Everything Now
by Arcade Fire
  • Record Label: Columbia
  • Release Date: Jul 28, 2017
User Score
6.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 355 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 188 out of 355
  2. Mixed: 111 out of 355
  3. Negative: 56 out of 355
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  1. BrushedRed
    Jul 28, 2017
    3
    Electric Blue, We Don’t Deserve Love, and Put Your Money on Me are great but unfortunately they’re not only great, they’re the only good things here. There’s so much filler it ruins everything. The tracks between Creature Comfort and Electric Blue are just embarrassing. Good God Da*n is just as bad as the worst on here and then the other two are great then we have an outro that is just asElectric Blue, We Don’t Deserve Love, and Put Your Money on Me are great but unfortunately they’re not only great, they’re the only good things here. There’s so much filler it ruins everything. The tracks between Creature Comfort and Electric Blue are just embarrassing. Good God Da*n is just as bad as the worst on here and then the other two are great then we have an outro that is just as much filler as the intro comes in and it circles back around. I didn’t like Everything Now f rom the start and it’s an even worse centerpiece for the concept here. It’s just bad and a mess. I’d ordinarily give this less than a 3, but those 3 tracks I liked are amazing. Don’t give into the hype. This band went downhill, fast and I even loved Reflektor.

    Peter Pan and Chemistry are also among the worst songs this band has written. They’re a mess. The former has a nice flow but is ruined by electronics and Chemistry sounds like the theme song from a lame 70’s game show.

    Infinite Content(s) strangely have the best instrumentation here, but considering they’re filler and bring no content to the album, they warrant no replay value so therefore the listener is left with no other choice but to write them off as well. Where is the Arcade Fire I used to love? This is just bad and lazy.

    Disappointment of the year.    … Expand
  2. mattrays13
    Jul 28, 2017
    10
    You may not like it.
    You may think it's a departure from everything they've done.
    The funk is real, the disco influence is real, the rock is real.

    Arcade Fire has set out to make THE dance rock album, and they've soared.
  3. EMGC
    Aug 9, 2017
    8
    No, it's not Funeral. NOTHING WILL EVER BE FUNERAL EVER AGAIN. Get the f*ck over it.

    Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about this album. This is the continued evolution of Arcade Fire. And I, for one, welcome our new disco-inspired overlords. Where Reflektor felt like an experimental one-off, this feels like an Arcade Fire album. Emotionally-charged anthems like Everything    No, it's not Funeral. NOTHING WILL EVER BE FUNERAL EVER AGAIN. Get the f*ck over it.

    Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about this album. This is the continued evolution of Arcade Fire. And I, for one, welcome our new disco-inspired overlords.

    Where Reflektor felt like an experimental one-off, this feels like an Arcade Fire album. Emotionally-charged anthems like Everything Now and Creature Comfort help create an overarching theme and remind us of what Arcade Fire can do when they're at their best. Unfortunately, those songs exist on the same album with apathetic and downright forgettable songs like Peter Pan and Good God Damn. Still, the first third of the album more than makes up for some missteps in the remainder.

    I guess it's typical Arcade Fire; when they're good, they're incredible. When they're not, they're still better than most, just not as good as we know they can be.    … Expand
  4. djcvidz
    Aug 15, 2017
    8
    Obviously, this album is not up to the usual standard of Arcade Fire, but it is still brilliant in it's own little way. Songs like Everything Now, Creature Comfort, Put Your Money on Me and We Don't Deserve Love make this album great, but songs like Infinite Content, Chemistry and Good God Damn ruin the album and can easily be some of the worst songs Arcade Fire have ever produced. But,Obviously, this album is not up to the usual standard of Arcade Fire, but it is still brilliant in it's own little way. Songs like Everything Now, Creature Comfort, Put Your Money on Me and We Don't Deserve Love make this album great, but songs like Infinite Content, Chemistry and Good God Damn ruin the album and can easily be some of the worst songs Arcade Fire have ever produced. But, there are elements of Reflektor in this album, as well as tiny influences of Funeral and possibly The Suburbs, which makes this album get an 8 from me.… Expand
  5. Anarch
    Sep 19, 2017
    8
    While Everything Now isn't as perfect as their previous albums, it still has a majority of enjoyable songs; Everything Now, Signs of Life, Creature Comfort, the Infinite Content songs, Electric Blue, Good God Damn, and Put Your Money on Me are all great, however, this album also comes with some of their most weak songs yet, such as: Chemistry and Peter Pan. I really enojoy this album andWhile Everything Now isn't as perfect as their previous albums, it still has a majority of enjoyable songs; Everything Now, Signs of Life, Creature Comfort, the Infinite Content songs, Electric Blue, Good God Damn, and Put Your Money on Me are all great, however, this album also comes with some of their most weak songs yet, such as: Chemistry and Peter Pan. I really enojoy this album and think there are is much more good than bad in this album, so it's a shame to see it seem so controversial.… Expand
  6. petrichor1975
    Jan 13, 2019
    9
    "Everything Now" seems like a celebration of life, yet it is an album with a theme of consumerism. Right from the beginning, "Everything Now_Continued", is a great intro, which melds into the hit single that shares its title with the album. "Signs of Life" is a funky, yet retrospective view on life through the eyes of an obsessive consumer. "Creature Comfort" is a electronic tune that"Everything Now" seems like a celebration of life, yet it is an album with a theme of consumerism. Right from the beginning, "Everything Now_Continued", is a great intro, which melds into the hit single that shares its title with the album. "Signs of Life" is a funky, yet retrospective view on life through the eyes of an obsessive consumer. "Creature Comfort" is a electronic tune that contains themes of suicide and being obsessed with beauty. This defines and makes Arcade Fire's great, new musical direction known.

    "Peter Pan" is an imaginative song, while "Chemistry" gives off a fun and club-like feel. The punk ode "Infinite Content" eventually segues into the country-waltz emitting "Infinite_Content". The retro disco number, "Electric Blue" is hypnotic, and can get you dancing within the first few seconds. "Good God Damn" is a slight step back, but is still fun.

    There is energy in every song on "Everything Now", and you can feel it making its presence known. "Put Your Money On Me" is no exception, as is "We Don't Deserve Love". It is a more lengthy song in correlation to the rest of the album, yet it makes a great impact with its hypnotic beat and atmospheric vocals, courtesy of Winn Butler. The album closes with "Everything Now (Continued)", which is a more expanded-upon version of the album's first track, complete with an orchestra as well.

    "Everything Now" is a great addition to Arcade Fire's catalogue and introduces dance-rock and synth-pop as standards for the group. Although it is different from their previous albums, it is still a shining and excellent collection of songs.    … Expand
  7. Giorg10
    Jul 28, 2017
    6
    good record but not as good as expected from AF. This one is clearly far behind the others albums from the band. Everything now, Creatures confort, infinite content, put your money on me and we don't deserve love are really goods but it's not enough to make a great record. I think AF loose their selves by doing this album in different places with different people, they lost the magic of AF.
  8. stevieb
    Jul 29, 2017
    4
    Ahhh, I used to love this group. Then they decided that alternative rock wasn't interesting to them any more and that they needed to add a disco beat. I'm sure i'll get more out of the album in terms of lyrics if i listen to it a bunch more times. But i can't seem to care enough to try.
  9. borrowings
    Aug 1, 2017
    8
    I've lived with this album for a few days now and my perception of it has changed so much. Arcade Fire are known for making these dense, emotional, sweeping albums that are able to punch you in the gut while giving you hope for the future. They give you a sense of something being wrong, and the solution isn't clear, but we're going to try anyway! Everything Now doesn't do that. The albumI've lived with this album for a few days now and my perception of it has changed so much. Arcade Fire are known for making these dense, emotional, sweeping albums that are able to punch you in the gut while giving you hope for the future. They give you a sense of something being wrong, and the solution isn't clear, but we're going to try anyway! Everything Now doesn't do that. The album offers the critique of society we're used to from Arcade Fire, but without that sense of hope, of knowing what to do next. Maybe Arcade Fire are lost in the thick of it along with the rest of us.

    Sure there are some outright flubs on this album (looking at you Chemistry), and it's a really short album counting the Infinite Content duo and the add ons for Everything Now, but there's some real gold here. Maybe there's a lack of lyrical depth missing here, but these songs are ear worms and will grow on you with repeated listening.

    I've been an Arcade Fire fan since Funeral, and truth be told, I tend to take a long time digesting their albums. Neon Bible is great, but it didn't grab me right away. The Suburbs took me weeks to appreciate in it's entirety. And I still find Reflektor exhausting to get through start to finish (with a very forgettable middle section). With the first handful of singles off of Everything Now, my initial reaction was what is this? This isn't Arcade Fire. But slowly the songs wormed their way into my brain to the point that I was listening to them on repeat, over and over. For an album that's getting roasted by critics and fans, why can't I stop listening to it? Why are the songs stuck in my head?

    It's not that Everything Now is bad, but it's a pretty big stretch from what we're used to from Arcade Fire. A satirical, cynical album from a band that's been able to right rallying anthem makes it hard to get swept up in. Some of the content is just too real these days without that element of hope, or having an answer to the problems they outline. We're used to the band marching us into battle to face the challenges of today.

    On Everything Now, Arcade Fire outline many of the societal problems we're all too familiar with, framed with catchy danceable songs. Maybe it's become too hard to give that outside perspective, that outside clarity when a band is rolled into the same things we all face. For a band that seems to have provided hope and rallying cries on previous albums, it seems like they've lost their words, hoping we can just sway beneath a lit disco ball and work it out on the dance floor.    … Expand
  10. Pericowsky
    Aug 18, 2017
    6
    The first album of Arcade Fire that really is empty, irrelevant and some lyrics worthy of Rebecca Black, far left the supergroup that showed us unique melodies.
  11. dorondiamond
    Jul 29, 2017
    9
    Hated it the first few listens. Was so sad one of my favorite bands of the past 13 years made this. I kept listening...I genuinely love it and can't explain it. Even chemistry, which was embarrassing on first few listens doesn't bother me now.

    Maybe it'll be a grower for others. I understand the flaws in a lot of the songs, but I really love this front to back. I'm as baffled as you.
  12. Wael
    Jul 28, 2017
    4
    I don't know where to start. It's a sad day on which I have to admit that Arcade Fire did not make exactly a 'good' record. The whole concept of 'Everything Now' seems meaningless, and sonically the album is all over the place (they didn't know if they wanted to make a pop, rock, classical, or electro album, so they made it all of the above (?)), and for the most part underwhelming.

    The    I don't know where to start. It's a sad day on which I have to admit that Arcade Fire did not make exactly a 'good' record. The whole concept of 'Everything Now' seems meaningless, and sonically the album is all over the place (they didn't know if they wanted to make a pop, rock, classical, or electro album, so they made it all of the above (?)), and for the most part underwhelming.

    The lyrics come across as shallow at several places (hearing them reciting the days of the week in the 3rd verse of 'Signs of Life' made me cringe), and can get very repetitive (how many times can one say the word "chemistry" in one song, which is also called.. you guessed it! 'Chemistry'). Smart lyrics like "We can live/ I don't feel like dying" can't save the song 'Peter Pan' when the actual chorus starts with a line as idiotically-simple as "Be my Wendy/ I'll be your Peten Pan".

    Another annoying thing was the two 'Infinite Content' tracks right there at the middle of the album: they just chose to have the same track twice, the first one being a rock version, and the second a slowed-down acoustic one. WHY?!?!?!

    On a more positive note, tracks like 'Everything Now', 'Creature Comfort', and 'Electric Blue', though dispersed (you wouldn't imagine these three songs are on the same record), make for enjoyable listens and are worthy of a couple of plays. Also, the way the record feels like it's on a loop, ending right where it started, is a nice touch on the concept of the EVERYTHING NOW.

    In conclusion, this album is definitely the worst one Arcade Fire have ever done, and when lead-singer Win asks us in 'Good God Damn' to "put your favourite record on", we will not blast "Everything Now".    … Expand
  13. moonman1994
    Jul 28, 2017
    6
    Everything Now is unfortunately just OK. The album manages to flow very well being bookended with variations on the titular track Everything Now and this flow allows for the album to loop easily back into the begining. The problem is that the album doesn't leave you with any desire to loop back into into it. As far as the tracts go... Everything now is a good poppy track that is likely toEverything Now is unfortunately just OK. The album manages to flow very well being bookended with variations on the titular track Everything Now and this flow allows for the album to loop easily back into the begining. The problem is that the album doesn't leave you with any desire to loop back into into it. As far as the tracts go... Everything now is a good poppy track that is likely to have wide spread appeal. it was also the first single for the album and I enjoyed it then as I did now. Everything Now perfectly transitions into Signs of Life which is a more atmospheric song that I could see easily being in a drama soundtrack. Next the album transitions to Creature Comfort and this is where the album starts to fail. The message in Creature Comfort is one needed in the 21st century but unfortunately the grating irritating quality of the song distracts from the message. The middle songs: Peter Pan, Chemistry and Infinite Content range from uninspired to just plain boring. Electric Blue sounds like a bad rehash of songs from the Suburbs. Good God Damn begins to pull the album out of it's slump looping well into the final three songs Put Your Money On Me, We Don't Deserve Love and Everything Now (continued). In these final three songs Arcade Fire's Everything Now finally gets a bit of its inspiration back but not enough to give you the desire to listen back through it again.

    Fave Songs: Everything Now, Sings of Life, Put your Money On Me.
    Least Favorite: Creature Comfort, Chemistry
    Overall opinion: 6.5/10    … Expand
  14. DavidWasHere
    Jul 29, 2017
    5
    It's not easy hating on a band I truly love! And I mean it too! Arcade Fire were one of the first bands I truly fallen in love with! I own all their albums (including their self-titled CD) and I enjoy them thurroly. I mean say what you will about Reflektor at least that album has everything I look for in an Arcade Fire album. But Everything Now...oh geez. All the passion, the fire, theIt's not easy hating on a band I truly love! And I mean it too! Arcade Fire were one of the first bands I truly fallen in love with! I own all their albums (including their self-titled CD) and I enjoy them thurroly. I mean say what you will about Reflektor at least that album has everything I look for in an Arcade Fire album. But Everything Now...oh geez. All the passion, the fire, the urgency, the ambition, it's sucked out by limp disco and awful attempts at reggae and dub (the one two punch of Peter Pan and Chemistry is no help), and the lyrics being more arrogant and pretentious than usual (I may be a fan but I have eyes and ears). I mean the idea of consumerism in the digital age is interesting, but only if you aren't familiar with DOZENS upon DOZENS of other movies, TV shows, writing and novels, and even music that tackles consumerism and materialism. And not to mention how aggravating the band gets with the concept. These guys are arrogant dweebs here!

    I'm being a bit forgiving here because I do truly love this band and there are standout songs (the title cut, Signs of Life, Creature Comfort, and Put Your Money on Me when you don't pay attention to the lyrics) and the instrumentation and composition can impress a bit, but otherwise this is a HUGE disappointment from a band I thought can truly do no wrong. But hey every band has a dud in them...

    Also I just realize they aren't on Merge anymore they're on Columbia. Which just adds insult to injury with the consumerism message! And that the album is produced by one half of Daft Punk AND the bassist from Pulp AND one member of Portishead. a.k.a. PEOPLE THAT SHOULD KNOW HOW TO MAKE GOOD DANCE MUSIC!!!    … Expand
  15. aladdinsane12
    Jul 29, 2017
    3
    Not only Arcade Fire serve one of the worst records of the year, but they serve one of the most half-baked concepts too, after songs like Creature Comfort and Everything Now (songs that were not excellent by any means) they go with a deplorable punch of bad songs from Peter Pan until Good God Damn, not only because of the mosly bad melodies but also because of the ridiculous lyrics in someNot only Arcade Fire serve one of the worst records of the year, but they serve one of the most half-baked concepts too, after songs like Creature Comfort and Everything Now (songs that were not excellent by any means) they go with a deplorable punch of bad songs from Peter Pan until Good God Damn, not only because of the mosly bad melodies but also because of the ridiculous lyrics in some of the songs, after Reflektor (that had amazing moments) this is more than just a letdown, this shows a band that wants to be the perfect stadium rock band but fails to deliver songs that are at least anthemic.… Expand
  16. BradleyHenry
    Jul 31, 2017
    10
    Arcade Fire is brilliant. To all the haters and naysayers; Artists evolve and change, it's called art! Everything Now is fresh and new while giving a nod to the past.
  17. MMmaniac
    Jul 29, 2017
    10
    I don't get all this negative feedback, yes they changed their sound, but their unique quality isn't questioned here at all. I've always said that they're music masters and THEY PROVED IT WITH THIS RECORD ONCE MORE. Such a wonderfully crafted album.
  18. m_sawyer
    Jul 28, 2017
    7
    Even though it's their least good album, that doesn't mean it's bad. There are some true gems here, from the (almost) opening Everything Now, to Regine's amazing Electric Blue, slow disco burner Put Your Money On Me, beautiful We Don't Deserve Love, and harsh Creature Comfort (with its brilliant lyrics - sorry not sorry).

    Unfortunately, with its 13 songs (two of them being intro and    Even though it's their least good album, that doesn't mean it's bad. There are some true gems here, from the (almost) opening Everything Now, to Regine's amazing Electric Blue, slow disco burner Put Your Money On Me, beautiful We Don't Deserve Love, and harsh Creature Comfort (with its brilliant lyrics - sorry not sorry).

    Unfortunately, with its 13 songs (two of them being intro and outro), the 4 in the middle (Peter Pan - Infinite_Content) jump the shark, being a rather bad input in Arcade Fire's discography. Luckily, the album ends on a high note and you can continue with more of Everything Now. I hope the middle slug will be an exception to their current music efforts, rather than a new rule.

    There is too much negativity surrounding the album - the expectations were always going to be high, but let's not proclaim the King is dead yet. It is okay to have missteps and hopefully learn from them.    … Expand
  19. AkumaJack
    Jul 30, 2017
    7
    I think this is quite a good album. Not on Arcade Fire standards but STILL a good album. They put some thought in the main idea of consumerism and how they could represent it in music. So we have a nice disco/pop vibe in most of the tracks but also sparks of punk in Infinite content (like the anger of anti capitalistic kids). There are boring songs like Electric Blue (Probably their worstI think this is quite a good album. Not on Arcade Fire standards but STILL a good album. They put some thought in the main idea of consumerism and how they could represent it in music. So we have a nice disco/pop vibe in most of the tracks but also sparks of punk in Infinite content (like the anger of anti capitalistic kids). There are boring songs like Electric Blue (Probably their worst track EVER) but also killing songs like We dont deserve love and Put your money on me with their beautiful chorus.

    To be fair this is not a masterpiece like someone claims and neither is garbage.
    Is probably the weakest album in AF history (Imo the ranking is Suburbs >= Funeral > Reflektor > Neon Bible > Everything now) but is still a good album. Arcade Fire were just too good to release a "good album" instead of an "outstanding album" like the others.    … Expand
  20. scepticpurple
    Aug 8, 2017
    7
    For a band that have are known for producing some of the greatest albums of this century, it would be easy to fell a little disappointed with everything now; it lacks any clear sense of direction, the lyrics are startlingly weak and the intelligence that was so deeply interwoven into previous albums is all but gone. However, Everything Now does redeem itself, largely through it'sFor a band that have are known for producing some of the greatest albums of this century, it would be easy to fell a little disappointed with everything now; it lacks any clear sense of direction, the lyrics are startlingly weak and the intelligence that was so deeply interwoven into previous albums is all but gone. However, Everything Now does redeem itself, largely through it's balls-to-the-wall attitude, but also greatly down to its undeniably abundant sense of fun.… Expand
  21. phidelcedeno
    Jul 28, 2017
    7
    'Everything Now' is a story that begins very promising, tries to reach an epic climax but only gets stuck in a repetitive sound, sometimes loses the way (and sense too) becoming difficult to understand, but at other times rises with stanzas that sound like a hymn. The production in this album is magnificent and manages to grant approval to some songs. The background voices are really good.'Everything Now' is a story that begins very promising, tries to reach an epic climax but only gets stuck in a repetitive sound, sometimes loses the way (and sense too) becoming difficult to understand, but at other times rises with stanzas that sound like a hymn. The production in this album is magnificent and manages to grant approval to some songs. The background voices are really good. I do not know what was the reason for making two versions of a song as 'Infinite Content' but it was a bad decision and also taken into account. While the album is not bad, I know Arcade Fire with able to give even more.

    'Everything Now' es una historia que comienza muy prometedora, trata de alcanzar un clímax épico, pero sólo se queda atascado en un sonido repetitivo, a veces pierde el camino (y el sentido también) y se vuelve difícil de entender, pero en otros momentos se levanta con estrofas que suenan como un himno. La producción en este álbum es magnífica y logra conceder la aprobación a algunas canciones. Las voces de fondo son realmente buenas. No sé cuál fue la razón para hacer dos versiones de una canción como 'Contenido Infinito', pero fue una mala decisión y también se tuvo en cuenta. Si bien, el álbum no es malo, sé que Arcade Fire puede dar aún más.    … Expand
  22. JaimePicazo
    Jul 28, 2017
    8
    Tenemos frente a nosotros un nuevo trabajo de Arcade Fire, que, como siempre se renuevan trayendo nuevos ritmos en cada una de sus producciones. En "Everything Now" podemos encontrar una influencia muy clara de lo que fue "Reflektor" hace más de 3 años. Ahora, esta banda canadiense nos demuestra que han logrado entender las palabras del gran David Bowie y hacer música para complacer aTenemos frente a nosotros un nuevo trabajo de Arcade Fire, que, como siempre se renuevan trayendo nuevos ritmos en cada una de sus producciones. En "Everything Now" podemos encontrar una influencia muy clara de lo que fue "Reflektor" hace más de 3 años. Ahora, esta banda canadiense nos demuestra que han logrado entender las palabras del gran David Bowie y hacer música para complacer a ellos mismos, más allá de todos sus fieles seguidores.… Expand
  23. IgorOlly
    Jul 28, 2017
    7
    Esse novo disco mostrou um Arcade Fire diferente dos discos anteriores. Everything Now é um bom disco, porém ele é inconsistente. O principio do disco é forte e glorioso, mas o seu intermediário é bagunçado, como se a banda tivesse se perdido na concepção do disco. E sua finalização poderia ser melhor.É boa, mas não louvável ou forte como a finalização de The Suburbs e Reflektor, seusEsse novo disco mostrou um Arcade Fire diferente dos discos anteriores. Everything Now é um bom disco, porém ele é inconsistente. O principio do disco é forte e glorioso, mas o seu intermediário é bagunçado, como se a banda tivesse se perdido na concepção do disco. E sua finalização poderia ser melhor.É boa, mas não louvável ou forte como a finalização de The Suburbs e Reflektor, seus antecessores. Sem dúvidas é o trabalho mais fraco da banda, mas não se pode considerar "EN" um fiasco ou uma decepção. O disco tem bons momentos que devem ser apreciados. Aclamação para as faixas "Creature Confort", "Signs of Life" "Eletric Blue" e "Put your Money on Me". São as faixas que deixam Everything Now um bom disco, mas não inspiradores e conceituais como seus antecessores.… Expand
  24. YT_Guyyy
    Jul 30, 2017
    0
    Arcade Fire have effectively gone from one of the best and most innovative indie rock bands to an incredibly bland funk and disco band. The lyrics don't help at all.
  25. MikeLP
    Jul 28, 2017
    8
    Despite this is definetly not their best album to date speaking about composition, it can still be entertaining.
    I think that this album is a brave experiment, and will finish mostly underrated. Well, it's an enormous pity, because I see a lot of experimentations and true potential.
    The lyrics are slapping and touching at the same time, and make you think about how hallucinated is our    Despite this is definetly not their best album to date speaking about composition, it can still be entertaining.
    I think that this album is a brave experiment, and will finish mostly underrated. Well, it's an enormous pity, because I see a lot of experimentations and true potential.
    The lyrics are slapping and touching at the same time, and make you think about how hallucinated is our society, as usual for an Arcade Fire album.

    So, Funeral was a fantastic masterpiece as The Suburbs also was, but they want to make it clear that those works can't be no more a meter of judgment for their new musical direction.

    Best song: Put Your Money On Me    … Expand
  26. SirFaulty
    Jul 31, 2017
    3
    I am a huge fan of Arcade Fire.

    Funerals is one of my favorite rock albums ever, The Suburbs won the well deserved Album of the Year at the 2011 Grammy Awards and 2013's Reflektor has some amazing songs scattered upon its uneven soundscape but it did give me my favorite song of all time - Reflekor. Everything Now, their latest release, is such a disappointment. Off the entire album    I am a huge fan of Arcade Fire.

    Funerals is one of my favorite rock albums ever, The Suburbs won the well deserved Album of the Year at the 2011 Grammy Awards and 2013's Reflektor has some amazing songs scattered upon its uneven soundscape but it did give me my favorite song of all time - Reflekor.

    Everything Now, their latest release, is such a disappointment. Off the entire album there are only 2 songs I enjoy (Everything Now and Creature Comforts) with the rest being utter bollocks. I suppose they were due to make a dud and this is it. One of the worst albums I have heard in a long while and this coming from one of my favorite bands.

    Well at least there is still the new Björk album to release sometime this year that I can look forward to because after months and months of anticipation, Everything Now was like having a cold bucket of water dumped over my head in minus 15 degree temperatures.    … Expand
  27. andrewsalgado
    Jul 29, 2017
    4
    Arcade fire is one of the best bands around right now.... but WHY have they gone this horrible thin disco funk route? It's like a wild Beasts and Future Islands who havevall released their weakest efforts, each being this 'electro trash' vibe. For a band so capable, it's pretty offensively finite content. There are a couple standout tracks, namely the title song... the rest I mustArcade fire is one of the best bands around right now.... but WHY have they gone this horrible thin disco funk route? It's like a wild Beasts and Future Islands who havevall released their weakest efforts, each being this 'electro trash' vibe. For a band so capable, it's pretty offensively finite content. There are a couple standout tracks, namely the title song... the rest I must struggling to like because there's nothing else here. They've always been poor lyricists, this just makes a joke of it all. "Good god damn" , "signs of life", "chemistry" and "infinite content" are just lyrically idiotic. There is so, so, so much filler. It comes of like a bad experiment.… Expand
  28. royben14
    Jul 28, 2017
    5
    The album fails to deliver interesting new sound with its spicy take, some influences from less mainstream genres like Ska couldnt make this album sound special. Creature Comfort is a balls to the walls statement about modern culture with amazing sound, the album shouldve kept that level of fun, instead we got just a very dull synth-pop experience.
  29. aleppo
    Jul 29, 2017
    6
    Sonically I think this is an enjoyable listen; yes, it's a fairly significant shift in Arcade Fire's sound, but the sound fits them comfortably nonetheless. My primary complaint regarding the record is the decline in lyrical quality compared to the band's previous releases. I find the analogy in 'Peter Pan' to be unbearably cheesy, and the lyrics in 'Chemistry' are a bit too cliché for mySonically I think this is an enjoyable listen; yes, it's a fairly significant shift in Arcade Fire's sound, but the sound fits them comfortably nonetheless. My primary complaint regarding the record is the decline in lyrical quality compared to the band's previous releases. I find the analogy in 'Peter Pan' to be unbearably cheesy, and the lyrics in 'Chemistry' are a bit too cliché for my taste. And while the message in 'Creature Comfort' is relevant, I feel the lyrics did not do the song or its themes justice. Also, I didn't understand or appreciate the several interludes included on the tracklist; their absences would have given 'Everything Now' a needed shortening. Overall, though, I enjoyed the retro quality the album's production provides, and despite a few glaring missteps, I'd venture to label this a decent record.

    Highlights include 'Signs of Life' and 'Electric Blue'.    … Expand
  30. artbarbarian
    Jul 28, 2017
    5
    There have been two major changes to the Arcade Fire formula that are key to understanding the failure of their fifth LP, Everything Now. The first is their full-on embrace of disco and new wave rhythms and textures that began on their last LP, Reflektor, and which is taken even further here on their most recent release. This is not to say that these elements haven't always been present inThere have been two major changes to the Arcade Fire formula that are key to understanding the failure of their fifth LP, Everything Now. The first is their full-on embrace of disco and new wave rhythms and textures that began on their last LP, Reflektor, and which is taken even further here on their most recent release. This is not to say that these elements haven't always been present in AF's music (Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out), Haiti, and Rebellion (Lies), all from their first record, show that the AF crew have always known how to employ propulsive dance rhythms, disco drum patterns and synth new wave sounds to great success), or that the interest in more explicitly danceable music is even necessarily a bad thing (it's not). However, AF are now quite clearly invested in producing capital-D dance music, and this sonic reconfiguration has signaled an attitudinal shift as well. This leads to the second major change for AF, which has been the shift from lyrical earnestness and melodrama to aloofness and social critique, and it's here where their success really begins to unravel. For whatever reason, AF have become resigned to the fact that dance music is inextricably linked to a certain posture, one of detached irony, smarm, manicured coolness, and an air of generally **** and this does not suit their strengths as lyricists, or frontman Win Butler's strengths as a vocalist. However, this is also not to suggest that AF haven't trafficked in social critique before as well; it is the obsession with posture and coolness that's really new here. Consider that this is a band who used to shred on glockenspiel and accordion, landing them in the same breath as bands like The Decemberists; their early output was decidedly and proudly uncool. Then consider tracks like Intervention or Antichrist Television Blues, politically charged songs which railed against institutional systems of power and oppressive expressions of modernity. On those tracks, Butler sang with a nervous energy, exuberance, and an urgency that suggested he was feeling the weight of all these societal pressures right along with his audience. On virtually every song on EN however (save perhaps the title track), he delivers his lyrics with an affected coolness and arrogance, trying desperately to exude sex, often coming off like a bad impression of Mick Jagger, Julian Casablancas, or even Alex Kapranos, which, when married to the inartfully satirical lyrics, leaves one feeling more chastised than embraced. All this places Butler very much apart from his audience on this go around, who at a time once connected to the sing-along choruses of tracks like Rebellion (Lies) and Wake Up with almost spiritual reverence. And some of the lyrics he delivers here are downright cringe-worthy: "Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, sometimes Sunday / Love is hard, sex is easy / God in Heaven, could you please me?" (Signs of Life). Worse, occasionally lyrics on EN register something even lower than cringe-worthiness. Not once but twice on the relatively brief LP, an anecdote is referenced in which a female fan contemplates suicide while listening to AF's first record. Given the detached posture that Butler projects throughout the album, and which the band established long before the actual release of the album through their overly winky marketing campaign, these references feel at the very least somewhat tasteless, and at most outright repugnant and cruel. Ultimately, it's these clumsy vocal performances and lyrical turns by Butler which cripple AF's fifth album, and the fact that it's his performance as frontman that's at the heart of the problem is registered in stunning clarity on the standout track, Electric Blue, the only occasion in which Régine Chassagne takes a turn at lead vocals. Singing in high falsetto, Chassagne delivers the most subtle and elusive lyrics on the record, pushing her voice so high in register in fact that most are not immediately gleaned on a first listen, a welcome contrast to the bludgeoning directness of Butler's approach. Unlike the rest of the tracks on EN, Electric Blue does not seem restless to prove anything, instead relaxing into a peaceful effervescence, with a sparkling groove I'd be happy to hear looped for hours. The song is breezy but wistful, and calls to mind some of the best work in the Blondie catalogue, or even The Knife. Most crucially, it's the only song on the record that recalls the best moments in the AF catalogue as well, in which the band captured the simultaneous feeling of insecurity and unsureness about the present and the future, alongside the feeling that finding personal and communal connection can be a life-or-death stakes affair. In an alternate universe, The Reflektors reunite with Régine at the helm, and make the sort of achingly beautiful dance music that Arcade Fire seem to misunderstand, but nevertheless have the capability to deliver.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

25
#25 Most Discussed Album of 2017
9
#9 Most Shared Album of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
66

Generally favorable reviews - based on 39 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 39
  3. Negative: 5 out of 39
  1. Record Collector
    Aug 17, 2017
    40
    While not entirely lacking new ideas (the louche, second version of Infinite Content would make Wilco proud), Everything Now feels like a brainstorming idea with one too many executives in the boardroom.
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  2. Magnet
    Aug 15, 2017
    80
    Arcade Fire's tightest and tersest album since 2004's Funeral is by far its least ambitious, and the band is cool to riff on this. [No. 145, p.53]
  3. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Aug 4, 2017
    30
    The only thing Arcade Fire’s Everything Now is about is Arcade Fire, which is its most pernicious and pathetic quality. Arcade Fire are no longer Orpheus and Eurydice, lovers doomed to tragedy; now they are Narcissus, the Greek hunter who lost the will to live after staring at his own reflection in a pond for too long. They ask their listeners to participate in this cynicism as they grasp so falsely at explanations for why “we” are like this.
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