1. Arcade Fire - "Reflektor"
A lot of ink has been spilled over this song in the past week. Arcade Fire have certainly figured out how to get people talking, letting a mysterious slow drip of information build anticipation, then capitalizing on it with two music videos. Marketing innovations aside, what's actually been a little under-discussed this week has been how good this song is. Taking cues from producer James Murphy—the nearly 8-minute runtime and heavy disco influence are his hallmarks—"Reflektor" is Arcade Fire in an entirely new musical space. "Sprawl II" is really the only song from their Grammy-winning The Suburbs that serves as any sort of link between then and now. That jump, from orchestral indie-pop to this icy mix of futuristic and retro, sounds on paper like it shouldn't work for Arcade Fire. It's an ambitious shift in sound, but it only takes one listen to realize that it's handled confidently. Win Butler & co. turned out a synth-laden epic that's going to be remembered as one of the most existentially affecting tracks aimed at the dancefloor since LCD Soundsystem walked off the stage at Madison Square Garden. —Brendan
