CD of The Week

They may still inspire a fair share of cynicism in indie circles, but there's no denying the clout that an Album of the Year Grammy can earn you. That's even true in the case of an act as audacious and ambitious as Arcade Fire. They seem to have gained not only more clout, but more confidence and creativity on their sprawling, swaggering fourth album Reflektor.

Indeed, the group goes full on Achtung Baby (albeit with somewhat pretentious Zooropa style promotion techniques) on the eponoymous lead single alone. Complete with production by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem and backing vocals from one David Bowie, it's a funky, ferocious seven minutes that both build on their previous album and beat Daft Punk at their own party-starting comeback game. From there, they manage to effectively Remain in Light with showstoppers like the slinky "We Exist," the rapturous "Here Comes the Night Time" and the rugged rocker "Normal Person." And those are all on Disc One.

Disc Two dives into more patient but equally propulsive territory. While less immediately arresting, this half proves an enveloping, enchanting investment, especially as it builds to the effervescent "Afterlife," the closest the album comes to archetypal Arcade Fire of old.

At times, Win Butler & co.'s cup seems to runneth over with more ideas (and time) than necessary. Not every idea feels fully fleshed out. Also, given the band's expanded electronic indulgences, one might expect to hear Regine Chassagne take the spotlight more than she does here. To be fair, she's far more omnipresent than she's been before, but another star-making "Sprawl II" would have been much appreciated. However, this album amounts to far more than a mere victory lap for a group that can now lay claim to the same territory as the likes of U2 and Radiohead in the realm of rock. They prove that it's better to be ready to start with an overabundance of ambition than stall with a lack thereof.