A rant about WE

Ok, so recently one of my favourite bands, Arcade Fire, released a new album: WE. Now, I know that this was two or three months ago, so not actually that recently. But I only decided to write a review/rant (all my "reviews" are actually rants) on it several days ago. 

This is seriously one of my favourite albums now. When I listen to it I feel at home -- even though it was only released recently I have listened to it so many times that it is so familiar. Plus, my dad is also an Arcade Fire fan so it's super cool to talk about the album with him as well. 

I didn't know that the album was coming out, honestly, since I don't really have social media or any way of knowing. Obviously the singles were released and stuff, but it all happened so fast. When the album was first released, I sent a screenshot of it to my dad, and he said "haha are they going to release a whole album one song at a time". When I told him that it was the whole album, he was like, "oh shit". So yeah, it was a nice surprise when WE came out. 

It's so sad that Will left though. I guess I'll never get to see him smash his head through a drum or jump around with a tambourine live. (If by some chance you like Arcade Fire, please watch these two videos because they make me cry). 

It's so weird with this album, because listening to the songs individually just does not feel right. Especially if it's songs like The Lightning I-II or End of the Empire I-IV. It's a crime to listen to just one Lightning. It's probably because WE is kinda a concept album.

Despite what I just said, I'm just going to ramble on about each song individually now, then maybe come back to the album as a whole. 

Age of Anxiety I - This song is an amazing opening to the album. When I hear the start of this song I get so excited. Hearing it make you want to listen to the whole album. The start is great, and the lyrics really capture a lot of truths about life in this era. The lyrics are so poetic, especially in the "maze of mirrors" part. When it gets to the part with the breaths it's so cool. The breaths part is so cool. It reminds me of Afterlife. I also really like the DUN DUN DUUNN part, if that is an adequate description of the part I'm talking about. And Régine's part! Her voice is so breathy and beautiful, and when Win joins in and they sing (somewhat) together it sounds so great -- like not to give a backhanded compliment to Win here, but his singing sounds better than usual at that part. I mean, not necessarily better, but... more like singing? I don't know how to describe it.

One of my favourite parts of this song is the first "'cause I can't stop crying and I really think I mean it but the tears mean nothing to me..." etc. The emotion conveyed through Win's voice here is so heartbreaking and this is the part of the song is the part which I always end up silently belting (oxymoron wow). And just when you thought that this song could not get any more heartbreaking, we have the "we can't stop crying and we really think we mean it but the tears just fall on the sheets/ another lost soul just trynna feel something, trynna feel something, trynna feel something in the aGE OF--". Oh, my gosh, that part of the song makes me want to cry just thinking about it. 

This song is so powerful and relatable. I would even claim that this song is the most emotion-filled one on the album -- Win emits so much emotion through his voice in this song. This song is so sad. It's also probably one of my favourite Arcade Fire songs at the moment. Listening to this song feels like a whole emotional journey. Also, listening to this song while crying and mouthing the lyrics gives main-character-in-a-movie vibes. 

This song is so cool because of how seamlessly the pace changes throughout. My favourite part is probably the end bit (for some reason I divide Age of Anxiety I into three parts: before the breaths, the breaths, and after the breaths). Régine's part is amazing, and also Win's emotional part. 

I forgot to mention that I think the ending is really meaningful and cool too. I think the message "it's all about you/it's not about you" is really significant. I have interpreted that part in various different ways, and I think all interpretations of that part are really relevant and important. I certainly resonate with that part, as well as basically the whole song.

Age of Anxiety I is a heartbreaking song but at the same time it feels like a great song that you could dance to. As much as I like heartbreaking/dark songs that sound like heartbreaking songs, I also really like upbeat songs that are really heartbreaking if you listen to the lyrics.

Wow. I've written a lot. I started listening to WE when I started writing about Age of Anxiety I and I'm up to the end of Lookout Kid. How much time is it going to take me if I'm going to ramble on about nine more songs? It’s going to take me days, weeks, months or years to write this post (hehe). Oh well, I think I'm done writing about Age of Anxiety I and just in time for Race and Religion! 

One more thing: I honestly think this song is overlooked. I've read a few random posts about people's favourite songs from WE, and I don't think that any said that Age of Anxiety I is their favourite. I would like to break that pattern by deciding right now that Age of Anxiety I is probably my favourite song from WE. It makes me cry. 

Age of Anxiety II (Rabbit Hole) - So this song has changed the way I see the word "yeah", but in the best way possible. Rabbit Hole is, in my mind such a contrast to Age of Anxiety I. It’s the type of song I would like to randomly dance to. 

In a way I think the lyrics to this song are so random yet meaningful. We’ve got stuff like “new phone, who’s this?” and also “Arcadia apocalypse”. There’s also “hardy har-har” in contrast to “rabbit hole goes on forever”. 

I also really like all the Greek mythology references in this song. As a person who's interested in Greek mythology, I get a happy feeling when I understand the references.

Also! Régine's parts are so great. I think the first time she comes in is one of the best parts of the song. I really like her voice, in case you can't tell. I like a lot of stuff about her. 

I guess I take this song less seriously than some of the others on this album. I guess its lyrics don’t exactly all connect up? But I like that about this song. Perhaps the seemingly random lyrics represent all the words and stuff that are thrown at us in this society. This song does definitely have a deeper meaning, though. It’s also a bop. 

Prelude - This isn’t exactly a song -- and I’m pretty sure on the actual record it’s a part of End of the Empire I-III -- but I just wanted to quickly mention it. First of all, does anyone know what the sounds are actually meant to be? I thought it was fireworks but after watching a video on WE I found out that other people think the sounds are the noises of a city under attack. I suppose that would make a lot more sense than fireworks. 

What I find interesting and cool about this song is that this prelude is placed before the End of the Empire saga. I think that’s really smart because it actually adds to the story told by End of the Empire I-IV. Even though it’s really hard to hear Prelude at all, I do think it’s a really important part of the album and adds to its story a lot. 

End of the Empire I-III - This song is one of my favourites on the album. I would also say it's the second-saddest song on the album. 

When I hear the start of End of the Empire I-III I get that weird cold shivery feeling. Hopefully someone out there knows what I mean. I really like the piano part at the start that accompanies Win's voice. That piano part somehow makes this song so much sadder.

This song is about the US. Mainly the first part. I'm not surprised that Arcade Fire finally wrote and released a song about this. Honestly in a way part I reminds me of a dystopian book.

The parts of this song where it's like, "standing at the end of the American empire" are so powerful. And very explicit haha. I think this is some of the most explicit shade-throwing that Arcade Fire has ever done. It's definitely up there with "working for the Church while your family dies!". 

I think this song (especially the first part) is also really speaking out about the environment. Like, hinting of the oceans rising. I'm pretty sure California and New York are pretty coastal so that's a possibility -- that the dystopian-type world that they're imagining features an America that's half-underwater. I feel like this is a connection to Windowsill, because there are multiple lines such as "the tide is high/and it's rising still" in Windowsill. I just feel like this could be a connection somehow?

Also, with the "oxygen is getting low". I think that one's pretty self-explanatory haha. 

The second/last part of this song is so sad though. "Didn't used to get high/didn't used to drink and I/didn't used to think that I/could ever dream about losing you" is so sad. I think that this part of the song is also very well-sung by Win. His voice is so gentle but also he conveys so much emotion through it.
In a way, I actually think that this part of End of the Empire I-III helped me to understand why people turn to drugs and alcohol -- I don't know why but it did. 

The part "you know I can't sleep with the television on" and onwards is heartbreaking. I really think that I relate to that line too -- there's too much going on in the world. 

And obviously part III of this song is probably about some breakup, but I'm just going to say that there are other ways to lose someone.

So yeah, this song is hella sad. It also really reflects heaps of the stuff going on at the moment. It will be interesting in a few years to look back and see how stuff has changed.

End of the Empire IV (Sagittarius A*) - This song is also one of my favourites from WE. I would rank it at #2. The start with "I unsubscribe" is certainly interesting but I think that in a way it's sad because it reflects how much the online world has changed people. Also, "unsubscribe" is basically WE's slogan.

I don't know why but I really like the part that's like, "she says, 'there's diamonds in your eyes'". I remember that when I first listened to WE, that part really stood out to me. Plus the super cool sax part that goes with it. 

So I also think that the part that goes, "she says 'the air we're breathing is from an exhaust pipe'" is also probably a comment on the environment. Also, that part has some really beautiful vocals from Win. Also the little beeping sound in the background at that part is really cool. For some reason it reminds me of space, which is probably a good thing considering the name of the song.

Speaking of which, for some reason within a few days after WE was released, I was asked by at least two people if I'd seen the pictures of the black hole. And I just laughed both times. What were the chances?

I read that End of the Empire IV (Sagittarius A*) is a metaphor for Jesus and religion and stuff. How Sagittarius A* is both our saviour and a danger in a way -- it could be used against us. Kinda like Jesus/Christianity etc. (I explained that really badly). I really like this idea. A lot, actually. I feel like I relate to it a lot. I'm glad that Arcade Fire is still writing songs about that. Neon Bible is amazing and Sagittarius A* reminds me of it.

One of my other favourite parts of this song is the part where it goes, "little black space between the stars/dream of crashing expensive cars" which again happens to be sung by Régine. I just really like her voice at this part and I don't even know why. It always makes me smile.

I also really like the verse after this part. When this part comes up I also smile, but for a different reason. The part about Season 5 is just so funny to me. It makes me want to yell that one line but at the same time hide. My dad and I always clear our throats really loudly during that part. I've actually read theories that "Season 5" is actually Everything Now. It would make sense since it was their 5th album and it... wasn't exactly as good as their others. I really like some of the songs off Everything Now but the rest aren't really the best. I'm sorry but I think that the start of Chemistry sounds like clown music. I watched this performance of Sagittarius A* (and WE (the song)) which was beautiful but they changed the Season 5 line which I found absolutely hilarious. But anyway, the tiny laugh Win does after saying the Season 5 line in the album version makes me smile. This whole song makes me smile.

The next line is kinda sad though and also very true: "the clothes don't fit me right/must be the wrong body type". It's lines like that one that show how good Arcade Fire are at highlighting stuff that's wrong about the world and wording it really well.

The next part is sung really beautifully by Win. It's another of those lines that I think is really beautiful and that I relate to on some level. And then the last part is a really good sort of turning point for the album -- where it changes from "I" to "WE" (I really like that idea though so much). "We'll see one day/what's on the other side" could have so many different interpretations. I think it's about how, after recovery from mental illness, you're so much freer to love. Yeah. I am possibly a bit of a hypocrite in a way saying that. But ignore that.

End of the Empire IV is like the perfect balance of funny and serious, you know? I really like it, and I think it was one of the songs that stood out to me most when I first listened to WE. 

The Lightning I - I'm pretty sure The Lightning I-II was the first single to be released for WE and at the time my dad and I both thought that it was way too end-of-movie-resolution-upbeat for Arcade Fire. But I have to say that The Lightning has grown on me so much. 

The Lightning I is probably not my favourite out of the two, but I think it adds so much to the story of the album. The thing where this side of the record is "WE" and the first one was "I" is genius in my opinion. 

The verses of The Lightning I are probably my favourite. The lyrics are actually so poetic and powerful. I feel like The Lightning (both of them) could be like an anthem. I dunno. It's just a cool song.

Again, Régine's part "when the lightning comes" is amazing. Both times. But especially the second time. Imagine being that good at singing.

The transition from I to II is so cool. Arcade Fire has some really cool song transitions (e.g. Haiti to Rebellion and literally half of The Suburbs). I strongly believe that it is a crime to listen to one Lightning by itself.

The Lightning II - Ah, my favourite Lightning. This song is so joyful and I just want to belt it while jumping up and down and waving my arms. 

I literally always quote the "a day, a week, a month, a year" part. It confuses people but that's part of the reason I do it. 
I think that this song is really uniting because it sounds like lots of people are singing in unison.

(I'm sorry, it's really hard to write about The Lightning while listening to The Same Deep Water As You. 😭)

Unlike the slightly too-cliché and too-optimistic chorus of The Lightning I, the chorus of II is so good. I also think that in The Lightning I pay lots of attention to the music as a whole -- not just the lyrics? The actual music part of The Lightning I-II is so amazing. It's the type of music that is the reason why music is so uniting and amazing. That probably makes no sense. It's just so powerful and upbeat. Both Lightnings are so different but they go together so well. They're perfect for each other. 

The line "I thought it was the answer but I find I got the question wrong" just reminds me so much of my philosophy class though. 

I think that The Lightning is a bit of a nice break from all the heavy themes and stuff in Arcade Fire's music. As I said before, it has really grown on me and it is definitely an important part of WE. Yay.

Unconditional I (Lookout Kid) - I think I saw a YouTube video in which someone described this song as "millennial dad rock". This song is kinda cringey when you first listen to it but I really do like it now -- again, it's grown on me. It's actually a really sweet song and I also think that it fits really well into the story of WE. 

I think it's really nice that Arcade Fire released this. I'm assuming that it has something to do with Little Butler -- oh, sorry, I mean Edwin Farnham Butler IV -- but I think it's also a nice message to put out there just in general.

This song makes me smile as well. I feel like I kinda have a special connection with it in a way, since my dad also likes Arcade Fire? It's just a really sweet and pure song and it's such a contrast to nearly everything else that Arcade Fire has released but definitely in a good way.

I think that listening to this song is a nice reminder of some of the advice that my parents should have given me. This is gonna sound weird but I feel like this song is a kind of parental figure. 

The line "cause nothing's ever perfect/no-one's perfect/let me say it again: no-one's perfect" is just so powerful and it's actually very good but rather cliché advice (hence the charismatic cringiness) but it's just a very strong and powerful line. 

I also really like any time in the song when someone says "unconditional". Again, it kinda reminds me of my parents. :) In a good way though.

This song is just so sweet though and it makes me smile. It's also a really nice non-political Arcade Fire song to put onto shared playlists. 

Unconditional II (Race and Religion) - Ok so Race and Religion seems to be very popular for some reason. So many people on the Arcade Fire reddit thingy are saying that it's their favourite song off the album. Not gonna lie, it's a super cool song that I always nod my head along to when I'm listening to it. But to me it seems like Race and Religion is probably the least deep song on the album? I dunno. It just seems a bit like a love song with generic-ish lyrics. It's a very good love song with generic-ish lyrics nonetheless. But still. 

In a way I found it a little weird that Arcade Fire were using race and religion as a thing in a love song? Just because they've reflected on so many serious parts of race and religion (religion especially). Like, hello, Neon Bible. I read on Genius Lyrics that Régine and Win live on like an intersection and the streets are called “Race” and “Religious” or something? I don’t know how reliable that information is but if it’s true that’s really cool. 

Ok so Peter Gabriel though. It’s so random yet so cool that Race and Religion features Peter Gabriel. His vocals sound really good in this song! It really adds a lot to the song. 

Of course Régine is so great in Unconditional II. Her voice is simultaneously light and strong. She has such an amazing voice though. Literally everything she sings is perfection. And the parts where either Win or Peter Gabriel sings with her is so good too. Peter Gabriel's voice contrasts really nicely with Régine's.

This is definitely the better "I'll be your..." Arcade Fire song. I nearly yelled at my laptop when I saw that some people's favourite Everything Now song is Peter Pan. Why? Why?! 

Ok I must say that despite being less deep/political than the other songs on the album, Race and Religion has some pretty cool poetic lyrics. My favourite is "breaking as the light divides into the colour of your eyes". I don't usually like love song lyrics but that one is pretty cool.

I really like how, towards the end of the song, the lyrics also start to tie into the overall theme of the album. That's one of the cool things about concept albums -- links everywhere. "You and me could be we" is like a wow moment because it kinda ties stuff together well in my opinion?

So there's a bit of a false ending thingy going on at the end of the song. Even though I have listened to Unconditional II so many times, the false fade out ending thingy still tricks me. It reminds me of this time when the false fade out in That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore fooled me so I said "ah that's the end of the playlist" and then my dad was like "is it?" and I was like "oh". That was so embarrassing because it was literally my playlist we were listening to and I was still tricked. I'm a smart one.

WE - Oh no I'm finally up to the last song of the album. This song makes me so sad for no reason. I guess it's a slower song and stuff so that would make sense.

In a way I think that this song kinda is like the epilogue to a novel. It's kinda like the nameless characters whose stories this album follows are finally getting their happy ending. And in a way I think that the characters are planning to live the rest of their lives together and then "get off this ride" together -- to die. That sounds a bit morbid, but I think that this theory of mine is backed up by the "we'll see one day/what's on the other side" that's said way back in Sagittarius A*.

The album is so nicely tied together with "already know 'I'/I wanna know 'We'". I think all the things throughout the album about "I" and "WE" are amazing. And I'm still really amazed by the fact that side A is called "I" and side B is called "WE".

And the outro of WE is my favourite part of the song. It's so powerful. I don't know how to put it into words. It kinda crescendos then suddenly goes quieter and gentler. It's just so beautiful. And the lyrics! "When everything ends/can we do it again?" I think this also fits in with the story I'm imagining WE to be. Perhaps the narrator believes that they and their love will be reincarnated and fall in love again in the next life.

I actually just thought of a theory that maybe each Arcade Fire album tells the story of a lifetime of this main character, and in most cases the story of the main character falling in love with the same person in each different life (if that makes any sense). Sure, the theory isn't perfect but I like this idea. It would just add extra depth to Arcade Fire's already-deep music. Just think about it: in The Suburbs (Continued) there's: "if I could have it back/all the time that we wasted [...]/you know I would love to waste it again/waste it again and again and again". Damn. Ok but enough about my theory.

Honestly I feel like the outro of WE is just kinda inviting me to "do it again" by listening to the album again. I definitely wanna do it again. <3

 

Oh my goodness I've written a lot. I kid you not, this ranty review is 4200 words long (so far). If you're still reading this then wow. Just wow. How did you keep reading through all of this? Triple points if you haven't even listened to WE. You must be very confused.

I feel like I did a full-on analysis of this album like I would in English class. One of the best things about concept albums is the fact that it's so analysable.

I would like to rank the songs on WE right now. Maybe in a couple months I will come back and completely disagree with everything but that's why I'm ranking them now! So let's goooo:

1. Age of Anxiety I

2. End of the Empire IV (Sagittarius A*)

3. WE

4. End of the Empire I-III 

5. Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)

6. Age of Anxiety II (Rabbit Hole)

7. The Lightning I-II

8. Unconditional II (Race and Religion)

Please don't get me wrong, I really like every single song on the album. It was more difficult to rank them than I had thought haha. WE is a masterpiece.

Speaking of which. I have news. I just ordered the WE record for my dad for Fathers' Day (which is in like two months but still) and guess what. It's signed! So I'm very excited for that. It took me days if not weeks to write this post so that's why I didn't mention this earlier. 

I remember when I bought the Funeral record for my dad for Christmas last year and he had no idea what was coming for him (Funeral is his favourite album). It was absolutely gorgeous on so many levels -- Funeral is the prettiest album cover I've ever seen and the music is just indescribably amazing.

So I think my dad will probably predict that I'll get WE for him but I don't think he'll predict that it's signed. I very much enjoy the feeling of knowing I've gotten a great present for someone.

So I think I will be concluding this post here. Looks like I have a new longest post at 4, 620 words. Have a good life.