Arcade Fire, 'The Suburbs'

Release date: Aug. 3, 2010
Record label: Merge
Official website: http://www.arcadefire.com/

The buzz: After releasing one of the most celebrated debuts of the past decade (2004’s “Funeral”), Arcade Fire returned with the similarly lauded “Neon Bible” in 2007, although critics have retroactively—and rightly—changed that verdict to “oops, wasn’t as good as we made it out to be.” A third album doesn’t necessarily determine a band’s fate—but it’s fun to pretend that it does. So which will it be, Arcade Fire: once again the saviors of indie rock, or forced to forever chase the glory of your debut?

The verdict: “The Suburbs” again makes the case for Arcade Fire as one of the most successfully grandiose bands in music, indie or otherwise. While lighter-hearted (and less Springsteeny) than “Neon Bible,” the familiar, high-drama ingredients are all in play: sweeping string arrangements, propulsive melodies, lyrical themes of sweet/bittersweet childhood nostalgia and grown-up ennui. Win Butler and Régine Chassagne paint a sensitive, nuanced portrait of the ‘burbs. Chassagne takes a lively lead on “Sprawl II,” one of the album’s surefire signatures—and biggest departures, with its apparent cap tip to Blondie. It’s among the ample highlights on “The Suburbs,” although there’s also an Achilles' heel: mid-album bloat.

Did you know? To celebrate the release of “The Suburbs,” Arcade Fire are offering a live webcast of their Aug. 5 show at Madison Square Garden, directed by iconic auteur Terry Gilliam.