HomeReviews Strong critical acclaim for Arcade Fire
Strong critical acclaim for Arcade Fire
Tuesday, 04 January 2011
There are few bands currently that have garnered stronger critical acclaim than Arcade Fire. For once, it’s justified and not a case of bandwagon hopping as anyone who’s listened to any of the Canadians’ three albums can spot the quality and class oozing out of every pore.
Whether a fan of their type of music or not – and it’s certainly not for everyone – it’s hard to find fault in their recorded output and that’s a feeling that spreads to their live shows as well.
Arcade Fire - Power Out/Rebellion (Unstaged)
For all the plaudits that bands like Muse receive for their live performances, Arcade Fire certainly stand on their own in terms of originality. It’s the perfect juxtaposition of chaos and order as although different members of the group interchange at will, running around banging drums exuberantly, their output is always pitch perfect and as richly dense as their recorded versions.
It’s this style that ensures that even neutrals will end up worshipping at the altar of Win by the end of their set. Finely balanced between the old and the new, the current tour has seen something for everyone to enjoy; from the “national anthem” (‘Ready To Start’) onwards, hit after hit has been rolled out to the delight of the packed-out crowds.
Arcade Fire might not have had the commercial success to match their critical acclaim just of yet, although the number one UK debut of The Suburbs is a promising development, but there’s no doubt that there is always going to be a congregation waiting - whenever they bless us with their presence.