Pink Elephant

the take

It's been a tough time for Arcade Fire fans trying to navigate the blows that the band has taken over the past couple of years after their last album, WE. When you look at the band itself, it may be having a tougher time with it than us. Pink Elephant lacks the consistency, cohesiveness and commitment that fueled their best albums. Each song switches instrumentation without giving it a flow, and the results are hit and miss. The lyrics don't hit as hard, and it sounds like they try to dance around their problems without taking it head-on. Even more concerning, when you pay attention to Win Butler and Regine Chassagne's performances, it's hard to tell if they're committed to the material or just checked out from it. The album shines the most when it actually sticks to their usual formula, particularly in the title track and Year of the Snake. The weakest moments, however, are when they battle between two extremes: short, dreary, instrumental interludes and long songs that just drag on. It's still a good album when it does what it needs to do, even when I'm not expecting the brilliance that was present in Funeral or The Suburbs. It just doesn't hit as hard as they've done in the past, and it's concerning as well, because there might be a better album hidden somewhere in this.