Mar
1
2007
Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
Posted by luna6 4 Comments
Artist : Arcade Fire
Album : Neon Bible
Release Date : March 06, 2007
Website : http://www.arcadefire.com/
Label : Merge
Free Downloads : Black Mirror
Rating : 7.3
Users Rating: 8.5 
(12 votes)
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Daikaiju:I can’t say I was all that excited for a new Arcade Fire, as I seem to be one of those people who don’t really get what makes people like them so much. So it is with a bit of trepidation that I go into their newest Neon Bible. All the ingredients are here from the past – big string arrangements, Win Butler’s subtle delivery , and big boomy production. Admittedly, the record is produced wonderfully, as all the nuances of the vast instrumentation of their seven members seem to settle into the mix wonderfully, punctuated at points by a stellar sounding pipe organ. Songs typically shift from subtle into larger breathing pieces, however they never quite reach the level of movement I was hoping for. Win Butler’s delivery often reminds me of the late, great, Grant McLennan…but never eclipses. A shame since the honesty and introspection of Grant might be welcomed on many of these tracks here. Sadly, for the most part I find most of the record to fairly unmemorable. There are a handfull of things that made me perk up throughout however, so all is not lost. The solemn pipe organ soaring over gentle acoustic strumming in “Intervention” really reminds of the Go-Betweens, but the instrumentation of the track sets it decidely apart as a ghostly guitar melody occasionally drifts into view over the chorus – and by the end, this one finally lifts off the ground. Late in the record we get a nice back to back reprieve with “Windowstill” and “No Cars Go”. “Windowstill” is another one of those Go-Between-esque tracks that pulses and breathes between introspection and grandiose, never missing a nod. “No Cars Go” on the other hand is bit more of an uptempo affair, that has a wonderful bittersweet melody. Delayed guitars shimmering over top of horns that draw in breath only to release into a starker verse which by the end grows into something swirling and beautiful. Fans will note this is in fact a new version of this song which appeared originally on their self-titled lp. I feel they have definately one upped themselves on this one. While I’m sure this record is going to be the rage and on critics best of lists for 2007, I personally find it to be a mostly average affair with a few lofty high points. Fans of the band however, will most likely be clutching themselves in ecstacy.
Luna6: I’ll say that I loved Funeral the first time I heard it. Maybe it was because of the time of year, but there was definitely this cold rush of vibrant winter adrenaline running through me while hearing that record for the first time. With each successive listen I loved the album even more until literally it became one of my all time favorite records (I already loved the first half of the album, but the second half of the record is what kept drawing me back to the record). So with that said maybe I just had too much expectations for their new record. On the first go around, none of the songs really grabbed my attention, even on the second or third time around. Definitely the dynamics & theatrics of Funeral were toned down in favor of a more calm, thoughtful and serious sound. Interestingly enough, the songs on Neon Bible are not that much different from Funeral, except you won’t hear some of the members clatter their drumsticks off another person’s head or get that operatic crazy indie rock rush found on Funeral – which turns a small difference into a big difference for me personally. The band seems to be marking their lines in the sand for the long run, with lyrics that seem to be a lot more direct and even political. Maybe I will like “Neon Bible” even more in the future, but for now I can just say “less filling, but doesn’t taste as great.”
MikeSpiegs: I’ve had a love-hate relationship with the band known as The Arcade Fire. I first heard about them from miscellanous friends and internet hype, listened to the record (Funeral) and was not impressed…. at least for all the hype I had heard about the band. Well, a year passed and I was bored of everything I was listening to and I gave them another try. This time around I really liked it (although didn’t want to admit it). I liked it so much that I anxiously awaited the release of their new album “Neon Bible”. The wait ended and disappointment once again settled in my head in conjunction with The Arcade Fire. Boring, textureless, rehashed hits from the old album and vomit describe what I felt about it. I couldn’t even make it through the whole record. So I let it sit for a little bit and I keep coming back to it. Everytime I give it another try another song starts to stick to me. Little by little, listen by listen, it gets better and better. Now, I wont say that it’s better then Funeral but it’s definitely not doomsday for The Arcade Fire quite yet.
Pandamonium: Listening to Arcade Fire is coming to realize how far indie rock has advanced since its early days when bands struck out in revolt to win ownership over their creations, and more importantly, to start to wrestle power away from a corporate industry increasingly constricting in its view of itself as the official arbiters of cool. Independent record labels sprang up out of bands who wanted to offer an alternative to music that went along with prostitutes draped over the hoods of red corvettes. Nowadays, as everyone knows, the word alternative has lost its meaning after grunge became mainstream, as how can it be an alternative to itself? Bands like Arcade Fire are taking indie rock to greater heights, moving it further away from its rudimentary guitar centered structure. They are on Merge Records so just take a listen to Merge founders Superchunk to see the progression from indies past. What Arcade Fire does best is building their music up into a symphonic crescendo of unbridled delirium. Popping, ebullient, giddy, dance like a schizophrenic dust devil. Their association with David Bowie is well known to fans, and it makes sense as Win Butler’s vocals has that same flare for the dramatic. To me, these songs come across as very anthemic in the way some of Bruce Springsteen’s songs are; and it would be interesting to hear what a music masher could do by combining “Keep The Car Running” with John Cafferty’s “On The Dark Side”. With NEON BIBLE, Arcade Fire sounds like a band out on a mission — poised to stake a claim that this moment in time is theirs to conquer.
Track List:
01. Black Mirror
02. Keep The Car Running
03. Neon Bible
04. Intervention
05. Black Wave/Bad Vibrations
06. Ocean Of Noise
07. Well & The Lighthouse, The
08. Antichrist Television Blues
09. Windowsill
10. No Cars Go
11. My Boby Is A Cage
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Comments
4 Comments so far
Just for curiosity’s sake, here’s “Ocean Of Noise” next to “Enjoy The Silence” and “Keep The Car Running” next to “On The Dark Side”.
I guess you will have to determine that for yourself; otherwise, good in my book ^_^
Is that good or bad?
“Ocean Of Noise” also goes really well with Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy The Silence”.