CD of The Week

Arcade Fire’s Will Butler (younger brother of frontman Win Butler) releases his solo debut Policy this week. The album is eclectic in its styles, with each song highlighting a different genre, from the Wilco-esque opener "Take My Side" to the Leonard Cohen-lite "Sing To Me."

On one hand, the diversity in the eight songs is an excellent showcase of Butler's musical breadth. On the other, jumping genres only leaves you wanting more when the one you like ends; jamming the Pixies-styled "What I Want" right after the infectious, funky, percussion-heavy "Something's Coming" is almost a cruel joke.

And still, the album is unified by Butler's voice and instrumentation. It all sounds like it's coming from one person or band, and not like a "various artists" compilation. A piano shows up a few times, most notably at the end of "Anna," where the new wave electronics and bionic saxophones that have been driving the song are upstaged by dense classical chords.

This album is a great example of what American music should be: eclectic and connected. Butler will be playing a sold out show this Friday, March 13th at Boot & Saddle.