By Justin Smith
Contributing Writer
Arcade Fire has been a globally hailed band ever since their debut album Funeral in 2004, and, two studio albums later, they have put out another smash hit with Reflektor. Arcade Fire is a five member indie-rock group hailing from Montreal, Canada. They are well known for their unique sound, achieved by incorporating the use of synthesizers and jazz instruments into the traditional rock instruments, as well as for the numerous musicians who tour with the band.
With Reflektor, Arcade Fire has created one of the best albums of the year. It is traditional Arcade Fire, with the unmistakably-coiffed Win Butler contributing his unique voice to the vocals, with his wife Regine Chassagne helping him out. Arcade Fire overwhelms your ears with an encompassing assault of various instruments and vocalists.
They did an uncharacteristic promo on Saturday Night Live that included many celebrities leading up to Reflektor’s release date and really got a lot of noise around the album before it was released, something the band, which usually shys from attention from the mainstream media, has never done before.
One of the best songs on the album, “Normal Person,” is an old fashioned rock n’ roll song that contains no real special effects and delivers a punch to the listener. The album is consistently strong throughout, with each song having its own unique auditory experience. In some songs the synthesizers are strong such as in “Porno”, while in others it’s as stripped down as an Arcade Fire song can get (which is rather stripped down).
From start to finish, Reflektor is an amazing listening experience, whether you like it or not. The amount of sounds and instruments used is quintessential Arcade Fire, and it’s nice to see that they are sticking to their roots. Reflektor gets two thumbs up.