The Suburbs

we used to wait - reminds me of running up that hill. 6/10 the suburbs - steady beat. sad. 7/10 modern man - indie rock. relatable. 7.5/10 rococo - probably my fav. strong. 8/10 empty room - car ride rock. 7/10 city with no children - 7.5/10 month of may - a lot of drumming. 6.5/10 wasted hours - nice rhythm. 7.5/10 deep blue - piano. nice dynamics. 7.5/10 sprawl i - kinda sad. giving end of the world movie. 6/10 sprawl ii - livelier. female singer. 7.5/10 half light i - guitar. nice rhythm. 7.5/10 half light ii - 6/10 suburban war - 6.5/10

Pretty okay

je ne suis pas anglophone mais il me semble que ces gars ont un certain intérêt pour les banlieues

A faded photobook of memories.

Good songs, having some readings about https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indie_rock https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_rock https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque_pop

Not too loud, not too soft. Good background. Seemed to go on longer than needed.

I used to really like this album but save for 2 songs it has aged pretty badly. Bland indie rock of early 2010s

A very generous 3 based on the beginning and end of the album being excellent. The less said about the middle portion the better. A real shit sandwich

Yea it's OK, I liked that other album of theirs more

Fine, fairly generic indie rock. But they do it well.

Hmm... Not too bad but not for my taste...

all a bit dull. i don't understand what it's doing on this list. i get their debut album as it was very different when it was released and stuck out, but this is like the first album with the corners knocked off, like restarting a computer in safe mode. pretty boring.

Great band

decent scran

Moderni indieklassikko, mihin en muutamaa hittiä lukuun ottamatta ole oikein koskaan päässyt kunnolla sisälle. Sama fiilis tästä tulee edelleenkin. Esim. levyn avaava The Suburbs menee varmaan top 100 lempparibiiseihini, mutta muuten levy on aika epätasaista jurnuttelua. Toki kohokohtia levyllä löytyy, mutta kokonaisuus ei ihan itselleni toimi.

Pretty good. Enjoyable listen.

Ok. Overrated.

Starts off strong then gets dull pretty quickly.

Arcade Fire is FINE

Pretty lovely and a good trip down memory lane - but it’s a bit overlong - I’ve started to a appreciate a compact album - although this one is actually quite engaging throughout. It would be a 4 star were it a quarter shorter

Didn't hate it but didn't love it either.

Cet album est excellent. C’est un peu long par contre. J’étais prêt à passer à autre chose avant que ce ne soit terminé. Le band a un son caractéristique et Will Butler a une façon propre à lui d’écrire des tounes. Ce n’est pas mon AF favoris.

Okay, this may be an unpopular opinion, but I didn’t love today’s album. I guess I’ve never listened to an Arcade Fire album all the way through, and while I’ve considered myself a casual fan in the past (have some of their songs on playlists, etc.) and am impressed by their multi-instrumentality…I thought this album was pretty boring to listen to. After the first few songs it just all sounded pretty much the same to me. So, there you have it. A person who didn’t like the 2011 Grammy-winning Album of the Year

I've never given Arcade Fire a shot despite them being all the rage back when I was in highschool...and this is dope, great album to have on.

Definitely a good piece of art with a cohesive sound and some great songs. Month of May is my favorite for sure, and not just for nostalgic reasons. I didn't love or get lost in the album, and part of it felt very dreary.

The songs that were overplayed on every indie radio station a decade ago. The music is pretty good but gahh have I heard it too much.

Best Song: Rococo. I really like the way he plays with the stresses on the syllables of the word "rococo" to generate rhythm in the chorus. Worst Song: Wasted Hours. Sleepy song that sounds like old blues standard instrumentals. Not a terrible song, but doesn't fit with the rest of the album. Overall: Well-produced, thoughtful, stylish indie rock-pop? It's definitely very well done, but still ends up feeling somewhat heartless to me.

Varios discos de Arcade Fire me gustan en su conjunto y brillan en temas concretos. Este disco es también así: Ready to start o City with no children. La cuestión es que tenía muy buen recuerdo de este album pero ahora me ha parecido bien pero no notable. Hay que escucharlo y es imprescindible pero no algo increíble.

NOSTALGIA Inspired by their upbringing in a suburb of Houston, Texas. Nostalgia. Did it worked on me? Yes, because I also have my own experiences of living in a suburban area. Some elements of '80s synthpop and '90s alt-rock all mixed with the notably soft and indie rock sound. Nostalgia. I think this IS what nostalgia sounds like. Bittersweet, but it's just a sugar coating that covers the fact that it was just a mundane experience in a freaking suburb. This album nailed that character of nostalgia. It's boring, but the sounds and the instrumental build-ups create this sweet nostalgia flavor. Album cover of a generic photo of a suburban scene. Edited so it looks like faded and unreal, yet familiar at the same time. Nostalgia. Perfect album cover, it tells us that nostalgia lies. And perhaps that's why it sounds and feels so sweet. Overall, it's basically a nostalgia album. It worked on me most of the time, because again, I have my own suburban experiences. But I think other people who never lived in a suburban area, or even anyone who observed the sound closely, will see this album's sound naked: a boring indie rock sound.

Excellent album. I was dubious about Arcade Fire when I read some of the music press reports and reviews. But I found that the album was just 'different' to other releases around that time. Well worth listening to.

3.5

Very cool.

Oh AF. The debut blew my mind, hit me emotionally hard. The second a little less so but a majestic release. By The Surburbs I feel little of the vibe that carried the first two albums. The opener is solid, but as the rest it feels like a pastiche of themselves. It's solid and perfectly listenable but really goes nowhere.

booo, boooo!

Interesting but I'm not sure how memorable it will really be

Ausser dass es weder 2 noch 4 Sterne sind, sondern 3, gäbe es noch zu sagen, dass viele Songs zu lang sind (ausgerechnet der erste Song ist bereits zu lang, was ich vom Standpunkt der Vermarktung für nicht nachvollziehbar halte) und auch das Album ist insgesamt überflüssig lang.

I'm not a fan of Arcade Fire. I realize that is a massive album for a lot of people, but I just couldn't get into it. With that said, it's a really well done and well paced album.

The suburbs doesn’t need to sound this adventurous

Fairly bog standard stuff. Modern Man stood out everytime it came around though.

For some reason I never got into these mid-2000's "indie rock" bands. They're a bit too pretty for me - maybe there isn't enough puck rock influence musically, even if some of the ethos is there otherwise (hence the "indie" label). They never seem to actually rock to me. This is a bit of a chore for me to get through if I'm being honest. A little boring but not terrible. Just ok.

Välillä ihan lepposaa menoa ja ymmärrettävissä laaja menestys, mutta ei kyllä helli kummemmin omaa makua joten 2,5*

Theatrical. It's not bad and I like the unique instrumentation that pops up but holy hell is it long. I imagine it's telling a story but I zoned out here and there. At least I have a reason to be so lukewarm on Arcade Fire now. Favorite tracks: "The Suburbs", "Deep Blue"

closer to a 3.5

1,5

I like empty rooms, but the other ones are ehhh

Arcade Fire are a classic case of diminishing returns - a great debut album and then increasingly worse follow ups. This album isn't terrible but it's completely forgettable

Plodded along ok, not really for me and nothing really stuck

Nice enough, but too drab and unambitious for me, two stars. Tom.

Where is the heart and soul. Every time I thought a song was going to get interesting it just didn’t. The lyrics and meaning behind them are deep enough but it sounds like the singer just doesn’t even care. It wasn’t terrible but I can’t imagine ever listening to it again.

Generic pop, from the boring old suburbs

Eminem, Katy Parry, Lady Gaga, and Lady Antebellum were nominated at the grammys for album of the year in 2011. This somehow beat out all of them. And by the way, the katy perry album should be on the list.

It was fine for background radio music.I would not go out of my way to listen to Arcade Fire. One of those albums were the music kind of just passes you by leaving no real impact. 2 stars instead of 1 because it wasn't painful to listen too and not the most boring album I have gotten in this challenge. Favorite Track - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) Least Favorite Track - Sprawl I (Flatlands) ⭐️⭐️

LIstened off and on, nothing grabbed me, mostly bored with it

The highs of Arcade Fire are amazing. This is not.

I like it, that's it, not very very nor so so

it didn’t rly stand out to me, but i enjoyed the female vocals

Two songs sounded like they were going somewhere, but the album’s very safe and forgettable.

irónicamente es genérico como pocas veces visto

With the exception of a few tracks, this record was really boring. Favourite Track(s): The Suburbs Least Favourite Track(s): Rococo, Half Light I, Suburban War

eh, alright

didnt care for it

This album thinks it's doing way more than it actually is. Title track is catchy and I really liked Sprawl II. Everything in the middle is a pretentious boring sandwich.

Mediocre. I did not enjoy this one at all.

The auditory equivalent of https://youtube.com/kjwlrvcKcfI?t=115

No lo terminé de escuchar. No me atrapó y me aburrió la verdad.

forgetable

The album started quite good but got pretty boring

The first time we got Arcade Fire I gave it a three because it was fine. There was nothing special about it but there wasn’t anything terrible about it either. After this second album with more mediocre music by them, I’m dropping it to a 2.

Every time I listen to Arcade Fire, I wish I was listening to The War on Drugs. Then, I put on The War on Drugs and the music gets much better. Arcade Fire is the bad boy from an after school special, a caricature of actual dissent or rebellion. It is safe, hipster bullshit. No me gusta.

#955. Arcade Fire is too cool of a name for a band that is so lame. This is third one now I've listened too, and the third one I have been completely underwhelmed with. 2/5: boring

Is a good album? Yeah it is. But it doesn't do much for me.

Hipsterit

Loved a lot of the songs. Not usually my kind of stuff but would listen again.

This was what everyone was hyped about 20 years ago?

This won album of the year at the grammy's in 2011, during a period when the mainstream seemed to be trying to embrace indie more and indie was largely and exercise in trying to find the "next radiohead" The songs are fine and the lyrics seem to connect with a certain kind of person. I am not one of those people and something about Arcade Fire has never connected with me. There are some nice hooks here, but in general is biases too much towards a wall of sound for my taste. I don't see my self revisiting this. Did i have to visit it in the first place? I'm not inclined to think so.

Significantly better than "Neon Bible" which was my first encounter with Arcade Fire. I still hate that they're involved with SA charges. Some of the songs tend to drone on and on and so do some of the lyrics. I'm still not a fan of Arcade Fire but this album is leagues better than "Neon Bible". Overall I'll give it a 5/10

Not very dynamic.

vcvcv

Man I just don’t think this band is for me. I tried!

Not for me.

Unremarkable. 2.5 stars

Pretentious twaddle

ehhh

05/01 Was okay

I didn't like it back in the day, and I like it even less now with everything surrounding Win Butler.

Would've been nice if I heard this when I was 16, it's nice enough indie I guess

Not my style

Svaki njihov album je loše ostario, ali ovaj nekako najviše

White boys in a garage band Favourite track: Rococo

The album is OK. I’ve never been a huge fan of Arcade Fire. They have a few good songs. 2.5 stars

I used to like this more now. It’s just kind of adult music. It’s just like pleasant. The first song is good. Probably a classic.

See previous Arcade Fire review(s). Good if you're in your 20's and trying to meet indie chicks I guess. Bad to be a woman around Wiz Butler.

annoys you by the end

Would listen again to around 2 songs on it but not really my cup of tea. It felt too slow, like every song was dragged.

boring

I couldn't wait for this to end. I find this indie rock music sooooo boring and uninspired. It wasn't unpleasant, but it didn't even have one song that I liked. There were some interesting guitar moments here and there, but all in all, this was a chore. 2/5

Seems to go on with not that much change in the songs. pretty fucking boring.

Not my thing but chill. 2.5

OK. 2/5

4.3/10 Музыка как в уютной забегаловке/баре,где все друг друга знают в штате Оригон.Звучание песен не в моем вкусе

uninspired indie slop

I tried to like the first two Arcade Fire albums when they came out. I never got into the Suburbs in 2010 and I feel even more ambivalent toward it in 2026. Accusations against Win Butler also taint their legacy. 2/5.

I hate this one the least out of the now 3 albums from this band.

If beige was an album, this would be it.

Sounds like it was inspired by late 80s and early 90s college radio and managed to take all the worst elements from it.

Vibe merchants obsessed with cheap nostalgia make a double album where the songs mostly sound identical. Full disclosure: I've had an axe to grind with this band since their debut, but I did go into this listen with as much of an open mind as I could. And hey, the first 3 songs made me think for a second that maybe I was wrong all these years. 'The Suburbs' has an interesting melodic trick of turning a verse full of innocence into a chorus full of icy dread. 'Ready To Start' may not go anywhere, but at least it has some energy, and 'Modern Man' has a fun, tricky time signature. But after that, the songs truly just blend together into a mass of similar rhythms, monotonous melodies and vocals that sound like a whiny Springsteen karaoke singer paired with Linda McCartney.

I dunno, if you like Killers/Muse/Imagine Dragons or that kinda stuff its fine I guess, but its very boring sounding to me. Lyrics are kinda political/satirical? I can't really say. Songs feel very long and not goind anywhere really, vocals are okay I guess. I just cant find the appeal, but can't say I hate it or anything, just wouldn't listen voluntarily or recommend to anyone

This music is listenable but there’s not a lot of stand outs. I like the through-theme of getting out of the burbs, I guess. The mixing really dampened the vocals so it was hard to understand most of the lyrics.

mi sembra gazzelle che canta in inglese con delle basi musicali un po’ più sofisticate, ma nessuna canzone mi ha entusiasmato.

Having to listen to another album full of walls of sound with no relief made my ears hurt again.

There is something about this that just feels so drippy and whiny. He likes expects the world to fall down at his feet and to be so amazing and wonderful, yet he seems to not find happiness in the little things in life and wants to do nothing to find happiness. Let's just mock those around him that are simple and find happiness in the normal everyday life around them. Its not bad...but just get over yourself dude.

I’m disappointed. I thought this would be the album in arcade fire’s discography that would fight against there beautifully crafted soul reaching album funeral. This album was just so on and off for me. I really like crawl 1 and 2 and some others like suburbs but none of these songs compare to any on funeral. Overall it was a total disappointment as I did get some good songs but also some misses and no songs that really touched me except crawl 1 and 2

Laughably banal. Like, I literally laughed out loud to myself a couple of times during its endless blandness. Giving it a 2 just because 1 would be too strong an opinion, and it's just so innoffensibly nothing. Granted, that endless cheesy drumming did nearly cause enough offense to warrant a 1.

good songs: modern man empty room we used to wait

I prefer Funeral but any Arcade Fire album is tainted by what has happened with Winn Butler. 5 years ago I probably would have given this a 4, but I hear the music differently now.

top 3 - The Suburbs, Month of May, Deep Blue. I can’t really find anything of note to say about this. None of the songs were bad but not great enough to want to listen to again. There are two other albums of theirs on this list so hopefully I’ll like those better.

Not so popular band, but a good band to listen to. Very vanilla beats and the lyrics were soft and not in your face. Nothing really stood out.

I should like this more than I do. There are some pleasant parts, but it kind of annoys me. Guilty of overplay when it came out. Very of it's time and pretty dated for such a new album. I don't think we needed three Arcade Fire albums on here, or even two. I probably would have gone with just Funeral, feels like their most innovative album. This is my least favorite of the three. In a vacuum I would probably give it 3 stars, but I'm doing 2 stars for too much Arcade Fire.

Highly overrated.

Nie przeslucham jeszcze raz. Chyba nawet w momencie kiedy taki indie rock mi sie podobal to uznalbym za zbyt nudne. Godzina tego to za duzo. generic mainstream indie music. Fajne momenty mozna policzyc na palcach jednej reki nawet jesli brakuje ci dwoch palcow. Najlepsze jak spiewa pani. Rococo powtórzone 5 razy nie irytuje tak jak rococo powtorzone 10 razy dlatego oni powtarzaja 15. Poza tym zbyt kanadyjskie, nudne i plaskie. Jeden z wielu indie zespolow o ktorych nie bede pamietal. maja fire w nazwie a na tej plycie to najwyzej zimne ognie.

this is not bad per se, just monotone indie slop. maybe it did something in 2010 but in 2026 it's just not it.

Honestly it’s all just kind of cringe to me. I understand what Arcade Fire is going for but it’s really not my style and doesn’t come across as sincere as I think they hope it will. That’s probably on me but still overall this sound and vibe is not really for me at this time in my life. The vocals are decent and sound good enough while chord progressions are quite basic and feel uncreative and repetitive.

i'm not sure who an hour of the same breathy vocals over the same basic drum pattern and the same predictable guitar strumming is for, but it ain't me.

This isn't very exciting music.

Generic indie. I kept wanting to skip songs because they were meh.

Was alright but nothing that would set a real Arcade on fire.

Woof. Rough start after yesterday's album. It picked up but it took a while for me to get used to the sound. I do think the arrangement put their stronger songs later in the album, which feels abnormal but I guess this was near the beginning of the streaming generation.

2.5

Another album that could have been halved and had a slightly better affect on this listener. None of the songs grabbed me but none were particularly bad either. Just another bland album that this list seems to churn out on a regular basis.

Pretty boring and too long. Didn’t seem to be going anywhere and I wasn’t a big fan of the singer’s voice. Some good songs but not anything I would return to.

Great sounding production but I just found it SO boring

This didn’t do anything for me. I saw live footage of Arcade Fire on a TV show years ago, and always meant to check them out as they sounded interesting and different. Here though, they offer nothing spectacular. Maybe their earlier stuff will be more to my tastes. Musically this album is ok, but it’s all very bland.

interesting sound, nothing stands out in particular.

Boring

millennial music, in a bad way

my review here didn't save, it said something about it being too long and meandering and annoying.

Partly heard before Saved 5/16 Top track: The Suburbs

2.5, was kinda looking forward to it but it was pretty generic.

Boring. Couldn't get through it.

Well I knew the name but didn't know anything by them so genuine review. Liked the title song, first track but to be honest that was as good as it got. Pleasant listening but a bit dull.

I looked at my finances spreadsheet while doing this. Fitting! Both are boring. Finance spreadsheet much less offensive than this however. Not mad at this as background music, far too long an album though. 2.5/5, rounded down Songs added to playlist: - The Suburbs - Empty Room - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)

It’s fine. Not really for me.

Not my style to light

Duuuullllllll.....

This was fine to listen to, I didn’t dislike it, I liked it. But it’s an example of those very diluted ‘meh’ rock bands. They sound kind of embarrassed to be a rock band? For an album with so many songs, it was a blur of mediocrity to me. Although I did enjoy the female lead vocal songs. Good inoffensive background music.

Meh. Kept skipping tracks. One or two nice melodies, but most tracks sound like white noise.

Mellow/peppy mall music. I can hear it and not be bothered - maybe even bob my head along. But once you’ve left the mall there is nothing left.

it was fine but kinda mid

Not for me

I have to admit that Arcade Fire are a band whose name I recognise, but whose music has passed me by. Having listened to this I see no reason to alter that situation. I'm sure this all sounded original and exciting in 2010, especially if you hadn't listened to a lot of older, better bands. The Cars, Radiohead, Exile on Main Street era Stones, U2, Bjork all put in an appearance. But I was surprised at how often it reminder me of Neil Young. And if I want to listen to a second rate Neil Young album, well, Neil has recorded several already.

Just not interesting to me at all

-first song is really good, maybe a bit too long; i already had it in my liked album -everything else kind of sucks so far - i do like how almost every single song smoothly transitions into each other -very disappointed, i really like the first song. it's so good, but everything else is just so boring. nothing stood out to me, and it sounds like a lot of other songs I know except just boring. The first song sets the expectations way too high unfortunately. this is an album I will not be listening to in it's full. Maybe might listen to deep blue again, everything else is dismissible. The Suburbs (first track) will definitely be on repeat though.

Imponerande ändå hur indieband på den här tiden kunde slänga in två bra singlar på ett i övrigt skittråkigt album och bli skithyllade för det! Förstod inte hypen då och det är väl ingen som gör det nu?? En tvåa, IGEN!!!!!

Så otroligt vilken tidsmarkör det där omslaget är ändå, SKRIKER verkligen 2008-2011. Jag har alltid haft mycket mycket svårt för idéen om Arcade Fire, utan att inte kunna precisera det starkare än att töntvarningsklockorna ringer så starkt kring hela deras uppenbarelse. Jag måste dock erkänna att jag lite motvilligt alltid tyckt att två första låtarna på denna platta har nåt. I övrigt blir jag inte frälst denna gång, men det är främst för att det är tråkigt än att det skulle vara aktivt dåligt. En tvåa rakt av.

Näe alltså fan vad dåligt populär indie från den här tiden åldrats dåligt. Fake-känsla. Finns några höjdpunkter, Empty Room, We Used to wait och de två introlåtarna. Rebellion (Lies) är Arcade Fires enda riktigt bra låt, som är 5/5, men den är ju inte på den här plattan.

Får anledning att fundera på varför jag stör mig så jävla mycket på svulstig pretto-indie. Men tror att det beror på att den känns beräknande. Stråkarna är liksom inte ärligt menade. Man kan jämföra det med Leonardo dicaprio. Han är en otrolig skådespelare, men varje gång jag ser honom i en film tänker jag: ”det där är Leonardo dicaprio!” Här tänker jag mer på vilken känsla de vill att jag ska känna än att jag känner den på riktigt. Month of may var fet i all sin enkelhet. Modern man får plus för mecktakt. Nä, jag köper det inte. Det är absolut inte kasst, tvärtom jätteskickligt, men det sätter sig inte och är dessutom emellanåt för sentimentalt.

Jag säger nej till det här

Har hört så mycket gott om dom här "ååh Dino du måste riktigt lyssna på Arcade Fire, dom e såååå duktiga". Förväntningarna var därmed skyhöga. Men så är albumet över en timme långt och jag hann bara lyssna en gång. Otroligt svårt att sätta betyg. Min initiala känsla är dock - det är bara otroligt basic pop, four chords songs med tråkig sång, men med ganska fina arrangemang? Det får bli en tvåa, men ah, skulle behövt en till lyssning.

det är stabilt men det är också så duktigt att det blir tråkigt.. men ibland är det vackert… men oftast berörs jag inte :/ och varför sjunger inte tjejen allt?? hon är ju mycket bättre

Ojvoj, det här tar en gammal tillbaka till ungdomen. Upptäckte säkert den här på typ PSL. Förstod det som att den här övningen är skivan hyllades unisont och försökte hänga med i den stora världen. En mastodont att ta sig än men visst fanns det något som greppade mig när jag gick runt i den lilla världen Knivsta och lyssnade i mina Koss-lurar. "Det här är rätt bra" tänkte jag och fortsatte ge The Suburbs många chanser att bli en favorit. Det här verkade ju vara min generations arenarockband! Och så blev det ju i ett par år. Att Arcade Fire blev ett stort arenaband jag såg på största festivalscenerna – en gång två samtidigt! Nästa skiva och turné blev ännu större och självaste Bowie gästade titelspåret. När man hör den här plattan förstår man ju att det raka, Stora soundet gick hem i en tid då STOMP-CLAP-HEY! var en uppskattad genre. För mig blev The suburbs aldrig ett otroligt soundtrack om uppväxten i Knivsta. För att skivan, eller för den delen Arcade Fire, ska komma till sin rätt måste man vara så extremt inkörd på att ha världens mäktigaste lyssning (varje låt ska vara mäktigare än den förra!). Bara Sprawl II får med mig på det tåget. Den blev en favoritpepplåt. Kanske skvallrar det om att Regine Chassagne skulle fått sjunga mer? När jag nu, känslokall och bitter, återvänder efter många år hör jag andra saker. Visst finns det en släng av Neil Young här, som i Suburban Wars som tyvärr måste avslutas med sånt jävla Disney-indie-pump. Överlag är det just när de håller sig från att låta så rakt, så 2010 som det är bra. Men det är ju inte så ofta tyvärr. Kanske aldrig. När väl gitarr och piano lirar lite lösare fortsätter basen och trummorna med sitt eviga pumpande. Kanske är jag påverkad av min PTSD från Lennart, trummisen som spelade med mig och Isabelle i Perspektivet ett tag. Han skulle alltid spels såna här "mäktiga trummor" och försöka få in ååååååhoooooheeeeeyyyheeeeyyy-körer i varje låt. *Ingen ai användes för att skriva detta

Mi childhood

Pleasant but unremarkable. Would I reach for this one again and again? No. Thin production. Album cover weak execution. A little more mystery, leading you in, would help.

This one runs purely on vibes. I can't vibe with it.

the thing about the suburbs is that the suburbs are ontologically evil. how that precisely relates to this album is unclear, but this album is middling for me. it wallows in the ennui of "the feeling" as a reoccurring theme both lyrically and sonically for this is an album that feels like it is stuck in stasis. it is perfectly safe, it is unchanging, and it is seemingly endless. the sprawl of this album feels all-consuming. it's cookie-cutter melodies and emotionally flat repetition. i don't understand how they do so little with such a varied assortment of instruments, but the languid vocal style does no favors.

My wife recently made a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs. While everything was cooked well, it had almost absolutely no flavor. If that meal was an album, it would be this. Bland, tasteless, and boring. I wanted to stop eating (listening) after the first few bites (tracks).

So trying to be nostalgic it gives millennial vibes, everything sounds the same

4/1001 2/5 This inarguably is music. It just does f* all to me emotionally, except maybe Month of May. The songs are too long, the album is too long ... And that comes form a firm believer in Oasis' Be Here Now Prepare to be bored

I spent a lot of this album wondering what made it standout enough for this list, but also thinking about how I would have given it a higher rating in 2010 as I was seeking similar music out, though never an Arcade Fire fan. Which shows list relevance I suppose but unfortunately it has not aged well

2.1/5 I've never understood the fascination with the Arcade Fire. It's the type of music that is playing when you walk into a coffee shop. Feels more like background music than one of the greatest albums ever released.

Kinda nice background music for sure but didn’t super stand out to me

dull and evocative of suburban ennui in the worst possible way. i really don't like to summarize my opinion on any album, much less one as influential as this one, as "boring!" but it fits here. feels like growing up in a neighborhood with a home owners association. deserves to be one of the 1001? probably yes. sigh.

Enjoyed songs: Sprawl II (Mountains beyond Mountains). Its monotone, every songs sounds alike. Filled with skippable songs. Its just not the sounds I appreciate.

Some good sounds here and there but mostly all the same, monotonous and melancholy but not necessarily in the best ways. Not something I would listen to if I was in a good mood.

idk

Скучно, пресно

1. Nice, enjoyable intro 2. Energy, great song 3. Nice « indie » sound, a bit generic 4. Yep, we understand ROCOCO, long as hell 5. Not necessery teenage like rock 6. After Work ahhh song, bad 7. The more it goes on, the more si fucking boring 8. B O R I N G 9. A bit better but still not it 10. A bit of rocknroll, a bit of teenage indie rock, ok tune 11. Great ballad, nice lyrics 12. ok tune 13. long as hell for a mid song 14. finally a great song again, great atmosphere and lyrics 15. Synthpop 80’s vibes, bit different than the others songs, ok 16. bye bye FINALLY OVER, the album is long as hell for the quality, 2-3 greats tunes but that’s it

I used to think this was great, but I've never once gone back to it. Plus all the creepy shit.

Eh

This was ok but the only thing on it I've listened to it again and again is the title track. Not sure I get the hype with them to be honest.

Maybe good live but the album did very little for me

ok album not my personal taste I did enjoy sprawl 2 and suburban war

Bluegrass revival. Baroque rock. I have so many strong memories of this era in music. Also listening to this album I definitely thought Arcade Fire and The Shins were the same band at one point. I miss when ennui was whimsical. This album became background noise when I’d tune out for a bit. A lot of four on the floor. I honestly think Butler’s voice was the best on Sprawl I when it was more conversational singing and the narrative was the driving element. Personally not a big fan of Chassagne’s voice but I think it has more to do with the filters on the mic than tone.

This is a record from 2010, yet it sounds at least a decade older. I get that you want to include newer albums on this list, but really, include records that actually fit the sound design of that year.

4/10

Meh

It’s OK but I’m confused why it is on this very limited list.

I'd never listened to this Arcade Fire album before but was a bit disappointed. I found it a bit long winded and samey, which has always been Arcade Fire's problem. I'll stick to Neon Bible and Reflektor which are far better. Favourite track: Sprawl II. Probably not one to revisit. 2.5/5

Never gave them the deep dive before. Safe to say i probably never will. Just not my speed.

It sounds like uhhhhhhhhhh nothing.

there is legit 2 good songs on this sack of shit

Your average indie rock band trying so hard to be relevant and dramatic and grandiose while only just being a parody of his own self.

Blech. 2 stars.

Nothing remarkable.

Boooring

Whatever

Never been a huge fan.

not the arcade fire i would reach for

Not really my thing. Sounds kind of like an Indie Black Keys, whom I am quite selective about which songs I do and don’t like

Constantly bouncing between being everything I do and don’t like about anthemic stadium indie rock, but Sprawl II was very pretty at least.

I like City with no Children in it but this is a drag

You know, I'm a millennial and I haven't listened to Arcade Fire. This band is currently self-immolating with controversy that I'm not versed with, but it's not good stuff. I associate them with indie pop and that's just not my thing at all, critics love it like they love dramas over comedies. This is a full blind run for me on this album. And well, there's a lot in here about why I don't like indie music or its influence on 21st century music. I can't say Arcade Fire are unimportant or whatever, but it's certainly not for my taste. It's like if Coldplay were French-Canadian and wrote about more American I mean North American topics. The male singer is a total whatever, the female one is better in that she stands out more and doesn't sound like some whiny white boy singing about how his good upbringing has distorted his myopic view of the world crap. I can't hear lyrics in songs too well (unless I hear it 100 times) and so I won't go in depth about it. I guess they are fine. The instrumentation/compositions are fine. I don't have any big complaints on that, except that Sprawl II seems like a worse version of Prince's Mountains. In particular, my favorite songs from this album were: Rococo, Empty Room, and Month of May. Everything else sounded like generic indie pop (insert 'Seinfeld is Unfunny effect here, except I never liked that kind of sound to begin with) or millennial angst about the world not being perfect since you were born. Just because something is well produced doesn't mean that it's good, Raw Power is a total opposite of this album sound-wise but still manages to execute what it was going for. I have nothing against the maximalist sound of the record (it's one of the best strengths going for The Suburbs), but I wish it could lean more into that rather than the vocals which are not good. Not horrible, but above par. This album will work for certain people and their mindsets. It does not do that for me. So many backing strings and other assorted music and there's no distinctive drum beats or riffs that are catchy or engaging to my mind. It's impressively dull in a way this band is stereotyped for millennial coffee shops. It drags on like an unimpressive prog album. I cannot understand the hype because my brain isn't smooth enough.

Professionally made, boring music.

I mean it's fine but I does not have ANYTHING special for me. I'd rather play anything else with character

Kept hoping this improved but between the few good songs it's a slog through wimpy folksy simpering that it's just not my bag. A better shorter album could have been made from this with the bloat removed, but as it is it's a 2 out of 5 from me

Boooooorning

Brave and stunning, an indie rock album about suburbia. I suppose the irony is lost on them that the album is as boring and bland as The Suburbs can be so at least that's true to life. Tell me more about your fair trade coffee beans and how you didn't do the touristy things on your vacation, brother.

I think the inoffensive nature of Arcade Fire makes them offensive to me. There are some samples and hints of other instruments and ideas, but they take a backseat to quiet vocals and simple guitar. I tried listening to this album multiple times, and I honestly couldn't really tell one song from another.

Not a bad album. However, it doesn't feel like I want to listen to it again. It's a case of their sound is good, but it's forgettable to me. I did find the second half of the album better than the first half.

Forgettable

Meh. Not much to say about this album good or bad. Just no aspirations to listen to this again.

Nothing about it was terrible, but it was just sort of generic modern indie pop.

ugh. 1 hour of this. really not a fan...

It was good but didnt move my core but maybe because i hate the suburbs lol

This is what I can only assume is the final Arcade Fire album I will receive during this project, and I'm very happy about that. This wasn't the best nor the worst of what I've seen, it's pure insufferable hipster blandness.

Didn't really do anything for me.

Incredible how nearly every song overstayed its welcome. Even the kinda interesting songs, I eventually just got tired of. Blah. Not for me.

I see the themes of nostalgia, of growing up in the decade they did -- and truthfully, the experiences told are human and relatable. But the music really doesn’t do a very good job of supporting it. It breaks my heart to be hating on a Montreal band, but the whole album feels bland, forgettable, and at times a little whiny. Perhaps such tortured songwriting can only come from someone who’s experienced the suburbs of Longueuil. Nevertheless, outside of Modern Man's time signature, and The Sprawl II's synthy production, not much managed to stand out to me in this hour of 2010 indie rock. Standouts: Modern Man • The Sprawl II

hm i think the fact we just had a mediocre arcade fire album didn't help my mindset going in but once again, i just felt disinterested and bored. 2/5

Eh.

Much like living in the suburbs, when you're listening to The Suburbs it takes you an hour to get anywhere

Starts off pretty solid and then proceeds to be a jumble of uninspiring music. I could think of way too many songs that are better alternatives to every track on this album, and I still have no idea why its praised so highly.

a few things: 1. i bought this album on release day on vinyl when i was 13 2. i am very interested in the idea of art about the suburbs as a concept and i think there is even good indie rock music about it (real estate) but this shit fucking sucks and doesnt capture the lazy, time stretch feeling of suburbia at all to me 3. has this paper thin veneer of artiness that is incredibly irritating 4. there are, admittedly, a few tunes on here that are pretty undeniable 5. it is almost completely devoid of emotion, sprawl I very nearly expresses SOMETHING but most of the songs are just nothing 6. cant stop thinking about the fact that the guy is a creep which shouldnt impact the music but for me it does Fav song: Sprawl II

ovo me baš razočaralo nakon što mi se njihov debi dost svidio. premda ima ok stvari (npr. prva stvar), ima jednostavno previše bezveznih pjesama; predzadnja mi je baš bila sranje. usto je dosta koldplejasto? nije mi drago što dajem dva, ali stvarno sam očekivao puno bolje...

Only one good song lmao.

I don't mind this, it fits the vibe of the time it was released. I think unless you're a die hard Arcade Fire fan, the songs are a little meaningless but I might listen to this again. It has some good songs, I think others really down grade it but I quite enjoy it. I think Arcade could have played a small part in influencing bands like The Lumineers, Of Monster and Men, those type of bands. They've got a genre and live by it. Also it's a bit of a long album. It's got no bangers so does get boring about half way through.

Okay. I didn't really enjoy it all that much, but it may just need a different time in life for me.

*more of a 2,5 stars rating tbh*

...meh. And i say this as a regular indie rock/pop listener. The female vocal additions were nice

Too pop and boring. I liked only "Sprawl II".

From good to trivial lyrics on boring voices and sounds. The genre should be called trivial rock. Everything sounded familiar to me. I was simply bored, didn’t listen to the end of the album. Nothing took me in. Live would be ok so I gave it a 2 - an easy dance to free the head.

I had to give this album multiple tries just to get through it all. Even the songs that “rock” are boring. I do respect the musicianship, and I respect the concept and scope, but this album did very little for me.

Nepobaby yuppie skater music

Ascoltato di là

It's nothing. Just bland music. Plain plodding beat. Simple melodies. Thin arrangements. Rinse. Repeat. I can't even say that I hate it, which might be the most notable feature about this slop.

O álbum não é ruim. Só não é algo que me prende. Celest Phoenixcall.

I really did not care that I was listening to it. Canadian national treasure?

Favorite tracks: Month of May, Ready to Start, Modern Man I would enjoy hearing this as background music in a coffee shop, but otherwise it really didn't do anything for me. It's fine listening, but I can't imagine why it's in this collection.

First time listening to Arcade Fire and was surprised by the sound. But not my style.

Generic Indy

Didn't find it that interesting.

Tedious

Not very interesting. I don’t specifically dislike it. And I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is that makes me unsure of this album. It’s just nothing special to me. It’s something I could dance to if it was playing at a party, for sure. But it’s not something I consider to be of any significance in the world. It’s like filler music. It just exists for the sake of existing. I don’t know why it has been put on this list. It’s honestly exactly what I expected from a 2010 indie rock album with a cover like that. And I must say, the name of the album is very suiting. The songs are quite suburban. Anyway, I knew before listening to this album that 2010’s indie isn’t for me. After listening to this album, I’ve realised I just don’t think male vocals suit it. I don’t know what it is but to me, a woman’s voice fits indie way better. I can’t explain it. It just does. If this whole album was sung by the woman, I would have liked it a lot more. Favourite track was definitely Sprawl || (Mountains Beyond Mountains). Overall, I thought this album had nice instrumentals and I definitely liked the female vocals a lot. Like I said, definitely something I could dance to. Otherwise it was pretty uninteresting.

Wasn’t a fan of arcade fire still not it’s an ok album listenable.

The album starts strong but I don't care too much about the second half. I like Funeral much more than this. 5/10

I am afraid with all the accolades this band has I have no clue who they are. I really did not think they had some unique sound and it really was just back ground noise that when I did catch myself listening, it was kind of boring to me.

Fun album but it all kind of sounded alike, and no clear winner with a song

I like Funeral a lot. This is not Funeral. It's inoffensive and tends to boring. You can put it on and completely forget that you're listening to something.

Almost aggressively "fine". It all sort of blended into the same thing. The only one that half caught my attention was Suburban War. None of it was offensive or bad, it was just largely wishy-washy noughties indie.

Boring

Making music this dull and boring takes a rare kind of talent. It’s the musical equivalent of boiled chicken... bland, textureless, and leaving you wondering why anyone thought this was worth serving. You keep waiting for some spice, some flavor, anything… but nope, just more lifeless mush on repeat.

I don’t understand the hype around Arcade Fire, especially this record.

2/5 todella geneeristä rokkia

Nothing special

Album was just ok. Not really my genre of music

How can something so punchy be so boring?? The instrumentals and punch behind the guitar/drums in each song is so strong, but the lyrics just completely get lost in the music for me, making it hard to come away with anything other than "meh". It somehow gets worse as the album goes on, from being a half-decent listen, but then once I actually start hearing the lyrics to some of the songs, they just aren't good. I'm really not sure what is being attempted on this album. I have no nostalgia for this era of Indie rock, so its honestly pretty boring and not something I would re-visit. 2.5/5 As I continued, it kept getting worse. 2/5.

Very uninspiring. Not much to excited about.

Woof. Why do I absolutely need to listen to this album, again? First, listen to the first two songs - there, now you've heard the entire Arcade Fire catalogue. It really all sounds the same. Zero influence, a minor hit, and I find it super boring.

Bit dull and dreary. Overblown and not in a way that appeals to me.

Top songs: Rococo

Fairly generic sounding. I can see the appeal to people, but this just wasn't that interesting. Not entirely boring, just nothing standout. 2.5/5

Fine

This did nothing for me.

Boy that first song just kept on going

not my thing

It was an alright listen for a bit, but then I realized it was an hour long and I was content halfway through. Way less impressed than I was with Funeral.

Well that was disappointing. Doesn't hold a candle to their first two albums and not needed on this list.

Sort of just ok. Not as good as Neon Bible, definitely not as good as Funeral. Just a decent rock album, I guess. I can’t see myself coming back to it, so it tops out at a 2 for me.

Way too “indie” for me. Not a fan.

😴

Eigentlech möched sie jo nüd falsch aber de ergendwie scho. Es fod eigentlech no rächt spannend ah met "The Suburbs", met de ziit werds aber fascht e chli langwiilig wels emmer relativ ähnlech tönt. För chli i Hendergrond eigents sech no relativ guet, au wenn dete au ergendeinisch t Monotonität vom Albom uffallt. Spötischtens wemmers ufmerksam dörelost werd eim de schnell mol langwiilig.

5/10

Not bad. The best song was Wasted Hours, which just seemed to hit right when I’m pushing my baby in the pram! Would I listen again? Probably not, except that one song.

I really like the first few songs but just kinda died down on me. Heard this album years ago too. But it’s like a 2.8

Always sort of been meh about Arcade Fire. Funeral is the record I've heard more than once. This is about the same as that one. Kind of just okay throughout.

You know, I'd rather go to Laval again

Underwhelming compared to their first two albums except for the title track and Sprawl II.

Ok background album. Didn’t resonate with me

I breezed through that album without realizing what songs were which. It all sounds the same.

Sprawl II was good. 2 stars!

Omg it just drones on and feels so uninspired. 2/5

This was okay at first, then some songs were less pop and more emo and sounded the same. But it was a decent enough sound.

The Good: We know it is going to be bland… The Bad: I don’t live in the suburbs due to blandness… The Ugly: Lo-Fi… I can understand that there are persons born around the mid ‘90s who will totally love this album, as it will remind them of their youth. I get it. Thing is, I was not born in the mid ‘90s as, at that time, I was partying my ass off not wanting college to end… My main thoughts about this album; too long, too pretentious, too much of too little. I fear I will have to score below 3 on this one...

On the fence. I didn't hate it and didn't love it. It had some energy to it so I didn't get bored. The album is a little lengthy.

I got really bored. Too slow for me. Might have potential if I give it a listen at a different time.

Chill. Thought it was decent but didn’t get me too excited

I think I'm tired of this band after two albums

I think I’m just sick of this era of music lol

This won over Katy Perry!??? Also isn’t this dude a creep? Anyways long and boring

Album got better as I listened. Favorite Track: Rococo

I like some of the moments in here but can’t see myself returning to it

medio flojo. escuché discos mejores de arcade fire

Alternative rock. Didn’t stick in my head at all.

This was really bland. I might have known one of the songs from before, but it's hard to know. Really dull stuff.

Not a fan. Got bored listening to it.

Boo

Still sounds completely average to me, now that this project has made me listen to more Arcade Fire than ever. Two albums in a week has only served to confirm they're not my taste. If you like inoffensive, middle of the road music, that's fine. They're not bad musicians, but there's no spark to it, no fire (maybe they should call themselves Arcade), and minimal variety between songs. By Monday I'll have forgotten what they sounded like. Here's hoping we're stopping at 2 albums with this, as 1 was too many.

I remember listening to this when it won album of the year. I didn’t care for it then and I still don’t today.

pffrrrrttt... Not my thing. Neon Bible was a fun listen as I was getting into indie music, but this was like Coldplay for hipsters. Boring overall and seemed bloated by self-importance.

Indie noise

An evening in a school's gym, it smells a bit like teen spirit (not the song title), and a verry everage band playing in front there ..... Well all of the listeners have survived, and would also have survived if they diddn't listen.