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Definitive.
60. Secret unnamed track (Reflektive Age)
Reflektor
Made up of segments of other tracks on the album, played in reverse. And only accessible on the CD version of the record (the only truly reflective medium).
59. The Suburbs (continued)
The Suburbs
A disappointingly non-musical post-script to the album.
58. Sprawl I (Flatland)
The Suburbs
As an introduction to Sprawl II, great, as a standalone track, boo.
57. I'm Sleeping in a Submarine
Arcade Fire EP
Too heavy on the piano, the whimsy, and the lo-fi.
56. Vampire/Forest Fire
Arcade Fire EP
Not distinctively an 'Arcade Fire song', and too explicitly angry with the world.
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55. Speaking In Tongues (2011)
Single release
A strangely disconnected song, in part due to its nomadic, single-only status.
54. Neon Bible
Neon Bible
The most conceptual and alarmingly pretentious song on the list.
53. Flashbulb Eyes
Reflektor
Experimental yet ultimately underwhelming.
52. The Woodland National Anthem
Arcade Fire EP
Lyrically, a staging ground for what would follow, "Three cheers for my parents/lonely failed experiments", but still feels like faux folk.
51. My Heart Is an Apple
Arcade Fire EP
Ironically very reflective thematically but lyrically very disappointing, albeit with a fantastic chorus of "Pomme pomme, pomme-pomme-pomme".
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50. Cold Wind
Single release
Quite unsatisfying, as with most singles that aren't part of a wider narrative. It does eventually get going, however, and would have sounded good on Neon Bible.
49. Porno
Reflektor
Very evocative, but feels out of place on the introspective second-half of the album.
48. Abraham's Daughter
The Hunger Games soundtrack
As songs for a pointlessly violent screenager movie go, it's surprisingly good.
47. Rococo
The Suburbs
Very thematic but entirely superfluous (Rococo was an art movement that prioritised the aesthetic over the message, i.e. art for art's sake).
46. You Already Know
Reflektor
It's got an introduction by Jonathan Ross and a chorus that sounds a lot like 'Oh, Reginald!', but apart from that it's quite anthemic.
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45. Here Comes the Night Time II
Reflektor
An important signifier of the change of pace and direction in the second half of the album.
44. Wasted Hours
The Suburbs
An unwelcome pedestrian addition to the album.
43. Old Flame
Arcade Fire EP
Symmetry and absent parents - very formative but also claustrophobic.
42. Half Light II (No Celebration)
The Suburbs
Musically an outlier for the next album, but lyrically it feels very nostalgic.
41. Half Light I
The Suburbs
Somehow uplifting despite being tinged with loss.
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40. Normal Person
Reflektor
Self-alienation within a context of rock and roll? Classic Arcade Fire.
39. City with No Children
The Suburbs
This song has a distinct summer haze to it and neatly sums up the entire album.
38. We Exist
Reflektor
A darkly pretty take on struggling with sexual identity.
37. Empty Room
The Suburbs
Régine Chassagne's voice sustains a beautiful intro.
36. Afterlife
Reflektor
Indicative of Reflektor, a very clever album, running out of steam.
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35. Modern Man
The Suburbs
Whimsical, smooth, and lovely.
34. Headlights Look Like Diamonds
Arcade Fire EP
By far the best song on the EP, you can hear the big band elements that would slowly take over before being sidelined once more.
33. Ready to Start
The Suburbs
That familiar all-encompassing sound, but with added spiky edges.
32. Black Mirror
Neon Bible
An unsettling, prophetic start to a sometimes disturbing album.
31. Supersymmetry
Refkletor
Originally intended for the film Her, it's strangely fulfilling, despite trailing off into nothingness.
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30. The Well and the Lighthouse
Neon Bible
Another great and unexpected turn on the album; upbeat yet tinged with regret.
29. Month of May
The Suburbs
What appears to be the most openly-joyous song on the album is actually a missive aimed squarely at their fans.
28. Suburban War
The Suburbs
Feels strangely isolated but comes with a fantastic twist ending.
27. Ocean of Noise
Neon Bible
Both a necessary respite from and bridge to the rest of Neon Bible.
26. It's Never Over (Hey Orpheus)
Reflektor
Beautifully paired with Eurydice, and another song that feels like a tribute to previous albums.
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25. In the Backseat
Funeral
Régine gets the last word on a beautiful album, neatly reflecting on what came before.
24. Une année sans lumière
Funeral
A great song with a lovely energetic turn that forms part of the album's essential narrative.
23. Intervention
Neon Bible
A big, divine sound to match the church where the album was recorded: "Working for the church while your life falls apart/Singing hallelujah with the fear in your heart."
22. Neighborhood #2 (Laïka)
Funeral
Wonderful, mesmeric lyrics, almost matched by their melodies.
21. No Cars Go
Neon Bible
A song that was made to be sung live, with thousands of people hanging on the final refrain.
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20. The Suburbs
The Suburbs
New sound, new rules. The paranoia of previous albums has been replaced with nostalgia, and this is Arcade Fire's version of 'show, don't tell'.
19. Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles)
Funeral
Hauntingly rhythmic. Not many bands could get away with singing about the temperature at which water boils.
18. Crown of Love
Funeral
Sweet, thoughtful song with poetic lyrics: "I carved your name across my eyelids, you pray for rain, I pray for blindness."
17. Joan of Arc
Reflektor
Another direct message to fans, this time about putting a band on a pedestal while simultaneously burning them at the stake when they dare to change direction.
16. Here Comes the Night Time
Reflektor
What initially seems to be out of place is in fact one of the most energetic songs around, channelling all three albums and providing powerful, destructive imagery.
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15. Haïti
Funeral
A saddeningly-mellow bilingual ode to Haiti.
14. Awful Sound (Oh Eurydice)
Reflektor
It may end in the wrong place but it's still a wondrous song, with the most heartbreaking lyrical refrain of any Arcade Fire song.
13. Windowsill
Neon Bible
After a thoughtful start this swells into a stunning acoustic crescendo.
12. (Antichrist Television Blues)
Funeral
A frantically, fantastically evocative song, even when you realise it's about the father of Jessica and Ashlee Simpson.
11. Rebellion (Lies)
Funeral
A rare example of Arcade Fire directly engaging with the people listening in, with a beautifully anti-establishment anthem.
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10. We Used to Wait
The Suburbs
A poignant song that featured an at-the-time revolutionary music video that could be personalised with the user's home address.
9. Keep the Car Running
Neon Bible
Anthemic and uplifting, while also reflecting the band's success.
8. Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
Funeral
A song of pure energy and one of the best when performed live.
7. Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
The Suburbs
A lovely song that practically begs to be sung along too.
6. My Body Is a Cage
Neon Bible
To many an anti-climax at the close of the album, but this is actually a stunning, if under-appreciated, and filmic conclusion.
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5. Reflektor
Reflektor
Featuring a timely intervention from David Bowie, this is Arcade Fire in their pomp, brimming with self-confidence.
4. Deep Blue
The Suburbs
Arcade Fire - the only band in the world who can make you dance along to a song about Garry Kasparov losing a chess match to a super computer.
3. Black Wave/Bad Vibrations
Neon Bible
A song that perfectly encapsulates a beguiling album. "Nothing lasts forever/That's the way it's gotta be/ There's a great black wave in the middle of the sea" is perhaps the greatest Arcade Fire lyric.
2. Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels)
Funeral
A beautifully powerful and graceful song that immediately announces the band's arrival as a force to be reckoned with.
1. Wake Up
Funeral
You'd expect it to be No. 1 and here it is. A truly mesmeric song that somehow manages to be melancholic and anthemic at the same time; it's lyrics are poetry and its refrains majestic.
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Top 100
