The Suburbs

“Our heads are just houses, without enough windows,” trills Régine Chassagne aboard the grand, orchestral sweep of “Half Light I.” It’s a line that typifies the poetic cynicism—and evocative suburban imagery—of Arcade Fire’s expansive third record. Dripping conflicted nostalgia (“Rococo”), adventurous thematic echoes (“The Suburbs” and “Suburban War”), and throbbing, piano-driven grandeur (“We Used To Wait”), <i>The Suburbs</i> both despairs and idealizes, cultivating a masterpiece from disenchantment with the information age.