‘Reflektor’ is the lead single from Arcade Fire’s upcoming album of the same name and the fourth album of their discography, it is produced by former LCD Soundsystem front man James Murphy. As lead singles go, it’s hard to imagine something much better than this. The bass and percussion in the introduction have a chilled, disco sensibility that instantly signal the kind of influence Murphy will have on this record. The track then flourishingly leads into a plethora of beautiful vocal harmonies and call-response from Win Butler and Régine Chassagne. The band even recruited David Bowie for some guest vocals, much to the enrichment of the experience. The fact that this new and refined sound is so many miles away from the rawness of 2004’s ‘Funeral’ shows how far the band has developed, and that they aren’t yet ready to find a sound to stick with.
Despite being nearly eight minutes, the track never outstays its welcome and doesn’t feel repetitive. In fact it doesn’t feel very long at all, from its sedate beginning to its euphoric ending. Swapping strings for saxophones, Arcade Fire are showing that, nearly ten years on, they are still fresh, full of ideas and capable of instilling excitement and anticipation upon their fans.
9/10
‘Reflektor’ is out now through Mercury Records. You can get the single here on i-Tunes
