermines anything learned from it. The repeated focus on being children and having children (riding bikes, running through the yard, learning to drive, etc.) and on placing them both in a nostalgic 1982 Steven Spielberg neighborhood ultimately doesn't cover any ground that the far superior Funeral didn't, and the lack of that record's energy, pathos and lyrical acumen make this seem largely redundant, and clearly lesser. I get that's the Arcade Fire's shtick, and perhaps it's not fair to always hold a band up to their earlier high-water mark, but the band themselves are so insistent on revisiting those same themes that the comparison is all but inevitable. There's a point where the romanticizing of childhood wonder falls away to a creepy Peter Pan refusal to accept growing up. Ultimately, a pretty solid disappointment, especially coming after the just-ok Neon Bible, and it leaves you with a feeling of a fizzled band that couldn't top their early flash of inspiration - a story arc not dissimilar to The Strokes. It's not awful, by any means, but it's uninspired and frequently just dull. There are so many directions that Arcade Fire could have taken their sound and achieved something compelling - I'm thinking of Nick Drake's Bryter Layter, Nick Cave's From Her to Eternity, Folklore, an orchestral take on Liars' Drum's Not Dead - anything but a less-engaging, overlong rehash of the album they made their name on.… Expand

A complete work of art, an entire concept album that works. Incredible. Amazing. Sprawl II is the dance hit of the decade (once it's remixed to be harder).

Three extraordinary albums in a row. This band does not repeat itself. With each album Arcade Fire breathes new life into contemporary music. I think this album is as every bit good as the previous two . . . and that's saying something.

Album of the year. Builds on the first two albums to find a slightly more accessible sound than Neon Bible. In that respect it reminds me of how "Dear Science" fits into TVOTR's catalogue, or "In Rainbows".

I only had a passing knowledge of Arcade Fire until very recently. I saw them perform 2 songs on The Daily Show and decided to purchase this album. Only been listening for a few days now, but I'm impressed.

I've listened to all three Arcade Fire albums extensively and I can safely say The Suburbs is my favorite: it nails its theme of the contrast between the suburb's "dead shopping malls" and the deep, nostalgic memories of carefree childhood. In the end, you only have the memories of the places you actually lived, not where you wanted to be. The way in which the album weaves these two ideas is very compelling and it presents a powerful picture of living in the suburbs as a child. I haven't been able to listen to anything else the last few days, the whole album is riveting and continues to draw me in.… Expand

Win Butlers vocal performances may come into question at time (and don't get me wrong, I think his voice is brilliant) but there is no doubting his ability to write relatable and touching lyrics. Not as rawly artist as Funeral but solid song writing still remains. A few songs could probably be axed from this album because personally there are some songs that (whilst I enjoy) aren't at the level of other tracks around them. Don't feel the need to compare this to Funeral or Neon Bible because what Arcade Fire have done yet again is create a stand alone album that has it's unique sound and concept. An absolute must listen to anyone who enjoys modern indie/alternative music.… Expand

I have to believe that all the favorable reviews of the album are more a sign of the overall mediocre output from the entire music industry. The songs are just average and the music is nothing to get excited about. Few people will play this album a year from now.

These guys are getting better every album. I was inspired to buy this album on Amazon.com for $3.99 after watching the live concert on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/ArcadeFireVEVO

This is a very solid effort;Arcade Fire's sound keeps evolving and this album proves it. My two favorites right now are Sprawl 2 & Half Light I. The former is poppy and sugary-sweet, while the latter is hypnotic and trippy.

This is a decent album, however it is not in the ballpark, league or universe of Funeral (their debut) and Neon Bible was pretty darn good too. It's hard to see them reach the highest of highs and to wait years for their next and then get something that's just decent.

Arcade Fire are definitely maturing and expanding their sound, and those who say that they can never top 'Funeral' might want to give their subsequent albums a more careful listen.

This is an excellent release from a band that continues to build a strong core repertoire of songs. Clearly a departure from darker subject material of previous album releases, and a little more folk sounding as well. Really dig the brief foray into the 80's synth-pop sound a la Sprawl II and wish there was a bit more of it!

Neon Bible did a curious thing to Arcade Fire. It made them popular. Sure, it wasnâ

I cannot stop listening to this. I thought after a lot of listening for a week that I was getting tired of it, but I found myself coming back to it and finding new things to appreciate about the songs. For me they all are get better over time. It is different than their other records, but still them. It is serious, but not heavy. The various influences are obvious to hear, but only in an additive way that makes the music better. There is a lot of variety, but it is all Arcade Fire. If you are looking for the rhythmic intensity and highs of their past two, you will find it - and a lot more. It's kind of hard to describe what makes it so good. I think in the end that is one of the keys to it being really good.… Expand

This is honesty the best album i have ever heard, it has some soft songs and some more rock songs that hit the ball out of the park, no one will be disappointed with this album.

Great album. One of the year's best. It seems somewhat conventional at first listen, but I was immediately compelled to go back and revisit it in its entirety. It is a deeply felt album about the uneasy passage from youth to adulthood and the fears and anxieties that go along with the transition. It also flat out rocks. What more can you ask for?

This might be the best Arcade Fire album yet. That's everything you need to know. 16 songs long, this album is sure to have at least ten songs worth soaking in for a long time to come.

One morning a few years ago as a journalist with a part-time gig as a music reviewer, Funeral arrived on my desk. I knew little about Arcade Fire, save some glowing, perhaps over-enthusiastic reviews I'd read on the internet. The release of Funeral coincided with the worst year of my life; my marriage had failed, I hardly ever saw my kids. There was no joy anywhere. I half suspected one of my peers had given me the cd to review as a joke.
A cliche perhaps, but Funeral became the soundtrack to my life. I recall saying in a newspaper column that the album was the best album of the new millennium from the most promising band I'd heard in years. It changed my life in ways no record had before, save perhaps The Soft Bulletin.
I can admire Neon Bible. A masterpiece of restrained power. I'd liken it to Arcade Fire's The Bends. But it didn't move me.
Being a traditionalist, I'd waited for The Suburbs to arrive in my local store on vinyl rather than picking up the cd on release day. For three days now, I've played nothing else. I've cried. I've felt tingles up my spine. I've searched the internet for airfares to the next live show.
In short, thank you Arcade Fire. The world is a better place thanks to you.… Expand

I don't think I'm quite feeling the brilliance of this album the way most seem to be. It's a pretty solid effort for sure but to me that's it. The band seemed to be stretching and testing themselves far more on their previous 2 albums, which were both outstanding. Their toning down on The Suburbs has lessened the impact of course, making this album more of a grower, but after several listens I still find myself zoning out and forgetting it's on. For me the stand out track is undoubtedly 'Sprawl II', as this seems to be the song where their sounds actually mutates into something new and interesting. I may be in the minority but I think Arcade Fire have played it safe with this album, and that's not just because the songs are less grand. Where's the sparkling invention of tracks like Une Année Sans Lumière and Crown of Love, where the songs change pace and rhythm on a whim. On the first two albums I didn't know what to expect from one track to the next. With The Suburbs, at times its quite difficult distinguishing one song from the next, with none of them rivalling their best work… Expand

I was not totally convinced when I first heard this album but it has grown on me tremendously and it has been the only music I have listened to for weeks! This album comprehensively confirms Arcade Fire as one of the best bands of the 21st century (if they were not due that accolade already)

This album further cements Arcade Fire as the most important and best band of the millenium. There are many standout tracks on the album but listening to it in its entirety is the way to go because the whole exceeds the sum of its parts. Great work!!

MorganK you make me laugh. Your comparisons and analogies are hilariously wannabe amateur critic. You clearly listened to it with a preset agenda, a pencil and paper ready to jot down what band the songs sound most sound like on first impression. Your suggestions as to which direction that they should have taken the album.... please..... hey i would have loved it if they made it sound like a cross between ok computer, merriweather post pavilion and veckatimest but damn them... they didn't. Instead they sounded like arcade fire. Not funeral. Not neon bible. An arcade fire album. A really good one.… Expand

Sin duda alguna una obra maestra. Consultado al director de la revista: " Ushi in the park", el Sr. Loben de Pi coincide en que la soledad del Deheso, conlleva a vivir en suburbios.

Para mi, un ten points!

That's it? Funeral had 5 or 6 great songs, Neon Bible had maybe 3 good ones but mostly yawns. The Suburbs has no memorable song after the pretty good opener. At least 2 Canadian bands have produced better records this year: Broken Social Scene and the New Pornographers.

In response to the guy who made the ridiculous comment about "Funeral having 5 or 6 good songs, Neon Bible having 3, and this one having 0." First of all, if you really think Funeral and Neon Bible only had that many good songs, you are an idiot. Also, you have no right to review Arcade Fire if you are going to do so by judging their songs. They aren't a single band, it's an album band. Good Album, up there with Neon Bible, not quite Funeral.… Expand