In their third offering Arcade Fire have finally come to terms with their new arena status, after the uneasy ride that was ‘Neon Bible’, and produced another classic that got to number one in the charts around the world. Its songs shared a common reflection about leaving the innocence and idealism of youth behind, while coping with the realities of life that come with maturity. Musically, they’ve kept their anthemic nature but turning their eyes a decade back –from 80’s indie to 70’s rock– to add a fresh batch of influences to their palette; lyrically, their songs packed a bigger emotional punch and, although many knives were being sharpened waiting for signs of selling out, ‘The Suburbs’ turned out to be the earnest testimony of a band that, no matter how big they get, are staying faithful to their principles.