So, a bit of background is probably in order here. Around two or three months ago, I stumbled across the band Arcade Fire in my recommended artists tab on Spotify. At this point I had heard of them, but never heard their music. I was aware that they had scored Spike Jonze’s “Her”, a film I enjoyed immensely, part of which was due to the soft melancholic electronic composition written by the band, or more specifically, Win Butler, the multi-instrumentalist and lead singer of the indie-rock group.

I promptly sought out there most played song on the popular music streaming service – a 7 minute long dance-rock anthem by the name of “Reflektor”, taken from their 2013 release “Reflektor” At this point I was thoroughly burnt out from listening to the Pixies “Doolittle” on repeat for a good five weeks, so the funky dance rhythms and syncopated beats of the eponymous opening track were a breath of fresh air, and my introduction to one of the 21st Century’s most influential bands.

In hindsight, I found the worst way to introduce myself into the band. Reflektor is widely considered an experimental album and the biggest divergence from Arcade Fire’s usual style of quasi-folk rock inter spliced with multi-instrumental harmonies, instead opting for dance-rock ,built upon electronic, almost carnival-esque polyrythmns. I assumed this was just common place for Arcade Fire, but after listening to the older, more simple(?) albums, it highlights how much of a fresh approach that Reflektor was after more than a decade of mainstream success. After carefully considering the band’s discography (currently at four studio albums since their 2004 debut “Funeral”) “Reflektor” is my personal favourite, even though it is such a divergence from their “style” but ultimately a step in the right direction, to further solidify their status as one of the most interesting bands out there.

Refletkor is expertly chosen as the opening track, immediately establishing the tone of the entire album. The texture is particularly rich in this track, with all NINE of the bands current members being used to the best of their abilities. There is so much going on – Butlers low crooning of ” Will I see you on the other side” is a perfect reflection of Chassagne’s high notes (his wife, with whom he co-founded the band), multiple different beats from congas and djembes battle against Gara’s (Arcade Fire’s Drummer) syncopated pulses, whilst various melodies from guitars, synths and violins clash and swell. If you’re still not sold, David Bowie even features on backing vocals. Reflektor is 7 minutes of music and it’s purest form, and not a second of it feels unneeded.

The album immediately steps into We Exist, a decidedly more calmer and tonally different song, which tells the story of a transgender man who desperately seeks the affection of his father “Tell me why they treat me like this”. This song is determinedly less intense than Reflektor, but eventually builds to the bombastic finale all Arcade Fire songs seem to achieve. Following this is Flashbulb Eyes, a track that comes in as my only real criticism of the album, in the way that it’s simply a shit song that completely ruins the albums flow, and always gets a skip. I thought this would be a grower – turns out it is not.

Here comes the night time is arguably the most vivacious and energetic of all the tracks on the album, where the Jamaican and Haitian (Chassagne having ancestors executed during the revolution) influences are the most obvious, working in steel drums and xylophone to an already jammed palate, in order to create the Mardi Cras atmosphere. The consecutive two tracks, Normal Person and You Already Know end up feeling like filler, as if they only exist to build up the 75 minute run time, and provide more content to the already loaded album. I’m not saying they are bad, just not very memorable. Normal Person specifically feels to me like Arcade Fire’s shoehorned “Heavier” track that always seems to crop up on every album, with Month of May and Laika previously earning this moniker (although I would easily pin Laika as of my all time favourites of theirs). Joan of Arc rounds of the first CD in the multi-disk album, where Butler confesses Chassagne to be his Joan of Arc, which she instinctively rebukes “ce n’est pas moi”

Reflektor is an album in two parts, with the second part of the album being musically and lyrically darker. Here comes the night time II emanates a feeling of hostility towards the “night time”, and is clearly more string and synth focused than the first disk. Awful Sound (Oh Eurydice) has a killer bass-line, but still feels like filler, however it lyrically sets up the next track, which retell the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice personified through Butler and Chassanges’ relationship. Personally I find this a bit pretentious and wanky, but to each their own I suppose. On the other hand, its follow up It’s Never Over (Oh Orpheus) I find to be one of the albums strongest songs, partially due to the beastly guitar riff, heavy electronic bass and marching drums. This song starts of loud and gets progressively quieter as it goes on, which is rarity in itself for Arcade Fire. Butler and Chassange share a moment during the last 2 minutes of the song, which feels genuinely emotional and heartfelt, which I personally admire as some of Butler’s lyricism can feel a bit hollow.

Porno seems to intentionally evoke comparisons with Micheal Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and much of David Bowies’ music. It feels almost generically 80’s pop in it’s construction, complete with rhythmic clicking and OMD like keyboards – and once again it’s total filler for the better tracks. Afterlife, the penultimate song of the album and the real climax of the CD, is in my opinion the greatest song Arcade Fire have ever made. Everything in this song is on point, from the strong and meditative chorus “Oh, when love is gone Where does it go?”, the subtle harmonies, Gara’s expert Hi Hat work – everything gels so well and high production values make this the standout track of the album. Supersymmetry, whilst a beautiful and haunting song “I know you’re living in my mind, It’s not the same as being alive” it acts as an epilogue to Reflektor. A melancholic final song seems to be a running theme in Arcade Fire’s work, with In the Backseat and My Body Is a Cage following a similar role.

Reflektor was my first introduction to weird, wonderful indie-rock band that is Arcade Fire, and although unorthodox (Fans would argue that the best place to start if Funeral) I am glad I found them at this stage, so I could gain a better perspective of where they have came from and where they are today.