A conversation between Tyler and Writers’ Loom contributor Norman.
Norman: Let me start by asking: are you a big Arcade Fire fan? What has your trajectory been with them? Were you interested in their work right away?
Tyler: See, now, that’s something I should address. I’m not very familiar with Arcade Fire overall.
Funeral is an album to which I’ve never given proper time. My first exposure to them was Neon Bible, which I did enjoy. Then, full disclosure, I thought The Suburbs was such an on-the-nose title for an LP that I turned away.
Norman: I’ve been a fan for a while. Back in 2005 Spin magazine put out this top 100 albums since they started as a publication and Funeral got listed. So I checked it out. And I was pretty floored. I hated Neon Bible, because it sounded too much like it wanted to be a Bruce Springsteen record.
But I LOVE The Suburbs.
Tyler: I judged that book by its cover.
Norman: I think so. It’s a real epic. Yes, they cover the suburbs, but it’s one of those sprawling albums that has a lot going on and it takes a while to really feel out, but once it clicks…man.
Tyler: See, given my affection for this new release, I kinda wanna go back and see what there is waiting for me.
Thoughts on the post-Suburbs work? Reflektor and Everything Now?
Norman: I like both! Reflektor was well received and I’m pretty much in line there. It is properly rated. But I’m an outlier on Everything Now. Critics dumped on it and I don’t think it sold as well, but I really enjoy it. Everything Now isn’t as dense or thoughtful maybe, but it has grooves.
Tyler: Your fandom is proven. Your devotion clear. What say you, then, of WE?
Norman: My overall impression is that compared to their other albums it’s bland. For me, it feels like they wanted to recreate Funeral and just aren’t up to the task.
Tyler: Damning.
Norman: Yeah. But I want to be clear. This is in comparison to the rest of their work. Compared to 90% of the indie rock scene, this is a good record.
Tyler: Rolling Stone announced on their homepage that WE is the sound of a band “circling the wagons.” Do you feel that’s fair?
Norman: It’s fair. They got crapped on for Everything Now. It was viewed as their first true misstep and so despite what Win Butler might say in public (he says he’s got nothing to be embarrassed by), there’s no doubt that they wanted to get back to something that felt more familiar to them or more like what people expected from them.
Here’s my other theory.
Tyler: Bring it.
Norman: Everything Now came out July 2017, right after Trump is put in the Oval Office. It’s a bit of a sardonic record, kind of distant. They are known for ultra-sincerity. And so I think part of what they wanted to do on WE is return to that sense of vulnerability that they had cultivated on earlier records.
Tyler: WE is a particularly vulnerable record.
Norman: And that’s not a bad thing.
Tyler: Certainly not. I’ve had a difficult time articulating why it appeals to me and even speaks to me, but I do know I’m feeling something when I hear a track like “Unconventional I (Lookout Kid),” my favorite song on the LP. That’s a hopeful song, somehow, on an album that laments the end of America and our “age of anxiety.” I don’t walk out of WE feeling optimistic overall. But “Lookout Kid” gives me an upbeat charge.
Norman: It’s a standout. A poem to Win and Regine’s son Edwin. And I think you are right to point out the contrast to some of the more apocalyptic tracks on this album. “Lookout Kid” sees something beyond the politics, media, and current event cycle.
An aside: I’d be interested to ask Butler what he means by this line: “But we all know, there’s no God without soul.” As a Christian that is an intriguing notion. It strikes me, because music is one of the reasons I believe in God. I know it’s subjective to talk about music in this way, because what I find beautiful isn’t always what someone else finds beautiful, but the fact of beauty in music has long pointed me to the notion of God. I can’t listen to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and think otherwise.
Tyler: Love that line. My basic interpretation of it, as an agnostic, is that there cannot be a concept of a higher power without goodness in this world.
Norman: I think that’s a good segue to “Unconditional II (Race and Religion),” which is probably my favorite song musically. I love Regine’s voice and wish she’d do lead vocals more. The groove is irresistible to me.
I don’t know who the song lyrics are written to, but there’s this idea of race and religion, two meaningful points of identity that often cause division, being best expressed in relationship. That kind of thinking is akin to “All You Need Is Love” or “Imagine,” two songs I have absolute contempt for.
But I still love “Unconditional II,” because, in the modern parlance, it slaps.
Tyler: Interesting to hear good ol’ Peter Gabriel on that track. And it certainly does sound like nothing else on the album.
Norman: That might be why I like it so much. Socially it feels like it might have come from Reflektor or Everything Now. They are really, really good at writing big dance songs. The obvious pinnacle is “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains).”
Tyler: Any other tracks stick out for you? “The Lightning I-II” is a nice one-two punch, and its general optimism made sense in a lead single. Truly, “Lightning” paired with fellow early release “Lookout Kid” gave a lighter impression of what the whole album is striving to be.
“Age Of Anxiety II (Rabbit Hole)”—Lord, the song titles—is damn propulsive.
I suppose the whole thing is such a suite that it’s difficult to nail down precise tracks. “Age Of Anxiety I” alone has two distinct parts, cut together with a major shift in tempo.
Norman: The song titles are a burden. And yes, sometimes it seems like they aren’t very precise in the way they are trying to handle track listings. In fact, I really wish that people would not do concepts unless they can really nail it down.
Tyler: What is the concept here, do you think? Stick together because everything is pretty fucked?
Norman: Maybe. They have said that the first half is “I” and the second half is “We”. So there is an individual v. society element to it.
Tyler: The worldweary resignation is there. The Win Butler of WE is battling anxiety, getting high and drinking more, binge-watching shows that are losing his interest. He aims to get free by unsubscribing.
Oh yeah. He’s also convinced that we’ve reached the end of the line as a nation. That’ll weigh on a person.
Norman: The apocalyptic element on this record is a turn off for me. Like a lot of people—like Arcade Fire—I have some major concerns about the future of our nation. But I guess I’ve become more interested in specific critiques and uninterested in handwringing. I mean…”I unsubscribe?” “Don’t believe the hype?” “What New York used to be?” I don’t know. Come on, man. It’s too early in Win Butler’s life (age 42) for this kind of nostalgia.
Tyler: “Age Of Anxiety” as a title and chorus is a little much. Technology has fried our brains and made us miserable, yes. Things are dire and democracy is in the balance, indeed. But that’s kind of nothing new.
I’m torn. The despairing part of me, which is pretty big, is drawn in by what Arcade Fire are going for here. It feels relatable. It’s calming, because it doesn’t seek to agitate. Does that make sense?
Norman: That’s a good point—they aren’t seeking to agitate. There is a lament quality to what they have here, and I can appreciate that. Maybe the news cycle is enough for me as it is. Haha.
Tyler: Hard to fault you that. The news cycle is abominable. And lament this album does. Its quieter moments have a late-night insomnia feel to them.
I’m curious to see how long WE stays in my rotation.
Norman: It won’t last long in my rotation. But Arcade Fire has earned enough respect from me that I’ll give it another try down the road. For now, there’s just too much else I want to dig into. There’s new Belle and Sebastian, new Warpaint, new Toro y Moi, new Florence and the Machine…and on and on.
Tyler: There’s also a new Van Morrison album. But that’s a sad story for another day.
Writers' Loom 