I always associate Arcade Fire with The Shining. Hear me out. Remember that scene where Torrance is speaking to Delbert Grady? “You’ve always been the caretaker”, in tone and severity resonated in me when a former friend told me I had to like Arcade Fire because “it’s the music that suits you”.

Well, here we are, 21 years or so after that musical threat and I still don’t get it. It’s weird, because I own most of their discography, which I’ve bought either due to pier pressure or simply because I am still trying to find what made this person say that to me.

I’d hate to be the contrarian that says Arcade Fire sucks. Because I wouldn’t go that route. There are albums of them I like (Neon Bible, The Suburbs) and others that I just couldn’t get into. I did give a bad review to Reflektor, and re-reading it, I think it speaks more about my mental health situation when I first listened to it than any faults of the album. I’ve revisited the album, though, and still can’t get into it.

With that out of the way, as a live show, they’re unstoppable. I tried catching them before, but never had any luck. It wasn’t until Corona Capital 2023 that I finally managed to see them live and it was a highlight. Easily one of the top ten shows I’ve seen in my life. Even the songs from Reflektor, which I didn’t enjoy at all, were a whole different beast on a live setting. The magic of gigs, I guess. The same happened to me with Minus The Bear, whose 2010 album OMNI I found boring. The live versions and their energy when I saw them at Sheffield Academy blew me away. Maybe there are bands that don’t work for one’s ears on recorded form, but with the buzz and magic of a live show, you can finally connect.

I’m probably talking rubbish by now. For years, Neighborhood #3 (power out) was that “hey, what was that Arcade Fire song I really love?” local joke I had with two friends. “The one with the dramatic vocals and fierce music?” one friend would reply. “Yeah”. “Well, listen to the fucking albums and find out yourself, Sam” was usually the sort of answer I’d get. And although it’s deservedly a highlight of the album, Funeral is one heckuva debut album, possibly as perfect as Bloc Party’s Silent Alarm.

Neighborhood #3 (power out) has sense of urgency I tend to look for in music. Call it a panic attack simulation, call it catharsis; it’s Arcade Fire at its strongest, delivering a yarn that entertains and eventually entangles you.

-Sam J. Valdés López