2011 | Group of the Year | Arcade Fire | | The JUNO Awards

The suburbs have always spawned poets who flee to the world’s great cities. Montréal’s Arcade Fire, however, return to the landscapes of their youth and return with The Suburbs: songs that draw on themes of loss and renewal, of drawing inspiration from scarcity, of generations past and future, of responsibility and maturity, of hoping that something pure can last. The Suburbs, like its namesake, revels in open space, reflections on long drives, and contemplating possibilities. Lyrics decrying wasted time, arms folded tight, and cities with no children, are set to sparse pop, icy new wave epics, anthemetic punk and lush balladry — all delivered with a breadth and beauty that expands the palette of a band that has never settled for the easy route out of town.