The Suburbs
by Arcade Fire
  • Record Label: Merge
  • Release Date: Aug 3, 2010
User Score
8.8

Universal acclaim- based on 792 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 732 out of 792
  2. Mixed: 28 out of 792
  3. Negative: 32 out of 792
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  1. HankCLT
    Apr 6, 2018
    9
    Really great album. A great listening experience all the way through. Very chill and has a nice vibe. Favorite songs are The suburbs and Ready to Start
  2. All_ButTrU4
    Oct 25, 2021
    9
    Arcade Fire will never do anything unless it can be made into something grand. Each album is intentional and cinematic. This is still the case on their third LP the suburbs . As suggested in the title and early singles (suburbs/month of may) it would be a journey through the mundane. We are guided through abandoned malls in dying towns, bored kids transitioning from youth to angstArcade Fire will never do anything unless it can be made into something grand. Each album is intentional and cinematic. This is still the case on their third LP the suburbs . As suggested in the title and early singles (suburbs/month of may) it would be a journey through the mundane. We are guided through abandoned malls in dying towns, bored kids transitioning from youth to angst adolescence. All through the unchanged anthemic rock they've mastered in previous LP's. A band not desperate to reinvent but instead to perfect. Which is done successfully here considering the cultural impact it had from being AOTY to setting off #who'sarcadefire trends , capturing both commercial and financial acclaim. Beginning with the sprawling titular track a theme is set: nostalgia, coming of age And good ol' suburban idealism. As the magnificent song ponders "moving past the feeling " a momentum, arcade fires gift,begins offsetting onto the next gem and fan favourite "ready to start ". Holy s.h.¡t is it an amazing display of restraint. The loud then quite contrast create tension even as the lyrics narrative gets dense. "Modern Man ",a personal favourite, tells of growing up as a cautionary tale. A warning of the oppressive mundane standards we aspire to. Time's value us acknowledged yet skillfully appreciated. This being the predecessor to "Roccoco" take on scrambles for lost youth divides the albums optimistic sound from the pessimism of the lyrics futility. Not a single song is wasted throughout the 16 tracks runtime. One of the best releases I've heard in my life so far. Favourites:suburban war,the suburbs, modern man,roccoco,sprawl II(mountains beyond moumtains)… Expand
  3. Thiago25
    May 6, 2022
    9
    Um pouco longo demais, e meio pretensioso. Mas que importa, quando se tem uma das melhores sequências de canções que eles escreveram? The Suburbs, Ready to Start, Modern Man, Suburban War, Sprawl II... E a lista segue.
  4. whit
    Aug 13, 2010
    8
    I only had a passing knowledge of Arcade Fire until very recently. I saw them perform 2 songs on The Daily Show and decided to purchase this album. Only been listening for a few days now, but I'm impressed.
  5. aabender002
    Aug 11, 2010
    8
    Arcade Fire are definitely maturing and expanding their sound, and those who say that they can never top 'Funeral' might want to give their subsequent albums a more careful listen.
  6. Kernzzi
    Oct 21, 2010
    8
    great album. 4 stars from me
  7. chrisfree
    Oct 24, 2010
    8
    This album starts off great, with what I think is their best song "Ready to Start", but just deteriorates. After "Suburban War" it just feels lazy and a waste of potential, but I gave it this because if i just got an album from 1 to 9 I would be satisfied. Warning, not nearly as good a package as the funeral.
  8. bben05
    Oct 5, 2010
    8
    The third arcade fire album is a very good one. It's full of great songs and really enjoyable melodies. Unfortunately the album is 16 songs and an hour long, and the group could have left off around 3-5 songs off and would have made an excellent album.
  9. manurock
    Sep 8, 2011
    8
    It's a good album and I am happy that these guys beat lady gaga and the rest on the awards but it did disappoint me a little after all the hype. It's a good album but not a masterpiece so have a listen and don't think you've bought XXI century's gold record, you will just like some songs like I like the first two or "Wasted Hours" and hate one or two like I hate "month of may". It's trueIt's a good album and I am happy that these guys beat lady gaga and the rest on the awards but it did disappoint me a little after all the hype. It's a good album but not a masterpiece so have a listen and don't think you've bought XXI century's gold record, you will just like some songs like I like the first two or "Wasted Hours" and hate one or two like I hate "month of may". It's true that it is a new mix of alredy known sounds like Pet shop boys or Neil Young so kudos for that. And as I said on the begining, it's also good to have a rock band beating today's electronics.… Expand
  10. dokwa
    Oct 30, 2012
    8
    Once again, Arcade Fire did a splendid job of releasing consistently good albums. The album has a great sound filled with lyrics about suburban life and childhood nostalgia. The songs Ready to Start, Rococo, We Used to Wait, and Sprawl II are the best in my opinion. These songs accompanied with the melodic songs just creates a good album. Although, there are some things that I want toOnce again, Arcade Fire did a splendid job of releasing consistently good albums. The album has a great sound filled with lyrics about suburban life and childhood nostalgia. The songs Ready to Start, Rococo, We Used to Wait, and Sprawl II are the best in my opinion. These songs accompanied with the melodic songs just creates a good album. Although, there are some things that I want to criticize. I found some of the songs to have the same tonality, same beat, and the same slow singing of Win. In addition to that, Empty Room was too short, City with no Children was bland, and Month of May felt a bit forced to be a rock song. Despite these criticisms, I still like the album and I give it an 8.… Expand
  11. trashkozel
    May 10, 2013
    8
    Because this album has been written about quite extensively, I’ll spare you my own internal deliberations on its merits and simply tell you what I think is preventing this album from being a truly great album:

    “Empty Room” “City With No Children” “Half Light I” “Month Of May” “Wasted Hours” “Sprawl (Flatland)” Nixing those six songs would have resulted in a 10-song    Because this album has been written about quite extensively, I’ll spare you my own internal deliberations on its merits and simply tell you what I think is preventing this album from being a truly great album:

    “Empty Room”

    “City With No Children”

    “Half Light I”

    “Month Of May”

    “Wasted Hours”

    “Sprawl (Flatland)”

    Nixing those six songs would have resulted in a 10-song album that would have landed squarely in the #3 spot on this list, and likely would have wound up beating out Kanye West for the #1 spot on many lists. Why the band insisted on stuffing in this obvious B-side material to bloat the runtime over an hour is beyond me. There are five instant-classics on this record (“Ready To Start”, “Modern Man”, “Rococo”, “We Used To Wait”, and “Sprawl II”), but having to trudge through the unnecessary filler robs Arcade Fire of an opportunity to match the concise brilliance of their previous work.    … Expand
  12. MacsMusic
    Jun 19, 2018
    8
    The Suburbs is the first (and only) Arcade Fire album I've completely listened to. Since I downloaded it on my phone, I've listened to it several times - much more than many albums I have reviewed. I can say with some confidence that it is masterly crafted and complex, and pretty great in many places. "Modern Man" has truly awesome music, and is extremely enjoyable. "Rococo" is creepy,The Suburbs is the first (and only) Arcade Fire album I've completely listened to. Since I downloaded it on my phone, I've listened to it several times - much more than many albums I have reviewed. I can say with some confidence that it is masterly crafted and complex, and pretty great in many places. "Modern Man" has truly awesome music, and is extremely enjoyable. "Rococo" is creepy, interesting, and memorable. "Wasted Hours" and "The Suburbs" have excellent music and give off a great atmosphere. Both parts of "Sprawl" are great, and blend together very well. Most of the album has excellent production that demands repeat listens, and the lyrics are original, interesting, and mature.

    I have just a few problems with this otherwise strong, high-quality album. I don't really care for "City;" the music just doesn't sound great to me. I don't really like both of the Half Lights for the same reason I don't like "City." Pretty much every other song on The Suburbs sounds pretty great.

    The Suburbs is a highly-enjoyable, extremely well-produced, high-quality Alt album that I would recommend to anyone. It's an 8.5.    … Expand
  13. BS24
    Sep 7, 2010
    7
    Let's begin with this... its not Funeral, dont expect it to be Funeral, if you havent heard Funeral because of some magic spell that was cast on u for the past 6 or 7 years then go buy that. Now that you are somewhat familiar with The Arcade Fire you will know that its not as good. I am a fan of the Arcade Fire, and there is a lot of good songs on the album, particularly the first 4 and aLet's begin with this... its not Funeral, dont expect it to be Funeral, if you havent heard Funeral because of some magic spell that was cast on u for the past 6 or 7 years then go buy that. Now that you are somewhat familiar with The Arcade Fire you will know that its not as good. I am a fan of the Arcade Fire, and there is a lot of good songs on the album, particularly the first 4 and a few of the last ones. It is well done, but there is something on this album that Funeral and Neon Bible didn't have.... filler songs. The middle is boring and i just skip over it. In fact I might take 5 or 6 songs off my ipod and pretend the album is only 9 or 10 songs (which is a hell of a lot more than most bands could get in a career). If it was only 10 songs, then it would have been amazing, but they went for the big, not gigantic (like Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness which was 28 songs of brilliance) masterpiece, that fell a little short… Expand
  14. Christopher
    Aug 9, 2010
    6
    If you like lifeless mediocre dad rock, this will likely be your album of the year.
  15. BrianR.
    Aug 6, 2010
    6
    Worst album of the catalogue. Too long for what it actually contains. None of the good sing-along moments from the first two albums. Rococo was my favorite track.
  16. noburns
    Aug 11, 2010
    6
    This is a decent album, however it is not in the ballpark, league or universe of Funeral (their debut) and Neon Bible was pretty darn good too. It's hard to see them reach the highest of highs and to wait years for their next and then get something that's just decent.
  17. Armington
    Aug 18, 2010
    6
    I don't think I'm quite feeling the brilliance of this album the way most seem to be. It's a pretty solid effort for sure but to me that's it. The band seemed to be stretching and testing themselves far more on their previous 2 albums, which were both outstanding. Their toning down on The Suburbs has lessened the impact of course, making this album more of a grower, but after severalI don't think I'm quite feeling the brilliance of this album the way most seem to be. It's a pretty solid effort for sure but to me that's it. The band seemed to be stretching and testing themselves far more on their previous 2 albums, which were both outstanding. Their toning down on The Suburbs has lessened the impact of course, making this album more of a grower, but after several listens I still find myself zoning out and forgetting it's on. For me the stand out track is undoubtedly 'Sprawl II', as this seems to be the song where their sounds actually mutates into something new and interesting. I may be in the minority but I think Arcade Fire have played it safe with this album, and that's not just because the songs are less grand. Where's the sparkling invention of tracks like Une Année Sans Lumière and Crown of Love, where the songs change pace and rhythm on a whim. On the first two albums I didn't know what to expect from one track to the next. With The Suburbs, at times its quite difficult distinguishing one song from the next, with none of them rivalling their best work… Expand
  18. centurysleuth
    Sep 30, 2010
    6
    I enjoyed the album, but it'd certainly did not strike me. Nor did I find any individual song as powerful as on Arcade's previous albums.
  19. Tubie
    Nov 2, 2010
    6
    Sound way too generic at this point, I don't want to say mainstream yet but they probably should consider not making any more albums because it shows that the magic that created the first two albums simply isn't there anymore and this is a band I don't want to end up hating.
  20. Craig
    Aug 6, 2010
    5
    I have to believe that all the favorable reviews of the album are more a sign of the overall mediocre output from the entire music industry. The songs are just average and the music is nothing to get excited about. Few people will play this album a year from now.
  21. MorganK
    Aug 7, 2010
    5
    Not in the ballpark of Funeral, though they do work to recreate that sparer sound, largely dropping the bombast from the trying-too-hard Neon Bible. They certainly have pushed their early The Cure influences to the forefront. It starts fairly strong - The Suburbs (and its album-closing revisit) is solid and Ready to Start is certainly the highlight of the album - but the majority of the Not in the ballpark of Funeral, though they do work to recreate that sparer sound, largely dropping the bombast from the trying-too-hard Neon Bible. They certainly have pushed their early The Cure influences to the forefront. It starts fairly strong - The Suburbs (and its album-closing revisit) is solid and Ready to Start is certainly the highlight of the album - but the majority of the tracks that follow fall rather flat. Modern Man fulfills the E-Street comparisons they've garnered for a while and is pretty dire, lyrically. The hipster-bashing Rococo is a fire and a miss, attacking a strawman target, and even worse, is annoying. Empty Room is short and pretty, but disappears quickly into the hand-clappy and dull City With No Children and the Beach House-y Half Light I. The tempo, and quality, picks back up briefly with the the second part, Half Light II, which wouldn't sound out of place on Achtung Baby. Month of May serves as a merciful change of pace, a little bit poppy post-punk, but it's still remarkably slight. After that, the album pretty much disappears into an unmemorable haze until it hits the two-part The Sprawl - the first half, Flatland, is pretty great and is the only thing that sounds like a genuine moment on the record. Too bad then it's followed up with the ABBA-esque second half, Mountains Beyond Mountains, with the most eye-rolling put-upon-artist lyrics in an album already filled with them: "They heard me singing and they told me to stop / quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock." Sadly, the album frequently delves into pitting the narrator against a phantom 'Them' or 'They' which is a really juvenile antagonist, it's vague, paranoid, and uninformed. If the band's hook is a world-weary adult's look back at the decline of childhood innocence, the lazy intangible of 'they' undermines anything learned from it. The repeated focus on being children and having children (riding bikes, running through the yard, learning to drive, etc.) and on placing them both in a nostalgic 1982 Steven Spielberg neighborhood ultimately doesn't cover any ground that the far superior Funeral didn't, and the lack of that record's energy, pathos and lyrical acumen make this seem largely redundant, and clearly lesser. I get that's the Arcade Fire's shtick, and perhaps it's not fair to always hold a band up to their earlier high-water mark, but the band themselves are so insistent on revisiting those same themes that the comparison is all but inevitable. There's a point where the romanticizing of childhood wonder falls away to a creepy Peter Pan refusal to accept growing up. Ultimately, a pretty solid disappointment, especially coming after the just-ok Neon Bible, and it leaves you with a feeling of a fizzled band that couldn't top their early flash of inspiration - a story arc not dissimilar to The Strokes. It's not awful, by any means, but it's uninspired and frequently just dull. There are so many directions that Arcade Fire could have taken their sound and achieved something compelling - I'm thinking of Nick Drake's Bryter Layter, Nick Cave's From Her to Eternity, Folklore, an orchestral take on Liars' Drum's Not Dead - anything but a less-engaging, overlong rehash of the album they made their name on.… Expand
  22. pkindieboy
    Oct 12, 2010
    5
    I quite enjoy the overall sound of the album. Alas, the hooks are not strong enough to keep me interested. Maybe I'll come back to it, but for now, it's Deerhunter and No Age...
  23. mrtimmerz23
    Feb 15, 2011
    5
    The album definitely has it's high points but when listening to it, the overall slow, dull pace of it seems to kill the CD. Sometimes it's entirely possible to forget you're listening to music because it just gets drowned out after a bit.
  24. FitJohn
    Aug 24, 2010
    3
    That's it? Funeral had 5 or 6 great songs, Neon Bible had maybe 3 good ones but mostly yawns. The Suburbs has no memorable song after the pretty good opener. At least 2 Canadian bands have produced better records this year: Broken Social Scene and the New Pornographers.
  25. Haldane
    Jan 20, 2023
    3
    Man, I wish I could get behind the hype of this album like I can for the later ones, but the only song I can come to like is the title track. Even that song requires a specific mood to be listened to, because it's not really conventionally emotional nor upbeat, it's kind of like watching a teenaged movie where you want to hide behind your skin because you feel both sad you're missing outMan, I wish I could get behind the hype of this album like I can for the later ones, but the only song I can come to like is the title track. Even that song requires a specific mood to be listened to, because it's not really conventionally emotional nor upbeat, it's kind of like watching a teenaged movie where you want to hide behind your skin because you feel both sad you're missing out on something but also that you're glad you're not an emotionally disruptive teenager therefore you have to miss out.… Expand
  26. fedelmason
    Feb 17, 2011
    2
    I just can't believe that this The Suburbs is the album of the year! This is SIMPLE CRAP! So long, so bored, i want my 64 minutes and 7 seconds of my life back!
  27. JayTee
    Aug 31, 2010
    1
    Arcade Fire just might be the second most overrated and pretentious band around today (the top spot would have to go to Animal Collective). Every song on The Suburbs is bland and lacking in even the smallest amount of entertainment. Funeral had it's bareable moments, but their last two releases prove that music nowadays has been cheapened to lazy and boring melodies. It makes me shudder toArcade Fire just might be the second most overrated and pretentious band around today (the top spot would have to go to Animal Collective). Every song on The Suburbs is bland and lacking in even the smallest amount of entertainment. Funeral had it's bareable moments, but their last two releases prove that music nowadays has been cheapened to lazy and boring melodies. It makes me shudder to think great indie bands go unnoticed while the lame ones seem to thrive.… Expand
  28. grosraton
    Apr 4, 2011
    0
    Not bad, if it wasn't of the sound quality. One of the most disappointing crap of all the music industry. Audiophiles, beware! Don't pay for it. You will not have more sound quality from the CD than from a 128kbps mp3. I'm serious, but conscious that only few people will notice what I'm talking about... especially those who recorded the album.
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Awards & Rankings

11
#11 Best Album of 2010
8
#8 Most Discussed Album of 2010
15
#15 Most Shared Album of 2010

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
87

Universal acclaim - based on 43 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 43
  3. Negative: 0 out of 43
  1. Expert Witness (MSN Music)
    Jan 5, 2011
    91
    With beats this straight and stolid, you'd better keep the anthems coming, and they do, almost.
    Read full review
  2. AllMusic
    80
    It's serious without being preachy, cynical without dissolving into apathy, and whimsical enough to keep both sentiments in line, and of all of their records, it may be the one that ages so well.
    Read full review
  3. Dusted Magazine
    90
    The Suburbs is a really good record, but it's clear that indie rock is not in Kansas anymore.
    Read full review
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