Everything Now

Everyone grows up. The star-eyed optimism of youth gets replaced with the bitter cynicism of adulthood. It happens to everyone in different ways, and everyone deals with it differently. Arcade Fire dealt with leaving a major indie to a major major by facing the cynicism head-on. Everything Now is an angry album, and like a child growing up the anger seems to be sputtering out in all directions. The magnificent ABBA-esque boogie of the title track belies the moans brought on by overconsumption; “every room in my house is filled with shit I can’t do without.” The two versions of “Infinite Content” smash together rapid punk and gentle country to bring to mind a life of being bombarded by so much of the same. And even the clumsy reggae piss-takes “Chemistry” and “Peter Pan” exude infectious in-studio energy. If the album is a failure it only is for being a sarcastic, self-referential older brother among a crowd of joyful children. We all need room to grow.