2. Arcade Fire - Reflektor
Sonically, Reflektor is nothing short of glorious - as melodically rich as it is thematically dense, though the melodies are more subtly anthemic then on previos AD LPS, and build gradually. The tracks are textured and the arrangements on show are densely produced. On the surface it might seem an obtuse critical response to label the early indifferent reviews of the album misguided, but there's a sense that these evaluations surfaced after only minimal exposure to the album. Reflektor though, is a complicated and sometimes overwhelming beast - only after multiple play-throughs can you begin to unravel its rich treasure trove of well-concealed splendours. Arcade Fire's chief preoccupation is that, in our GIF-saturated technology-driven times, all art especially in its digital form is just a reflection; a pale echo of a purer sound. This message couldn't be more relevant in this "reflective age" of retweets, instagram photo sharing, and viral media. The album is set against the backdrop of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, though the characters are reimagined in a contemporary rock setting, and voiced by Butler and Chassagne. The legend's main elements concern Orpheus's descent into the Underworld, and - as a master of the lyre - his status as the world's foremost musician and poet. This provides ample narrative scope for Refletkor's principal themes: the life-affirming power of music, and man's self-limiting obsesssion with the afterlife. It's early to judge where exactly Reflektor will sit in the framework of Arcade Fire's entire canon, but the early signs are positive: that first listen plants seeds that are likely to blossom into a fully-fledged romance. It's often as intoxicating as it is intricate, and as beautiful as it is bold; a mythic love-letter to surrendering to the moment. Arcade's Fire's fourth LP is music without boundaries, further evidence that - in the "reflective age" - sometimes the best artistic response to widespread critical acclaim is mutation. Not for the first time, Arcade Fire look like the most important band in the world.
Words by Benji Taylor