The Arcade Fire: Neon Bible

The Arcade Fire: Neon Bible
Merge: 3/6/2007

It's late September, and for me that means starting to write about the best releases so far this year. Last year, the task proved too daunting and I gave up after about 90 reviews. This year, either I've become a little more discriminating or there are slightly fewer outstanding releases. Either way, it means I might have a shot at reviewing all or most of the releases I want to recommend by the end of the year.

I have abandoned the idea of reviewing them alphabetically, as it's kind of, well, nerdy. Not that that's very successful at stopping me from doing nerdy things. Another weakness of the alphabetical approach is that inevitably, an outstanding album in the C's will be released when I'm up to the M's. I have decided to use randomly generated playlists of about five hours in duration of complete albums, listen to the playlist, and then review any of the albums I deem outstanding. Yes, I am aware that this is even nerdier than the alphabetical system, so there is no need to point it out.

The first great album culled by this method is The Arcade Fire's Neon Bible. The Arcade Fire have certainly received their share of good press this year, and favorable reviews for their new album are about as ubiquitous as air. They don't need my laurels, certainly, but I'm happy to join the chorus of their admirers.

The Arcade Fire's sophmore effort is superior to their debut, I believe, in a several respects. Funeral, while absolutely sublime, suffered from sub-par production that obscured Win Butler's vocal abilities. Second, there is a greater diversity of styles and instrumentation on Neon Bible. Funeral's midsection sagged in comparison to the stellar songs near at the beginning and end.

Upon first hearing Neon Bible, I was annoyed by the first track, "Black Mirror", because Butler's vocal is too far down in the mix and it felt limp. I still haven't warmed up to this song, but fortunately the rest of the album doesn't suffer from this handicap. "Keep the Car Running" has often been favorably compared to Bruce Springsteen, and justifiably so. For a Canadian band that I associate with artful sophistication, the song sounds unexpectedly American and down-to-earth. "Intervention", probably the best track, is an excruciating lament about neglect and poverty. Its use of strings and distant female vocal harmonies appear again later on the album, but here they are employed to greatest effect. "Windowsill" continues the theme of parental alienation and resistance to following familial traditions, alternating simplistic vocal/guitar/drum arrangements and swelling, ornate choruses. This competition between simplicity and complexity continues throughout the album, making Neon Bible more sophisticated and enjoyable than its predecessor.