With each listen, I have grown more and more in love with Arcade Fire's newest album, The Suburbs. There are so many layers to this album, and most of the themes apply to us post-grad reluctant adults. The most poignant theme may be the nostalgia of being a suburban teenager, sitting around passing time during long summer breaks, waiting for the world to begin. Around this idealized memory, Arcade Fire points out that the "modern kids" of today are basically unauthentic, that the teens loitering around the cul-de-sacs are not like they used to be. They want to be unique but truly don't have a clue about what they are doing. I'd like to think it's a criticism of this unbearable age of hipster-dom.
Enough about teens, what about us "adults"? Some of the songs are about adults returning to their childhood playgrounds, only to find that everything has changed and nothing stays the same. Of course, the past also leads to more memories of childhood and old friends. Other songs are about the "modern man" as a whole, following society blindly and no longer examining one's path anymore. From the song "we used to wait", it's clear that technology (sadly) has completely changed the way we live. We no longer hand write letters, wait for handwritten letters to arrive, or even spending hours just walking around aimlessly.
The album is so complex, and I have still yet to completely wrap my head around it. It's rare to have an album lay out all of the emotions/ideas/wishes/despair/sadness I have felt and will continue to revisit since I became a teen. I guess I will have to wait to find out whether I'll grow out of this feeling or whether I'll always feel like "we're still kids in the buses longing to be free".
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