Album review of WE

I have thoughts on WE, Arcade Fire's most recent release. I like to listen to albums as a whole and I think this one had a nice balance of slower songs with faster ones. There are common themes of introspection and wishing for change. Many songs are related to each other musically and make more sense as part of the album than as stand-alone songs. Overall, I don't think this album is better than Neon Bible or The Suburbs, but it is still very good.

"Age of Anxiety I"

It would be easy for the anxious breath rhythm sounds to get annoying, but they give the chill song its anxious flavor. Halfway through, the song transforms into a more rhythmic meditation with lyrics about just trying to feel something. Anxiety or depression? Why not both.

"Age of Anxiety II (Rabbit Hole)"

This song follows a similar formula as "Age of Anxiety I" with a spare intro that goes into a more upbeat, traditional song. There are a lot more synths than I remember Arcade Fire having. The synth pads with a little distortion that makes them sound flat remind me of 80s music like Erasure. The addition of glockenspiel (I think?) reminds us that Arcade Fire used to be baroque pop. 

"End of Empire I-III"

"It's not half bad. Spend half your life bein' sad. Don't be scared. Just chronically impaired. Just take my hand." Is this why Adam says my music is depressing? I find it cathartic. This is a sad ballad about saying goodbye to the American empire... or is it a breakup song? A harmonica and saxophone make an appearance. This is classic Arcade Fire sound, with Régine Chassagne occasionally octave doubling Win Butler's vocals, sweeping synthetic orchestra, and some real instruments mixed in.  

I think the first song has the same chord progression as "The Suburbs", but twice as slow. An allusion, or just determination not to change a good thing?

"End of Empire IV (Sagittarius *A)

"I unsubscribe": is this all the power we have in this stupid world? I feel a rush of righteous anger with "fuck season five" but for what? What kind of weaksauce protest song is this? What happened to "I don't want to give you my name and address / I don't want to see what happens next / I don't want to live in America no more!" from Neon Bible's "Windowsill"?

The backup vocals at 2:14 remind me of something and I cannot figure out what; PLEASE tell me if you can figure out what other song they sound like.

"The Lightning I" 

Compared to the other interesting music techniques on this album, this one feels simpler and a little generic. 

"The Lighting II"

Reminds me of "Ready to Start" from The Suburbs. It's interesting how the same lyrical themes from "The Lighting I" are presented in a more urgent way. This is the most popular song on the album but I much prefer "Age of Anxiety I." 

"Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)"

The first standalone song on the album gets back to the folk side of Arcade Fire. A peppy song about how it's okay to be sad and how a life without pain would be boring. I added it to my "Affirmations" playlist. A good bop and a message I can get behind.

"Unconditional II (Race and Religion)"

I'm confused at "I'll be your race and religion" being... a romantic offer? Is the idea that the singer is willing to give up their innermost identity of race and religion to be united with their lover? The beginning lyrics talks about how a street sign is a construct, so maybe this song is about trying to abandon those most ingrained "constructs" in the name of becoming "we". Kinda deep for an indie pop song, but still emotionally charged, which is exactly what I want.

"WE"

A low-key, forgettable song, especially compared to "Unconditional II," but a nice way to close an intense album!