ALBUM REVIEW. Arcade Fire flip up the warmth | Music | Entertainment | EUROtoday

Arcade Fire. Pink Elephant. Poignancy and positivity mix with perseverance on the Canadian indie rockers’ seventh album. The first single from it, Year Of The Snake, is a clean, euphoric groove that hypnotises you want a snake charmer’s pungi because it builds and grows. In the Chinese zodiac, the yr of the snake symbolises knowledge, transformation, and soul-searching, all of which carry us to the (pink) elephant within the room. In 2022, the Grammy-winning band’s frontman Win Butler was accused of sexual misconduct (sexting). He denied the claims and was by no means charged, however admitted having consensual relationships with girls aside from his spouse – bandmate Régine Chassagne. This ten-track post-crisis album hints on the compromises which have saved the couple collectively. Régine half-sings, half-whispers traces like, ‘The season of change, and if you feel strange, it’s most likely good.”

The sombre however heartfelt alt-pop title observe addresses the pink elephant paradox which states that making an attempt to suppress a thought or feeling can enlarge it. ‘Take your mind off me a little while,’ sings Win. ‘In the darkest place I saw you smile/And the way it all changed, makes me wanna cry.’ The couple co-produced the 10-track album with Daniel Lanois. Régine makes her bass-playing debut and he drums for the primary time. Tracks vary from the extreme Alien Nation to poppier love track I Love Her Shadow through trippy Open Your Heart. Driving dance quantity Circle Of Trust ups the power, with whispers of “ecstatic nights”, and the album climaxes with Stuck In My Head, which sounds closest to Arcade bangers of yore. On the beautiful indie people observe Ride Or Die, Win suggests they don’t want the band “I can take you anywhere…I don’t care/I can work a 9-to-5, you can be an actress…” Don’t wager on it.

Counting Crows. Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets. The blissful 8^th album from the resurgent California rockers combines tracks from their 2021 Butter Miracle: Suite One ep with 5 new numbers. Spaceman In Tulsa embodies their timeless Americana enchantment. You hear their Springsteen influences on Bobby & The Rat-Kings and Adam searches for that means, and probably extra beard dye, in Under The Aurora.

Suzanne Vega. Flying With Angels. The US people star reveals her class on her first album since 2016. Highs embrace rocking opener Speakers’ Corner, about utilising free speech towards the avalanche of groupthink, and Chambermaid which reimagines Dylan’s I Want You from the maid’s p-o-v: ‘When I dream of him at night, he slips his pen into my hand and says, “Don’t neglect to write down”.’

Spear Of Destiny. Janus. The Pack, Theatre of Hate, Spear Of Destiny…Kirk Brandon was all the time one of many sharpest post-punk skills. Here, he re-records two Spear albums together with tracks his label perversely vetoed, reminiscent of crowd favorite Pumpkin Man. Gems like The Jungle, Outland and Never Take Me Alive, make the 24-track vinyl double LP potent and compelling.