Arcade Fire Celebrate the End of the World on “Everything Now”
The legendary Swedish pop group ABBA were incredible at making songs that sounded upbeat, even if they expressed a deeply melancholy or dismal sentiment. “Mamma Mia,” for example, seems spritely and happy with its marimba and piano, until you tune into the lyrics and realize it’s about someone regretting how badly they messed up their love life. But doesn’t it feel so happy?
Arcade Fire’s last album, Reflektor, wasn’t for me. The once-saviors of indie rock were trying to make their fans dance; the songs were supposed to be groovy, but weren’t very groovy at all. Luckily, while the band’s comeback single “Everything Now” furthers that sound–it helps that it was co-produced with Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter and Pulp’s Steve Mackey– it isn’t just a dance song. It’s practically an ABBA song. It’s there in that almost aggravatingly chipper piano melody, those swelling strings and rat-a-tat rhythm, the insistent chants of “everything now!”…
Comments