Arcade Fire, “The Lightning II” | Track Review

Arcade Fire makes a compelling comeback with “The Lightning I” and “The Lightning II,” lead singles from their 2022 album, WE. 

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t’s always a great day when Grammy-winning alternative band Arcade Fire is back with new music.  Finally, Win Butler and company are set to follow-up 2017’s Everything Now with their 2022 LP, WE.  Leading the charge on WE are two lead singles: “The Lightning I” and “The Lightning II”.

“I heard the thunder and I feel I’m going under / Jesus Christ was an only son,” Butler sings at the end of the first verse in “The Lightning II.” Backtracking a bit, as stated on the review for “The Lightning I”, The ending sets up the contrasting “The Lightning II,” which is briefer and intentionally faster.  Arguably, the quicker “The Lightning II” is more engaging, even though it’s a mix of pain and optimism like the cut that precedes.  Butler brings an even greater degree of energy, joined by Régine Chassagne in the pre-chorus (“A day, a week, a month, a year / Every second brings me here”) and the awesome chorus:

“Waiting on the lightning

Waiting on the lightning

Waiting on the light

What will the light bring?”

Beyond pre-chorus and chorus, Win Butler brings another ‘thunderous’ verse, asserting at the end, “I was trying to run away, but a voice told me to stay / And put the feeling in a song.” Good advice by my estimations!

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Final Thoughts

Like “The Lightning I”, Arcade Fire bring the heat on “The Lightning II”.  Both singles are terrific, though the high energy of “The Lightning II” might make it the more popular single of the two.  Ultimately, it suggests WE should be an incredibly compelling comeback album from the beloved alternative rock collective.

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Arcade Fire • WE • Arcade Fire Music • 5.6.22

[: Arcade Fire Music, Brent Faulkner, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]

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