Showing posts with label arcade fire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label arcade fire. Show all posts
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Album Review: Peter Gabriel - And I'll Scratch Yours



Initially, the idea Peter Gabriel set forth was to simultaneously release two albums: one of him singing songs that other popular artists recommended to him, and another to have those same musicians cover and creatively interpret some of his own hits. Now almost three years after Gabriel covered some of todays most popular acts such as Radiohead, Arcade Fire, and David Bowie in 2010’s Scratch My Back, his follow-up album And I’ll Scratch Yours returns the favor with those artists interpretation of Gabriel’s musical work. Although there is a considerable gap in between these albums when compared to the original plan of a continuous release, it’s often the case that patience can deliver the best results.

However, it must be stated that this album of covers seems somewhat empty without the inclusion of what is arguably Peter Gabriel’s biggest international hit “Sledgehammer.” More than just that is working against this album, like how two of the more influential contributors, Neil Young and Radiohead, were scheduled to appear on And I’ll Scratch Yours, but are noticeably absent. 

Even though this album didn’t go exactly as schedule with a very pushed back release date and missing contributors, there is much to be admired here. Starting with Arcade Fire’s rendition of “Games Without Frontiers,” which gets a vast and strangely welcoming amplification on the electronic elements. The biggest surprise in terms of instrumental switch ups and musical creativity comes from the late Lou Reed’s cover of “Solsbury Hill.” In it, Reed decidedly molds the old acoustic guitar notes into raging electronic guitar riffs coupled with an overall change in the composition of the melody. A little less subtle, but equally entertaining is Randy Newman’s interpretation of Gabriel’s “Big Time,” which brings about a slower, softened down version properly suited in his typical cabaret fashion. The combination of Bon Iver’s breezy, mellifluous vocal tone on “Come Talk to Me” delightfully present all the reasons this cover album came to fruition, which was to showcase how some of the most musically diverse groups could come together with their signature sound and reinterpret a pioneer’s biggest hits. Not all of the songs where as expertly pulled off as is best seen in Joseph Arthur’s take on “Shock the Monkey” since it just seems lazily thrown together with barely an ounce of creativity or energy.

Some of the artists took this chance to completely revamp and switch up Peter Gabriel’s hits while others viewed this as more of an opportunity to simply do a karaoke style replica version and be down with it. And I’ll Scratch Yours is not stellar by any means, but when compared to it’s intertwined counterpart Scratch My Back it definitely takes the crown.

Grade: C+





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Odds and Sods 11/20



File under RUN AND STRAFE. 
  • I'm just going to come out and say it: I don't think WNY's college student population is pulling it's weight. We've got how many schools in the area with how many students, and shows like Sleigh Bells and Blitzen Trapper aren't getting the crowds they deserve. I just can't help but feel that these college students are failing miserably. I've heard a few theories as to why (they don't like to leave campus, they don't like music like students used to, the buzz for these bands isn't there), and I don't like the implications of any of them. Is it Buffalo's lot to land good college acts at a time when the local college population is too lame to take advantage of the situation? Getting the students into the city at large is going to be a big issue for 2014, that's for sure.

  • And while on the subject of buzz, it makes me sad that buzz has become a currency that flows like global capital to cheap labor markets in the third world. It's one thing to have buzz guide us to new things and keep things lively, it's another to chase the buzz and automatically abandon that which had buzz yesterday for the sake of chasing buzz. This doesn't bode well for the viability of popular music at all. Is this what they mean when they say "foodies are bad for food scenes?"

  • I'm not altogether thrilled by the dress code for next year's Arcade Fire tour as the band is requesting that attendees show up in "formal attire or costume," and frankly my nose is a tad pushed out of joint, if nothing else because I've defended Arcade Fire from accusations of pretentiousness and this is how they repay me, with intended feats of abject pretentiousness. While the dress code will no doubt be unenforced, the air of grandiosity is regrettable, and of course while I expect many Arcade Fire fans are already picking out their black tie and tails and gowns, the fact remains that this isn't a very Bruce Springsteen thing to do. Now, a costume however is entirely different... Tickets for Arcade Fire's March 13th show in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre go on sale this Friday. 

  • Black Sabbath however is a band that won't be issuing a dress code for their shows, which is good because they'll be swinging by our general vicinity April 11th when they play the Copp's Colosseum in nearby Hamilton, Ontario. Touring behind this year's Rick Rubin produced 13, the reformed Sabbath (minus Bill Ward) hit the road after guitar god Tony Iommi recovered from cancer treatment to strong reviews and solid enough box office to extend the tour into 2014. This might well be our last chance to see 3/4's of the classic Black Sabbath and Ozzy in his truest element, and at this point it could be a better bet than the fancy do that will be live Arcade Fire (he says somewhat facetiously). Tickets go on sale this Friday.

 Cliff Parks
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Album Review: Arcade Fire - Reflektor


At this point in their career, Arcade Fire is very much settled into the role of being an “important” musical act. Their releases are events and fodder for the endless hype and discussion cycle that structures much of modern music writing on the Internet. They play SNL and even did a short and entertaining special on NBC directly following the taping. Arcade Fire’s albums are a big deal and their latest, Reflektor, being touted as a step forward and real stylistic shift. Produced by LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, Reflektor sees the group heading in a more rhythmic direction with songs driven more by percussion and bass than on their first three albums. This is certainly a gamble following the success of their last album, which won them a Grammy. In many ways this is a laudable step forward for a band that could easily settle into a set style and remain successful. However, at the same time, Reflektor suffers from issues that have plagued the group since the beginning and I am left ultimately ambivalent about an album that I feel could be so much more.

The album is broken into 2 discs and opens with the single, “Reflektor.” This track immediately signals the shift and may be one of their best songs to date. “Reflektor” maintains an uneasy groove that carries the song through a series of agonized peaks and valleys with lyrics that point only to the futility of trying to find any real meaning, only your reflection. David Bowie’s guest appearance is one of the genuinely hair raising points on this record, alongside the breakdown in “Here Comes the Night” and the chanting of Orpheus’s name in “It’s Never Over (Oh Orpheus).” These tracks, and to a lesser extent, “Afterlife,” represent points where the record stands out, where Arcade Fire capitalizes on their strengths and reshapes them into a new context. However, these are only points on a record that has trouble holding together on repeated listens.

It is incredibly easy to point out that this group takes itself very seriously despite their seemingly jokey public persona (the large masks, the small shows under an assumed band name, their SNL appearances, etc.). And if anything, Reflecktor is them trying to crack away at that image. Whether or not it succeeds however is at issue here. Where they do reach out to be a little more “unhinged,” the opening of “Joan of Arc” and all “Normal Person,” ultimately falls flat. These moments feel strained, like a fake smile contorted in such a way to just make everyone in the room uncomfortable. “Joan of Arc” recovers itself quickly, and once again the group is back in the familiar and stronger reworking they develop over the course of the record. But it is hard not to notice how awkward these other moments are and they leave a lasting impression.

I have always wanted to like Arcade Fire more than I do, but I can never get past a very specific problem, their music can be kind of boring. And while this is a group we are told is important, it is becoming increasingly difficult not to wonder if Arcade Fire is merely important because we are told they are important ad nauseum. Throughout Reflektor, there is a pervading sameness to the tracks that becomes hard not to shake off. The record loses its way really quickly, especially by disc 2, which features tracks like “Awful Sound (Oh Eurydice)” a seeming rehash of their earlier work with its grandiose sweep but none of the impact of songs like “Wake Up” and “Crown of Love,” and “Porno,” possibly my least favorite song on the record. This is a record that is just too long for its own good.

In interviews, the band noted that it was heavily inspired by Haitian music during the recording of this album and that its influence pervades the record. And yet, it seems odd to be drawing from music often used in the context of events and rituals and try to convert it into a largely passive musical experience. The sort of rhythmic music they reference is often repetitive to fuel movement, and works best in this very public context. It can be difficult to sit and listen to this music privately; it becomes boring without the social anchors, and that is what happens here.

Overall, Reflektor is a record I like less the more I think about it. In the final instance, it falls flat. There is an element of sameness and joylessness that holds it back. And while this is, in my opinion, their best album since Funeral, it still suffers from an overseriousness that makes it difficult for me to ever really connect with the music. I am not one to dismiss music for being too glum or serious but Arcade Fire just never seems to click with its unshakeable pretentiousness. What is most unfortunate is it could have been much better if they just cut it in half. Arcade Fire’s new direction could be a good step in the longrun and the moments where they get it right give me hope. But Reflecktor is still a transitional record that shows a band trying to purge themselves of their earlier weak points but not quite succeeding.

Grade: C+


Michael Torsell
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Listener's Digest Presents - New Albums to Watch for in October


The fall is a big times for new releases. This summer seemed like very little happened after Yeezus in terms of big exciting releases, even sleeper albums seemed kind of scant for a few weeks there. Coming off of that, the sudden onslaught of new music can be overwhelming. No worries, because your friendly bloggers here at buffaBlog are providing you with some quick recommendations to help organize your month of music listening and purchases. By bloggers, I mean me, so a friendly blogger at buffaBlog is here to help. October has a little bit of everything, culminating in the much hyped release from Arcade Fire. But until then, there are exciting new releases from Danny Brown, Glasser, Cass McCombs, The Dismemberment Plan, and many more.

October 1

Oneohtrix Point Never – R Plus Seven: Oneohtrix Point Never will release another collection of his rather hard to pin down work tomorrow, his first album on the legendarily innovative Warp Records. Mixing the ambient and the upsetting, Daniel Lopatin's ongoing electronic project is sure to be one of October's most interesting and engaging releases.
October 8

Danny Brown – Old: You can already stream this record but it officially comes out on October 8. Danny Brown finally makes his long awaited follow up to XXX. Earlier released tracks off this record suggest this record will be ridiculous, adding to an exciting year for hip hop  (Drake, Kanye West, A$AP Ferg, Earl Sweatshirt etc. etc.). Brown seems to be pushing himself further, taking his music in dizzyingly and delightfully weird directions.

Glasser - Interiors:  Following up her well received debut, Cameron Mesirow aka Glasser, returns with  Interiors. Another record you can stream before it's official debut, Glasser writes spacey/spookey electronic songs that straddle the border between catchy and haunting, which leaves you with the same end result I suppose.

Summer Camp – Summer Camp: Summer Camp’s new record appears to be a nice burst of synth pop in a year filled with such bursts. “Fresh” is definitely a sleeper jam for 2013 with a clean rhythm and a almost disco feel. Definitely an easy dancer should you need something for your upcoming costume party. The album will be a great mix of new wave and disco and a definite crowd pleaser. Hard to tell if this will get a lot of attention when it comes out, but  it should.

October 15

Cass McCombs – Big Wheel and Others: It’s been a while since McCombs released Humor Risk, 2011’s nearly flawless collection of folk rock. Early singles have been exceptional so expect this record to be more of the same, which will go nicely with the changing leaves and oncoming chill.

The Dismemberment Plan – Uncanny Valley: This is more personal for me than anything else coming out in October. I first discovered the Dismemberment Plan in high school and they shaped my music taste in a number of ways. Their work has stood the test of time in such a way that I grew into instead of grown out of their music. After an immensely successful reunion tour, the group recorded their first new album in over 12 years. I am certainly apprehensive to see if their return matches up to their past accomplishment but I also have to keep reminding myself that I could never repeat the connection I made to their music at 16. So, we will see if they hit me in a different but equally impactful way as I approach 30. Early indicators point to this being a possible yes.

Heavenly Beat – Prominence: Heavenly Beat, formerly of Beach Fossils, follows up their 2012 debut, underrated in its own right, with another collection of hazed over wistful pop songs. The first single was a solid note of growth for John Peña, and I am confident the album will contain more of the same. 

October 22 

Ducktails – Wish Hotel EP: Matthew Mondanile’s side project has proven to be one favorite records of 2013 (it is true, just ask Mac) so it is exciting to see him releasing another album, albeit an EP in the same year. A decidedly lower key affair than The Flower Lane,  Mondanile returns to recording alone. However, the first single, “Honey Tiger Eyees,” was as blissed out and grandiose as anything Ducktails has done previously.



Omar Souleyman – Wenu Wenu: A star in the Middle East, Souleyman has slowly been gaining recognition in the West for his ecstatic and poppy take on traditional music. For his wider US debut, Souleyman enlisted the production of Four Tet, whose own musical style seems a perfect match. The first single, “Wenu Wenu,” a joyous and epic party stomper, should give you a good idea of what to expect from the album. Certainly something I am anxious to hear.

October 29 

 Sky Ferreira – Night Time, My Time: Sky Ferreira was recently in the news for  being caught with massive quantities of heroin(along with the lead singer of DIIV, oh the scandal!!). Ok, maybe it was not massive, but it was a bit of heroin, certainly more than average…I think. Anyway, Ferreira is set to finally release her debut full length after a year of smaller releases. The first single  featured Ferraira doing what she does best and that is performing infinitely catchy low-key pop.

Arcade Fire – Reflekor: Hey, did you hear Arcade Fire are releasing a new album? Do you have the internet? Ok, then I don’t have to do much for this one. James Murphy produced their 4th record which promises to be more heavily influenced by Haitian music and features a more groove centric sound. “Reflecktor,” the first single, might be one of my favorite songs of theirs to date.
 

 Album to Avoid

 Sleigh Bells – Bitter Rivals: It’s been a longtime since I had second hand embarrassment from someone else'smusic but that is how I feel when I hear new music from Sleigh Bells. I really liked them in the beginning but their music has worn thin about as quickly as their first show in Buffalo a few years ago (they played for 20 minutes if you were curious). Every time I hear something from this album, I wince involuntarily. At this point, Sleigh Bells has pretty much exhausted their schtick and I am certain I heard one of their riffs on a Kid Rock song back in high school.

Michael Torsell
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Uncovered Covers: Mr Little Jeans covers Arcade Fire


Monica Birkenes, otherwise known as Mr Little Jeans, is a Norweigan indie-pop musician who began her career as a struggling artist, couch surfing her way around Los Angeles and traveling to various countries. Even with mostly cover songs on her repertoire and a soon-to-be released debut album, Mr Little Jeans has still built some weight on her name. This 5'2'' brunette babe is one to keep an eye out for.

Have a listen to her cover of the Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs." Not only does she do the tune justice, but her sultry vocals and reworked instrumentals with additional bass and reverb gives it a more spacey and heart-stricken dopey feel.

Mr Little Jeans on Facebook.

"In the suburbs I,
I learned to drive
And you told me we'd never survive
Grab your mother's keys we're leavin'"


Alicia Greco
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“I Trust I Can Rely on Your Vote...”: Politicizing Music


Politics and music. As with politics and religion, politics and sex, politics and successfully making it through a family dinner, politics, as it poisons its other bedfellows, arguably colors and distorts the purity of the art of song. Though great anthems have been tied to major social changes and progressive movements, during this divisive political season, aside from  a few wisecracks in Kanye West and Nicki Minaj lyrics, the relationship between music and politics has appeared a bit superfluous. Without Conor Oberst chronicling Bush's failings in folksy verse on Jay Leno or The National simultaneously gorgeously and awkwardly lending its song “Fake Empire” to an Obama campaign ad, the indie music industry's input into next month's presidential elections has been seemingly quiet.

Quietness, however, is not the end of the tale. While Mitt Romney has received backing from Kid Rock and Toby Keith, he has also admitted to being a fan of The Killers and has featured the Silversun Pickups song “Panic Switch” during some of his rallies. The Killers merely shrugged at Romney's enthusiasm and the Silversun Pickups sent the Romney campaign a “cease and desist” letter. Nonetheless, the Republican party has not fully estranged itself from the alternative scene despite its dearth of conservatives.

Obama, always culturally savvy and achingly hip (the iconic image most associated with his previous campaign was made famous by street artist Shephard Fairey), released a list of 29 songs representative of his mission. This list includes tracks by Arcade Fire, Florence + the Machine, Wilco, and Ray Lamontagne. Though Arcade Fire has long aligned itself with Obama, the campaign's selection of “We Used to Wait” nonetheless seems less than inspired given the tune's desperate tone. Obama can count on support from most of the music industry, from Bruce Springsteen to Jay-Z, so the song's presence does not seem merely a matter of mutual back rubbing. Perhaps his staff were attempting to be appeal to a certain demographic by being ironic? (They did, after all, use indie music.)

Bands have every right to express themselves by making political statements and lending their work to those they support and politicians are just as free to like and perceive their platforms to be reflected in certain songs. Great music though, as when used in commercials, generally seems cheapened when associated with a particular political party. (That is, unless one really loves the car or candidate on display.) An informed electorate should be capable enough to make their own judgments without a gimmicky play at hipness having any genuine influence on them.

Politically motivated music more than has its place. The sixties cries of Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Buffalo Springfield, and Marvin Gaye remain relevant. The wrathful declarations of Johnny Rotten and Zack de La Rocha still electrify. Plugging irrelevant songs like “Panic Switch” and “We Used to Wait” into political preening, however, seems manipulative and false.

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Thursday Odds and Sods


Folks, I can't lie to you. All the stuff that I really want to write about, well I haven't done them yet. My mind is elsewhere, on the weekend coming up and the stuff I'm gonna be doing, and I can't write about something I haven't done yet, and to do so would just be me, wanking off, and I can't do that to you. That said, it's Odds and Sods time.
  • New Music Express turns 60 this year, and it's only fair that this music blog say "happy birthday!" because NME (as you kids might know it) is one of the true godfathers of music journalism as we know it and in many regards the father of the feast so many have enjoyed being a part of (Rolling Stone, Creem, Pitchfork, etc), buffaBLOG among them. NME was all over the Beatles, the Stones, Zepp, Pink Floyd, punk, The Jam, U2, Radiohead; thoughtfully and cheekily bringing new music to the people, celebrating American pop music they deemed worthy of attention, and holding people and the music accountable, NME has been an essential part of the British music scene so many of us love, and as a music lover I for one am damn glad that it's been there as a resource. I mean, have you seen their website? That's what I'm talking about. Thank you NME, and thank you for that acronym that always says you're sticking it to the man.
  • Contrary to the current outbreak of extreme wishful thinking, reliable sources say that we won't be seeing NHL hockey until January at the earliest. Sorry.
  • The latest edition of EA Sports' FIFA soccer videogame franchise came out this week, and once again the music on the soundtrack is beyond phenomenal. Metric, Passion Pit, Band of Horses, Santigold, Bloc Party, Two Door Cinema Club, Reptar, Kasabian, Deadmau5, Kimbra... it's a music lovers paradise. In many regards it's like an old K-Tel hits collection that doesn't suck, and covers the (FIFA playing) world instead of just North America, making it a global mixtape (in the classic sense, not the digital) and a great resource for discovering music (previous editions introduced me to Caribou, Seu Jorge, Blk Jks, and Black Kids). I really think you should pick it up post haste. Great music, and it might even change your life. Just saying. This year's FIFA find (so far): The Royal Concept's "Goldrushed."

  • Mike Love is a colossal dick and an arrogant, misguided fool. After a successful and much heralded 60th Anniversary reunion album and tour, it's been reported that Mike Love will be firing the rest of the Beach Boys (including creative genius Brian Wilson) once their UK tour concludes. It appears that Love, sole owner of the Beach Boys name, thinks that he and he alone is the Beach Boys, and after this year he'll be touring under the Beach Boys moniker with god knows who backing him. Hopefully, Bruce Johnston will tell him to "go ____ himself."
  • Alas, the world might well be on the verge of ending. Behold: David Byrne, Arcade Fire, and Nikolai Fraiture faithfully performing KC and the Sunshine Band's "That's The Way (I Like It)." If it looks like it was filmed in a high school gym, that's because it was, during the halftime of a charity basketball game. Please world, don't end. Not yet. Hold off until the end of next week. Thanks.


Cliff Parks
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Tonight: Colin Stetson w/ Sarah Neufeld


Colin Stetson, saxophonist for the Arcade Fire, comes to Soundlab (110 Pearl Street) tonight with special guest (and fellow Arcade Fire member), Sarah Neufeld. On top of his work with the aforementioned band, Stetson is currently a member of Bon Iver, and over the years he has been asked to perform (both live and in studio) for the likes of Tom Waits, Lou Reed, David Byrne, Feist, and LCD Soundsystem. A lot can be written about his collaborative work, but tonight should be an experience with Colin Stetson's "unique solo voice on saxophones."

This clip alone doesn't do his work justice, so check out an entire album HERE, or a captivating solo performance HERE. Doors are at 8 and advanced tickets are $12.



Spencer Carr
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Weekly Remix: Arcade Fire (Soulwax remix)



Sometimes I forget how much I actually love Arcade Fire... I took a brief break of listening to their music non stop until recently.  The nice weather always makes me want to listen to my favorite Arcade Fire anthems like "Wake Up" and "Rebellions (Lies)". So I was super happy to hear that Soulwax, a DJ duo from Belgium, just released an amazing remix of "Sprawl II".
 

Katie Africano
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Music & Film: Arcade Fire - Scenes from the Suburbs




“I wonder what happened to the other moments”
There is no better praise to heap on a short film than to admit you watched it again right after the initial viewing. Scenes from the Suburbs is just such a piece, not because of the connection to one of my favorite albums of 2010—Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs—nor the fact it’s directed by Spike Jonze, but because it really hits upon the jaded cynicism of our current world. No longer do we live in an environment deemed safe. My childhood of leaving the house to walk the neighborhood, a simple “I’ll be home for dinner” all that’s necessary to assuage parental worry, is long gone. We now build fortresses in which to reside, cultivate paranoia towards anyone unknown, and reside in a social military state of consciousness.



The only escape from this world is to either live despite it, carefree and joyous in the face of oppressive forces, or to join in by descending into its hellish world of anger and violence. Jonze creates a dystopic, gated community much like the ones we drive by on the way to work every morning, but instead of just the sterile, closely cropped lawns and blank, fabricated smiles of automatons blindly waving hello, the suburban residence here holds a darker evil at its borders. Town militias defend borders on adjoining lands, malls in one are made unavailable to outsiders if a feud has begun, and literal wars ignite when ‘pollution’ threatens to harm another’s community. But as Arcade Fire band member and co-writer of the film Win Butler said in NME Magazine, the album on which the film is based “is neither a love letter to, nor an indictment of, the suburbs – it’s a letter from the suburbs.”
This Orwellian world created by Win, his brother Will, and Jonze is too familiar to be false—it is reality taken to an extreme. But in the middle of it all is a group of friends existing despite the chaos and fear surrounding them. Young Kyle (Sam Dillon) and his comrades take to the streets without worry, riding their bikes, shooting off BB-guns, and joking with the police. It’s as though they have it all figured out in the microcosm that is their friendship, a clique devoid of cell phones or the technology that threatens to turn our world into the warped, government controlled nightmares of classic literature. Their summers are a time to unwind with the unabashed freedom of youth, questions about when it’s right to kiss a girl or easy-going arm wrestling matches the norm. 
But all of that must at some point come to an end. Through the pains of growing up and finding oneself, we oftentimes lose the ones we hold close. As Kyle speaks in voiceover at the start, this was the last summer they all had together and above the police state bottling them up inside are his memories of people he shared it with. A lot is a blur but pieces remain to create a slideshow, flickers through the black of time possessed of both the good and bad within a two months span that completely altered his fabric. To he and best friend Winter (Paul Pluymen), inseparable and forever in a state of glee, life appears bearable. Winter has Zoe (Zoe Graham) and Kyle has them both—three against the world, capable of anything. Except the world cannot be blocked forever, suburban sprawl’s necessity for protection, the evil manifested in its citizens through persecution and abuse too much to forget.
And so we experience glimpses of the breakdown—society punishing the free with fear and rules. The return of Winter’s brother Terrance (Justin Arnold), from jail or the military, only adds fuel to the fire burning within this boy, his need for a blood relationship conflicting with the bond foraged through years of happiness with Kyle. The pressures trap the boy in a tightening vice, shutting off his capacity to feel, leaving a shell-shocked vessel of steely ambivalence when both Kyle and Zoe attempt to find a way back in. It’s the pain of seeing the horrors around him, the lack of will to overcome the struggle, that turns him into a defeated soul beginning to philosophize everything around him as just a dream. He needs to wake up, to shake the filth of a jaded country no longer able to love. Winter becomes a casualty of suburbia as Kyle fights tooth and nail to survive—its claws of destruction unbiased and unforgiving. 
This is the society in which we currently live. No more is it the trials of city living and poverty that must be overcome; the suburbs have become a place of stress, of entitlement, and abandonment—children being left to fend for themselves, impressionable minds defenseless to either become stronger despite everything or perish underneath. Shot with a dreamlike quality as kids soar through the streets, an extended music video for an album that defines a generation’s confusion in a world appearing hellbent on destroying itself, Jonze and company portray the emotions present on the cusp of boys becoming men through powerful vignettes, many drowned out by the lyrics of Arcade Fire. These are scenes of suburban life taken to the polar end of where we are heading, a society built to fight with civil wars consuming loved ones on opposite sides. When men are shot in the streets and children become victims of police brutality, everyone must choose a path for which to travel. In such a world we ultimately lose those closest and oftentimes lose ourselves.
Scenes from the Suburbs 9/10 | ★ ★ ★ ½


~Jared Mobarak
(article originally appeared on Jared Mobarak Design)

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