Arcade Fire released some of the best albums of the 2000s and 2010s. Two of those are Funeral, which is a classic album that has inspired many different artists and The Suburbs, which won the group Album of the Year at the 2011 Grammys and is easily one of the best rock albums of the last 15 years. 2013's Reflektor saw the band trying some experimental ideas, which received critical success.
Since then, things have been a little underwhelming. 2017's Everything Now was the band’s first hiccup — they channelled synth pop and dance music to average results. The band went on to do the soundtrack for the Spike Jonze film Her and released the album We in 2022, with neither really taking the band further.
In the same year, frontman Win Butler was accused of sexual misconduct by four different individuals, including sexual assault allegations. The band denied the accusations, but it’s impossible to deny that it hasn’t damaged Butler's reputation and, therefore, the band's.
Now we have Pink Elephant. The record fails to capture the magic of earlier offerings and that’s okay. But the thing that’s a bummer here is that it sounds almost like it’s trying to capture the magic of the early records and failing. While listening, I couldn’t help but think about the powerful songs of the back catalogue and how these new songs just don’t hold a candle to them. And after catching the band's Saturday Night Live performance, where Win Butler smashed his guitar to the track "Year Of The Snake," I was left scratching my head even harder. Why smash your guitar to a song that sounds like it would be played in Whole Foods?
Take the title track, "Pink Elephant" (track two). Sonically, it’s reminiscent of the work on Neon Bible, but where that album's lyric soared, this track's message flutters. This recurs throughout the album: the lyrics come off as melodramatic and not very inspired. When I compare this to their work on The Suburbs it seems like Arcade Fire is imitating themselves and not doing the most amazing job.
“Circle of Trust” has tinges of Depeche Mode and has a pretty good groove, but is hindered again by the lyrics about “Archangel Michael on his motorcycle” and “crying all night for your love.”
“Alien Nation” finds the group in spaced-out territory, which is probably the most fun to be had on the record. It’s a rocking track and Butler's lyrics are hidden by the loud guitars. The repeating of “Alien Nation” with a sci-fi filter on the vocal is fun and silly but works here. And that's an important point to make. When the band isn't taking themselves too seriously we get glimpses of what the album could be.
“Stuck in my Head” closes out the album. It's a slow buildup to a rousing conclusion, but yet again is slowed down by the lyrics. I really didn’t want to listen to Win Butler yelling “get the fuck out of bed” at me.
When the record ended I was left feeling unfulfilled and missing the Arcade Fire of days past. I understand that bands evolve, but this feels like a flat landing.
