If there’s one thing you can say about Arcade Fire, above all else, it’s that they know how to construct an album. The Suburbs, which entered the Billboard Top 200 albums chart at No. 1, is less an album and more a symphony, with interludes, songs divided into parts I and II, and repeating themes. Oh, and the music is damn good, too.

Given the band’s propensity for making statements with their music, the title "The Suburbs" should immediately give you an idea of what you’re in for. The message of husband-wife duo Win Butler and Régine Chassagne isn’t hidden in these lyrics; they’re sung out loud and unabashed, determined to warn us of the impending ...