There is nothing that Canadian indie band Arcade Fire has released that has not become a monumental hit musically. From their 2004 breakthrough album “Funeral,” which was awarded sixth best album of the decade by Rolling Stone Magazine, to their 2007 album Neon Bible, they’ve done nothing but grow in reputation. There are few words to describe their catalog of music, but one can definitely use “epic.”

” The Suburbs,”released August 3, 2010 in America is absolutely no exception. It encompasses the world in a light not seen often in the music industry. The Suburbs replaces fabricated maturity with honesty and uses a childlike innocence to portray the hopelessness of the world around it.

 “A city with no children in it…a garden left for ruin by a millionaire inside of a private prison,”is from the song “City with No Children.”

 There is a touch of darkness in the entire album and its maturity and sophistication forces one to feel ashamed about having bought the latest Katy Perry or Justin Bieber album. The songs possess meaning, something most modern music artists have trouble achieving.

 The lyrics are impressively powerful and the music induces specific emotions. At the outset of “We Used to Wait”, staccato piano chords create anxiety. The uneasily revolving chords and piano shuffle of the title track evokes a personal tension felt by the listener.

 “Sometimes I can’t believe it…I’m moving past the feeling,” sung by singer Win Butler contradicts the “feeling” of individuality and uniqueness of “Funeral,” which was about escaping societies’ restraints and living in misconduct, while The Suburbs followed the lives of those same children growing into maturity

 It is, however, more “slow-burning” than previous albums with fewer stand-out hits. If I were to suggest a song, though, it would have to be “City with No Children.” The Suburbs is nonetheless nothing short of a masterpiece and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone who likes music.

I give “The Suburbs” a 5/5.