Arcade Fire’s Compelling “Signs of Life” Is a Modest Single From a Band That’s Anything But

Arcade Fire’s Compelling “Signs of Life” Is a Modest Single From a Band That’s Anything But
Isle Of Wight Festival - Day 3

Ever since their Grammy-winning LP The Suburbs, Arcade Fire have rallied against the very foundation of their anthemic sound, pivoting from the soaring vocals and homespun guitars of their early releases toward something more synth-based, with steady disco rhythm. With its roots firmly planted in dance-punk of an earlier era, 2013’s Reflektor pushed the band’s penchant for Grand Gestures and Big Ideas toward comical levels of self-parody with a brackish, inconsistent mix of sounds across its long (and largely lackluster) James Murphy-produced double-LP.

But the theatrics didn’t end with Reflektor. In the four years since the album’s release, the band has continued to enjoy its status as one of the World’s Most Important Bands, performing surprise sets at massive festivals and, of course, teasing the new music for what’s…