Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

Arcade Fire’s new album wasn’t met with quite as much fanfare as I expected, them being “Canada’s hottest band” and all. And if you want my personal opinion (which you do, or you wouldn’t be reading this blog…), they didn’t get even an iota of the fanfare they deserved. Funeral was blazingly awesome, and it’s a pretty tough act to follow. Being cognizant of this, I would say my expectations for Neon Bible were fairly reasonable. Fortunately for Arcade Fire, my expectations were met and then some.

Funeral was the work of a band in turmoil, in the midst of personal tragedy. It made for an album that was, above all, passionate. Passion is a little dangerous, though, because it generally doesn’t concern itself with neatness or efficiency, and tends to make a mess. Funeral’s mess was very beautiful, though, and the band’s pain was palpable on the record. With Neon Bible, however, Arcade Fire wisely doesn’t try to duplicate that oeuvre. Instead, they take a more measured and careful approach, and it pays off. The music is still odd, and sometimes comes out of left field, but instead of just taking a scattershot approach, like on Funeral, they opt for steady shots with a steady hand.

Normally, that approach makes for a pretty stale record, especially for a band whose hallmark is beauty that is untamed. But amazingly, Arcade Fire make all the right choices, with the timeless beauty remaining intact with a very different approach. “Black Mirror” makes known that Neon Bible is not only a subtler album than Funeral, but a darker one, too. The immediacy of “Wake Up” and “Power Out” are generally gone, but in their place is a strong impassivity. “Black Mirror” is a good opening track, though not quite as strong as the second track, “Keep the Car Running.” It has very catchy verses, and is a shoe-in for a single. As on the last album, Win Butler’s voice is clumsy as not technically proficient at all, but it suits the material. “Intervention” continues the theme of featuring strange instruments, as a pipe organ plays the lead part. I again am struck by Arcade Fire’s uncanny ability to make the weird sound beautiful, eliciting a reaction of wonder rather than discomfort. The best track, “Ocean of Noise,” highlights the measured approach that the whole album takes, as it has a very subtle, Death Cab-like undertone to it.

On “(Antichrist Television Blues),” Win Butler seems to be channeling Bruce Springsteen, both in the musical style and the vocal quality. Near the end, Arcade Fire reworks a song from early in their career, “No Cars Go.” It’s slightly obvious that this song represents a younger band, as it’s a little nervier and more excited than the rest of the album, and doesn’t quite fit the general tone of it. However, I’m glad they finally put this great song on an album, so it can enjoy mass consumption. “My Body is a Cage” takes a little while to really get going, but eventually crescendos to a point that nearly equals the closing power and emotional punch of “In the Backseat.” It also leaves you hanging at the end, awaiting the third album.

A lot of great bands suffer from the sophomore slump, but Arcade Fire just laughs in that concept’s face. Neon Bible isn’t as emotionally affecting as Funeral, but it seems incorrect to compare the two, since they have pretty different tones. Really, they represent two points on this band’s journey, and hopefully, it will be a long journey indeed.

Prime Cuts:
Ocean of Noise
Keep the Car Running
Intervention
My Body is a Cage

22 Rating: 12