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You have to wonder if the majority of the people lobbing accusations of "Classist!" or "Tone deaf!" at Arcade Fire's "MANDATORY" (but not really mandatory) dress code were even planning on attending. After all, the effort and experience of donning a black tie costume as opposed to a T-shirt is about the same as listening to an Arcade Fire album rather than a typical indie rock record. Reflektor, in particular, is emotional formal wear—maybe a little uncomfortable at times, but pulled out on special occasions to make everything really feel like an event.

Perhaps that explains why Arcade Fire albums are now 4-for-4 in terms of "rousing, life-affirming, group-hug penultimate tracks": they always know to include a reminder and thank you note for the preparation you put in prior, the struggle, the investment, the fear that you might somehow seem ridiculous for caring so much when it's cooler to do the opposite. And ultimately it's a celebration of it all. There was "Rebellion (Lies)", "No Cars Go", "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" and now here's "Afterlife."

As with its predecessors, you can certainly dance to it, but it's not overtly "dance music" the way the title track seemed to be. Arcade Fire lay down a vigorous rock rhythm that they've pulled off plenty of times without James Murphy; the bongos lay far down in the mix, and the sax solo is meant to trigger confetti cannons rather than evoke some gritty after-hours club. Compared to "Reflektor", there's a light touch countering lyrical concerns that are about as heavy as it gets—y'know, what happens to our metaphysical love once our physical forms pass on?  Arcade Fire don't seem to know either, so in the mean time, Win Butler and Regine Chassagne trade vocals, try to work it out, scream and shout and basically affirm the idea behind their dress code: we all gotta go, so we might as well go out in style.

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