Somewhere along the way we got lost in this country. The 35 and under generations got lost, lost in the dreams and ambitions of our parents. The things our parents idolized and wanted for their children -- freedom, enjoying work, fair pay, equality, job security, lack of war -- have somehow been taken for granted.
We assumed when our parents said they didn’t want us to work and struggle as hard as they did that we didn’t have to work at all for the lavishes of life. The idea of a normal life with a wife, kids, dog, some travel, good friends and a place to call your own is no longer enough. We want to see and have more. We watch TV and movies (and read the Hollywood tabloids, follow famous people on Twitter) and get the sense that to live normal is to be dead.
To endure what many would consider an average life is below ordinary. We have become enamored with our own dreams and believe the lies we were told as small children by our overprotective parents. "Everything is going to be bubble gum and rainbows" seemed to be the promise of life growing up.
But it's not.
And this generation has found the truth quite unsettling and confusing to the point of feeling betrayed. That feeling is something Arcade Fire addresses in their first album, "Funeral." "Funeral" was a simple WTF statement, a "you never told us it was like this!". There is pain, death and strife. It was an awakening, a scream at our elders for keeping the truth away from us. A scream because they assumed we couldn't handle the truth.
Arcade Fire's second album, "Neon Bible," was a reply to that scream. A tale from the other side, an explanation of why older generations felt they needed to hide the truth, why they overprotected us, why they indulged our every want and desire, revealing just how dark things really are in this world. But also sending a reassuring declaration of hope and encouragement before it was all said and done.
Arcade Fire's 2010 release of "The Suburbs" is the rebuttal of those children and their coming of age. A tale of just how interesting, complex and utterly boring alleged simplicity and over-protection can be.
The title track tells the story about how life wasn’t nearly as easy as our parents had hoped. "The Suburbs" encapsulates the angst we felt as teenagers, how we enjoyed so much, yet couldn't wait to get out on our own to take on the world. How boring that wait really was, and how unbelievable it was to finally get out in the world, be on our own and move past the bullshit, and in the same breath look back with an air of whimsical nostalgia upon all those feelings.
"The Suburbs" captures the feeling of growing up in the suburbs of middle America. Though it may not be the grit and struggle of the ghetto, things are still no picnic. The album manages to run a gamut of emotions most of us felt as teenagers. Songs like "The Suburbs," "Empty Room," "Suburban War" and "We Used To Wait" encapsulate the feeling of teenage angst, while "Rococo" and "Month of May" show even suburban kids can bare their teeth once in awhile.
"Wasted Hours," "Deep Blue" and "Sprawl II" bring the typical Arcade Fire introspection we have become acclimated to, while "Ready To Start," "Sprawl II" "Half Light II," and "Modern Man" serve as notice that the kids have come of age and are ready to play adults, setting out in the world.
The sounds on this album are classic Arcade Fire, but hit a more grandiose level. The drums are heavier, the bass lines thicker, the sound of the guitars just a little bit richer with an occasional 80s synthesizer thrown in. Arcade Fire have strived to give us something new but familiar with every album. In this day and age of overnight Internet sensations where most stars care more about their fame than their art, Arcade Fire have made it their goal to give us more than just a flash in the pan. "The Suburbs" is an American classic, something that not only captures the feeling of the moment it was in, but will portray and relate that feeling to future generations.
Arcade Fire did what so few in this day and age are capable of -- creating an album to echo through history. Now the question becomes: Where do they go from here? Who knows, but for now let's enjoy our walk through the 'burbs.
Must Listens: The Suburbs, Rococo, We Used to Wait, Sprawl II.
P.S. for a walk through your burbs set to the sounds of "We Used to Wait" go to www.thewildernessdowntown.com Enjoy the Walk ! :)
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