Reflektor
The French-Canadian outfit Arcade Fire were once a little curio with their angular approach and quirky vocals, but time has seen them grow into one of the most eagerly chased headline acts for festival bills the world over. Their fourth album, Reflektor, is again different to what came before it while offering enough touchstones to satiate fans.
Not since The Neon Bible have the band offered an album that needs so many listens to really show any of its worth. Reflektor is a harder sell in every sense, although worth the investment if punters wish to take the time.
It is not the production by LCD Soundsystem honcho James Murphy that is the issue – in fact his addition gives these somewhat obtuse songs with their Haitian voodoo vibe a much needed danceable undertone. It is the ambition of this 75 minute double album that sometimes gets in its own way, until the second disc slows things down a little and lets the melody shine through.
Arcade Fire again have topped the charts the world over with Reflektor and maintained their position as a band who make unpopular music popular. Reflektor may not be the band’s highest point but only because they have already set the bar too high.
CHRIS HAVERCROFT
