CD Review: Arcade Fire
"Neon Bible"
Issue date: 3/23/07 Section: The Edge
- Page 1 of 1
Arcade Fire has just released its second album, "Neon Bible," and despite its illuminating name, it's anything but bright.
The Montreal band released its first album, "Funeral," in 2004 to critical acclaim. Using every instrument they could get their hands on, the members made it sound like it was written by innocent kids meandering around suburbia. Arcade Fire thus became one of the most experimental bands in Indie Rock (a genre which applies to most bands that don't fit anywhere else).
Co-written by all seven members of Arcade Fire, "Neon Bible" comes together cohesively - and it's dark. Every song is consistently paranoid and frightening. It's almost a concept album for fear.
Even the peppy "Keep the Car Running" is dark. The song sounds like an up-tempo Paul Simon song. It will have you bopping your head before you realize the lyrics are about running away from "them" - A vague "them" that chases the characters in the songs throughout the album.
On occasion, Win Butler, the lead singer, will focus his paranoia on America. During "Intervention," he sings a tale of a soldier fighting in a war, "though there's nothing on the line." Clearly in a reference to the Iraq War, Butler deftly calls out the politics of the war without insulting the individual soldiers.
Arcade Fire also references Christianity constantly throughout the album, including such themes as throwing stones, lambs, lions and resurrection. In the haunting song "Neon Bible," Butler fears that, "not more chance for survival if the Neon Bible is right."
In a well-done but strange satire, Arcade Fire tackles a pop diva. In "Antichrist Television Blues," a man doesn't want to work a normal job, but instead prays for his daughter to become famous. As a bonus, his daughter will extol the virtues of God. Remind anyone of Jessica Simpson and her dad? She started as a Christian vocalist before she whored out. Regardless, it's an interesting song: classic blues played at punk tempo.
Overall, it's a heavy endeavor. There's an orchestra's worth of instruments and they're all worked into the song so well you wouldn't notice the accordion if you weren't paying attention. It's becomes a bit clumsy by straddling too many broad themes, but the potential of Arcade Fire is astounding.
- Chris Rossett
edge staff
The Montreal band released its first album, "Funeral," in 2004 to critical acclaim. Using every instrument they could get their hands on, the members made it sound like it was written by innocent kids meandering around suburbia. Arcade Fire thus became one of the most experimental bands in Indie Rock (a genre which applies to most bands that don't fit anywhere else).
Co-written by all seven members of Arcade Fire, "Neon Bible" comes together cohesively - and it's dark. Every song is consistently paranoid and frightening. It's almost a concept album for fear.
Even the peppy "Keep the Car Running" is dark. The song sounds like an up-tempo Paul Simon song. It will have you bopping your head before you realize the lyrics are about running away from "them" - A vague "them" that chases the characters in the songs throughout the album.
On occasion, Win Butler, the lead singer, will focus his paranoia on America. During "Intervention," he sings a tale of a soldier fighting in a war, "though there's nothing on the line." Clearly in a reference to the Iraq War, Butler deftly calls out the politics of the war without insulting the individual soldiers.
Arcade Fire also references Christianity constantly throughout the album, including such themes as throwing stones, lambs, lions and resurrection. In the haunting song "Neon Bible," Butler fears that, "not more chance for survival if the Neon Bible is right."
In a well-done but strange satire, Arcade Fire tackles a pop diva. In "Antichrist Television Blues," a man doesn't want to work a normal job, but instead prays for his daughter to become famous. As a bonus, his daughter will extol the virtues of God. Remind anyone of Jessica Simpson and her dad? She started as a Christian vocalist before she whored out. Regardless, it's an interesting song: classic blues played at punk tempo.
Overall, it's a heavy endeavor. There's an orchestra's worth of instruments and they're all worked into the song so well you wouldn't notice the accordion if you weren't paying attention. It's becomes a bit clumsy by straddling too many broad themes, but the potential of Arcade Fire is astounding.
- Chris Rossett
edge staff
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David Buckna
posted 5/05/07 @ 12:53 PM CST
Arcade Fire: A Neon Bible Study
By David Buckna
http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2007/s07030103.htm
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