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CD Review - The Arcade Fire's Neon Bible
By J.P. Gorman: 2007-03-08 21:29:22
Well, it’s finally here, the release fans of all things indie-rock have been looking forward to: on Tuesday, March 6, the Arcade Fire’s new album, Neon Bible, arrived in stores.And there’s fantastic news: not only does the album not suck, not only did the band avoid a sophomore jinx of any kind, but Neon Bible is actually better than expected. It’s that rare album that not only rewards faith placed in the band but heightens it, ratchets it up a few more notches. Die-hards expected a monumental album that just might define the generation for which it was made. Casual fans expected something they’d never heard before, more of the same strange brew conjured with 2004’s Funeral. Inspirational, definitive, seminal, soaring: open up your thesaurus and pick your favorite synonym. This record is worth whatever adjectives you can muster. Recording in an old church, the Arcade Fire washed the new album in reverb and allowed plenty of space for the songs to live and breath. The most prominent new addition to the band’s sound is a pipe organ, which adds an ominous, elevated air. The awe-inspiring “Intervention” is awash in earnest organ. In the liner notes, the band thanks Eglise St. Jean Baptise, Montreal, for “allowing us to use their organ.” It adds further weight to the band’s heavier-than-heaven aesthetic, and not only weight but overall dimension as well. Striving to transcend the human condition is the album’s main theme, and yes, it ends up being a reflection of the time in which it was written. On “Windowsill,” Win Butler continually sings of not wanting to “live in my father’s house no more,” before dispensing with metaphor and saying, “I don’t want to live in America no more.” He’s Canadian, and French-Canadian at that, so his unhappiness with America is not unexpected. But the perspective of the songs is not that of an outsider railing against the system he’s set himself apart from, but instead that of someone so far inside they can’t get out, one who resigns himself to improving the situation he’s stuck with, as much as humanly possible. This humanistic bent courses throughout Neon Bible. “The Well and the Lighthouse” tells a first-person narrative of a man in a prison of his own design: “If I seem lost/well I weighed the cost/And chose my crime/and it’s mine all mine!” Earlier in the album, on “Ocean of Noise,” Butler sings of giving dishonest explanations to buy time while finding the real ones. This continued spirit of resignation and moving forward within the system pairs with the foreboding, spiritual music to trip a poignant alarm. Beyond the philosophy and world-weariness of the lyrics and message, the album rocks. Hard. People don’t write rock music like this these days, and it might be true that no one ever has. With Neon Bible, the Arcade Fire has set itself up as one of the best bands of its generation. The band’s timeless music doesn’t fit any age and surpasses any genre limitations. In 30 years, someone unfamiliar with the band won’t be able to listen to this album and immediately pick out influences or contemporaries. The Arcade Fire’s sound is wholly self-contained. And beautiful. There hasn’t been a lot of room for beauty in rock and roll over the years. Listen to “Intervention” and see if you aren’t transported someplace else entirely. The song rocks a lot, but it doesn’t affect solely on that level. The same can be said of the album as a whole, not to mention the amazing band behind it. Check Out More CB Music Stories Here
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March 18, 2007 at 10:47
March 9, 2007 at 23:36