Arcade Fire - Everything Now (2017 album)

I didn't get any download, and will be waiting until late August, I believe, for my copy.

 

There was no download card with my coloured vinyl Night Edition here in the UK. Looked through the insert and everything to see if it was hidden in all the advert artwork and things but alas not. A pity. Still to listen to it properly as i have a new Fall album to assess first, as well as the long anticipated first Gillian Welch vinyl issue.

 

Oooooh, Pitchfork - a constant AF champion - have spoken; 5,6:

"The Montreal band’s fifth album finds them in musical and lyrical stasis. The pale, joyless songs don’t transcend their social critique—they succumb to it"

Now I really want to hear it

 

Not impressed so far with the songs on the album that weren't part of the pre-album release (Peter Plan sounds so boring), but time will tell.

 

It's almost like they intended it to be bad, like as a social commentary or something. The ABBA rewrite was one thing (two, according to Pitchfork, now that I've read the review), but some of these songs sound like their first pass at the music and especially lyrics. Painful. From "Electric Blue" on, it plays a little better, but even those songs would be the worst songs on their good albums.

 

i wouldn't put it past them to be playing one big joke; i'm sure they can afford it in more ways than one.

as an always fan of AF's music and not their marketing gimmicks, i'm really disappointed by this album. it's dreadful. the lyrics make me cringe even more than modern day U2 or Foo Fighters (two of my favorite bands). for a band that's always been a bit pretentious, they're really coming across now as a band that's saying "screw you" to everyone.

 

Part of me thinks Everything Now is the result of Reflektor receiving far better reviews than it deserved. It feels like they're more worried about their Important Anti-Consumerism Message than they are about writing a decent melody. Win's speak-singing is particularly lifeless throughout most of this album.

They made way better dance music on Funeral when they weren't trying to make dance music.

 

Arcade Fire have been critical darlings for nearly a decade. It takes a couple of really bad albums to change that narrative unless they drastically change their sound. Reflektor got great reviews because it's a decent album from a beloved group. You see the same thing with older acts when they make semi-decent "comeback" albums. Look no further than Bob Dylan's past several albums.

 

Never really got this band and have really tried. I like some of Suburbs but generally they just seem like really boring white people music and Win has no voice.

 

i don't get any of the hate. i have been listening to this album non stop for the past two days.

 

The difference is that Reflektor was released at their peak, right after winning the Best Album Grammy. Truly great bands are capable of sustaining some momentum. I think they're on their way to obscurity.

 

Just downloaded it from qobuz. What strikes me first is The awful lifeless sound. I wonder whether or not i will struggle through it...

 

What makes you think they're not getting attention for this record? They're everywhere right now.

 

Man, I'm so glad I heard this before the deluge of poor reviews, so I could form my own opinion. Still think this album kicks ass!

 

After a few spins, most of the deep tracks are pretty useless. Peter Pan might be the most bland thing they've ever done, and Chemistry is not far behind. Put Your Money On Me is pretty charming, though; I like that one. The early "singles" and a few others are good enough for this to have been worth the 10 bucks I spent on it, but this is not the return to form I was hoping for after the underwhelming Reflektor.

 

I think they would be well served to employ Regine's talents to a greater extent.

 

Just listened to it on Apple Music.
I'm disappointed.
I loved the first 3 albums. A lot!
I didn't care for Reflector.
I think I like this one even less.
Or maybe the same... I don't know.
They were so good before. What happened?

 

They got better.

 

Some comments on first listen...

I like the album much better as a whole than I did the initial singles. The LP sounds great, and the sequencing is excellent and makes the album flow really well. I'm happy I resisted the urge to listen to this on computer speakers at the office, and had my first spin on LP - that honestly makes a difference.

So...shortly after the Suburbs came out, Sprawl II became a big surprise hit for the band - "hey, Arcade Fire can do disco, and they're really good at it!" seemed to be the response to that song. My reaction to the song was fear...fear that they'd become an electronic band, mistaking love of that song for love of that sound. They have become exactly the band I feared they'd become - and while I actually like it, it's a bit disappointing, cause there are tons of bands who can release this kind of music (starting with the producers of their 2 most recent LP's). But there's nobody else that can do what Arcade Fire does when they play actual instruments.

One thing that jumps out is that although I do like the songs, Win seems to be mailing it in vocally. He sounds best when he GOES for it, like he did all album long on Funeral. On Everything Now, he seems to be very conservative in his delivery - come on Win, bring the rock! Where's the rhythmic yelping and big huge chorus? That's what Arcade Fire does better than anyone...it's too bad they aren't doing it now.

I quite like this album and find that the flow is better than the last couple of albums. All their albums after Funeral suffered from a lack of flow, even though all have some great songs - perhaps hampered by being too long. Everything Now, on the other hand, flows freely like a river - even if I'd rather it flow like rapids! I like the bass sounds they've gotten on this album, and the fact that it's better balanced tonally than past efforts (not too bright, not too dark). I just wish there was somebody out there making aggressive, catchy indie rock with a chamber orchestra, stirring up emotions the way Arcade Fire can. But there isn't, cause Arcade Fire have moved on.

 

They have nothing left to prove.

They have always been a darling of the critics, so they have never had to worry about that (far too musicians worry about that, when they shouldn't).

Once they won a grammy for The Suburbs, that was mainstream success, so even though they are not a household name (most people I talk to still have no idea who they are), they no longer have anything to prove.

Bands are at their best when they are hungry and eager to prove themselves, and Arcade Fire no longer fits that description. There is no excuse to take four years between albums in this day and age and then release one with dreck like Peter Pan, Chemistry and Good God Damn. I still love about half of the album a ton, but the other half seems pretty awful.

 

The problem is that she struggles somewhat live - she seems to have trouble hearing herself, and as a result struggles staying on tune. That's OK for a few songs during a show, but it wouldn't work well if she had to sing half a show.

 

I'm with you on that. She's pretty invisible on this one, aside from Electric Blue.

 

I picked up the Everything Now LP (night version cover) at the local indie store earlier. There was no sticker indicating, but the vinyl is translucent blue. Very nice packaging with embossed gatefold cover and glossy highlights. It comes in a plastic slipcover with icons of the song titles. A photo of the band in a cramped studio shows a computer screen with the sticker, Make Disco Great Again. I haven't listened to it yet. Maybe tomorrow.

 

Well.... if U2 managed to make a career out of it why would AF be bound for "obscurity"? Even though I'm not sure what you are exactly implying.

 

My feelings exactly. Just dull.