Artist: The Arcade Fire
Album: Neon Bible
Montreal-based indie outfit, The Arcade Fire, are probably one of the most unconventional and eccentric bands ever to achieve mainstream success. In 2005, the seven-piece multi-instrumentalists rode to critical acclaim and widespread attention with their debut album Funeral, a joyous medley of upbeat rock songs laced with folk influences. Over a sea of vibrant string arrangements, percussion, and accordions, vocalist Win Butler sang about youth, rebellion, and neighborhoods.
From the moment moody opener Black Mirror clicks into gear, it becomes clear that Neon Bible is a darker and more dramatic proposition. The Arcade Fire have not shed their sense of fun altogether, but the emotions that drive this music are angrier and the themes are more earnest. It is ironic that much of the recording took place in a variety of churches, given the anti-religious sentiment voiced on several of the tracks. On stand-out anthem Intervention, Butler cries out ‘working for the church while your family dies’ over a sumptuous cacophony of strings and the foreboding, rousing drive of a powerful church organ. It’s a truly great moment, and one that inspires a genuine sense of awe.
There are anti-corporate lyrics (Antichrist Television Blues), references to the Iraq war (Black Mirror, Intervention), and on Windowsill we hear the lines ‘MTV what have you done to me?’ and ‘Don’t wanna fight in a holy war…I don’t wanna live in America no more’. Does this album do anything to enlighten us about life in a post-9/11 world, where climate change, urban paranoia and terrorism are an everyday anxiety?
Frankly, who cares?! Whether The Arcade Fire expect us to embrace their Muse-esque vision of the apocalypse or not, you just can’t ignore music like this.
There’s no denying that this is a record of considerable prowess. The driving melodies of Keep The Car Running and Intervention are complimented by more reflective, laid-back moments on the likes of Ocean Of Noise, and the chirpy, uplifting feel of several pieces (The Well And The Lighthouse, Antichrist Television Blues, No Cars Go), helps remedy what could have been an overly overbearing, preachy tone.
The brilliant string arrangements from Funeral remain, and here they are occasionally roused into orchestral ensembles, with gospel choirs and brass sections also called in as reinforcements. The same heady mix of acoustic guitar, drums, violins, and vocal harmonies that won so many over first time around is once again successful, and this time there are a few extra treats thrown into the mix.
It is fair to say, on the downside, that there are fewer genuine anthems on this record. A consistently impressive offering, it nevertheless throws up only a couple of pulsating classics where Funeral had perhaps four or five. There’s little if any filler, but the highs are not as high as on the previous album. Whereas Tunnels, Laika, Power Out, Wake Up and Rebellion/Lies got in your head and bounced around in there for hours, there aren’t many moments on Neon Bible with the same immediacy or grip, though it is arguably a more accomplished piece of work.
Added to this, it is, as as we've already said, a mite more serious in approach, and though this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, you sometimes yearn for a bit more of the carefree fun of Funeral.
Ultimately, this is a terrific album which will be a hit with established fans and may well introduce The Arcade Fire to a whole new audience. Burning with a real energy and, in places, frighteningly good, this is an excellent record that falls just short of greatness.
Rating: 4/5