This album is beautiful. Remarkable arrangements, amazing instrumentation, and really solid song writing. I have a real respect for the lyrical ability of Win Butler. He appears to be a real critical guy. A former american himself, his sort of anti-war, anti-america, anti-fundamentalist stance creates a very interesting, and conflicted album. I mean conflicted in the sense that Butler probably does not want to hate his former homeland... but does he really have a choice? Perhaps not.
This is an amazing follow up and proves once and for all what I have always believed - that the Arcade Fire is, without a doubt, a great band.