Since Arcade Fire debuted withFuneral, their 2004 masterpiece about death and grieving, one aspect has defined their epic music above all else: Theyre not ones for subtlety.
Like 2013s overwroughtReflektor, the bands fifth LP tackles information overload in the digital age but the result is hit-and-miss.
The concept lands beautifully on Everything Now, a heartland-rock ode to consumption; less so on Infinite Content, a 97-second ditty with the trite refrain Infinite content, were infinitely content.
Credit: Guy Aroch
Lyrical shakiness aside,Everything Nowis musically rousing, from the dubby Peter Pan to the anxious funk of Good God Damn to Signs of Life, which channels the dance-punk of longtime collaborators LCD Soundsystem.
The best moment comes on Creature Comfort, where the band pairs a menacing synth riff from Portisheads Geoff Barrow with a sunny indie-pop melody for new-wave-y bliss.
LikeEverything Nows subject matter, Arcade Fire gets a bit excessive yet their fearlessness has resulted in some of the most ambitious music of their career.B+
