After the bulky
Reflektor (2013), Arcade Fire - despite the myriad of influences - managed to whip up their music with a fine airiness.
Everything Now (2017) had grand concepts, but sounded surprisingly accessible. Five years later, with WE, the Canadian band takes a step back and sounds more compact than on their previous two albums. The album opens with the synth-heavy Age of Anxiety I and II,
… and focuses on atmosphere especially during the first half of the record. The five-part End Of The Empire is full of tension building, in which you can hear snippets of their debut album Funeral(2004)back. The second part of WE begins with The Lightning I and II in which the band lets light shine through and elements of stadium rock return. Thus, on their sixth album, the band from Montreal cleverly sweeps through the various styles and influences that they also used on previous albums. (JvQ)more