Arcade Fire's sophmore album, 'Neon Bible', leaves their debut in the dust. After the band spent six months of hard craft in a church-turned-recording studio, Neon Bible has burst forth, a beautiful, innocent gem of an alternative album. In typical Arcade Fire fashion each song transports the ... Read review
How do the Arcade Fire follow-up not just one of the best debut albums ever, but possibly ... more
also one of the best indie albums of all time? Well, Neon Bible is a good place to start. After the success of Funeral, expectations were high for a follow up. But really, how could any band be expected to repeat that level of achievement twice in a row? And who can fault a band for setting their own standards so high? If there's one criticism of Neon Bible (named after author John Kennedy Toole's first novel), it's that it's not Funeral. But any other band would consider Neon Bible a towering achievement, for the simple reason that it is. "Keep the Car Running" displays all of the trademarks of the Arcade Fire's best work, building to a crescendo by adding layers and layers of synths to a deceptively simple tune. "Intervention", meanwhile, is easily the biggest-sounding song they've yet recorded, exploding with pipe organ over strummed guitars, strings and a choir. Occasionally, lead singer Win Butler risks being lost behind all of this noise, particularly as his voice has lost some of the strained intensity that made Funeral so affecting (and in fact, on "(Antichrist Television Blues)" he even sounds a bit like 80's-era Springsteen). But there's no denying that Neon Bible is a stellar album, from a band worth discovering. --Ted Kord
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Very few albums manage to be so special that each track isdifferent to the next. It ... more
shouldn't be that hard with the wealth ofmusic out there, but that becomes even more accomplished if the CDlacks any obvious cut 'n' paste selections from other bands. Yesthere's influences here ( The Cure, TheStrokes, Echo & The Bunnymen, andwhoever it was who played organ on any of the old Hammer horrorflicks) but it's brazenly fresh. The "Black Mirror" opening track isn't a natural attentiongrabber, but does lay out the table for what follows. Therollicking beat of "Keep The Car Running" is hugely immediate, witha belting tune, terrific orchestration, and main man WinButlerwarbling his lungs out. Are the choirs and hugechurch organs weaving around the throbbing beat really in keepingon "Intervention"? Yes, yes, yes! Not only does the anti-religiousslant tie in perfectly with the sounds, but the colossal quality ofthe mix raises the roof. Spiritualizeddid itsuperbly with sweeping strings, but Arcade Firethump in bigger beats and fatter guitars around the Goththeatrics. Yet there's a deceptive quality to many of the tracks too."Ocean Of Noise" is disarmingly subtle at first, but it grows,germinates, and turns into a warm cacophony. It also has the same,wonderful, lazy vocals reminiscent of the Go-Betweens. Dark and moody on the title track,but with a lightness of touch that prevents it becoming pedantic."Black Wave / Bad Vibrations" is (as you might expect) a track intwo parts, with an uneasy connection that all seems to make sensein the end. Interplay between male and female vocals on "The Welland the Lighthouse" is inspired, as are the change in moods evenwithin that one song. Their fantastic inventiveness is everywhere. "AntichristTelevision Blues" is another full-on epic with chugga-chugga beat,choir harmonies, and Springsteenblue-collar-isms.But added images of falling buildings and religious overtones giveit a far more disturbing status within a post-911, mid-paranoia,pre-psychosis canvas of individuality. It's a mood continued on "Windowsill". Escaping the worldinside, nauseated by the present outside. "No Cars Go" a huge wallof sound again, but still with enough fragility to bring out adesperate human quality. Oh, and the beats, choirs, and choruses tomake it all magical. It's impossible to anticipate their next move, yet the finaltrack has it all and leaves you breathless. An impassioned qualitythat could be Nick Cavein heat, and the huge,really huge church organs behind that are bigger than anything on'Phantom Of The Opera'. It wasn't that 'Funeral' from 2005 was inadequate in any way, asit was an excellent debut from the new indie darlings fromMontreal. But this one fills any doubting cracks, and whisks themto new heights with a full-on vibrancy that they'd been a tad shyto fully expose before. They have achieved a rare synergy ofoverblown obsession and huge presentation, with sharp lyrics andintrospective poignancy. And all that without sounding cheesy orpretentious. Quite some trick quite some album. NeilChase Music Editor March 2007
How do the Arcade Fire follow-up not just one of the best debut albums ever, but possibly ... more
also one of the best indie albums of all time? Well, Neon Bible is a good place to start. After the success of Funeral, expectations were high for a follow up. But really, how could any band be expected to repeat that level of achievement twice in a row? And who can fault a band for setting their own standards so high? If there's one criticism of Neon Bible (named after author John Kennedy Toole's first novel), it's that it's not Funeral. But any other band would consider Neon Bible a towering achievement, for the simple reason that it is. "Keep the Car Running" displays all of the trademarks of the Arcade Fire's best work, building to a crescendo by adding layers and layers of synths to a deceptively simple tune. "Intervention", meanwhile, is easily the biggest-sounding song they've yet recorded, exploding with pipe organ over strummed guitars, strings and a choir. Occasionally, lead singer Win Butler risks being lost behind all of this noise, particularly as his voice has lost some of the strained intensity that made Funeral so affecting (and in fact, on "(Antichrist Television Blues)" he even sounds a bit like 80's-era Springsteen). But there's no denying that Neon Bible is a stellar album, from a band worth discovering. --Ted Kord
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
How do the Arcade Fire follow-up not just one of the best debut albums ever, but possibly ... more
also one of the best indie albums of all time? Well, Neon Bible is a good place to start. After the success of Funeral, expectations were high for a follow up. But really, how could any band be expected to repeat that level of achievement twice in a row? And who can fault a band for setting their own standards so high? If there's one criticism of Neon Bible (named after author John Kennedy Toole's first novel), it's that it's not Funeral. But any other band would consider Neon Bible a towering achievement, for the simple reason that it is. "Keep the Car Running" displays all of the trademarks of the Arcade Fire's best work, building to a crescendo by adding layers and layers of synths to a deceptively simple tune. "Intervention", meanwhile, is easily the biggest-sounding song they've yet recorded, exploding with pipe organ over strummed guitars, strings and a choir. Occasionally, lead singer Win Butler risks being lost behind all of this noise, particularly as his voice has lost some of the strained intensity that made Funeral so affecting (and in fact, on "(Antichrist Television Blues)" he even sounds a bit like 80's-era Springsteen). But there's no denying that Neon Bible is a stellar album, from a band worth discovering. --Ted Kord
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
How do the Arcade Fire follow-up not just one of the best debut albums ever, but possibly ... more
also one of the best indie albums of all time? Well,Neon Bibleis a good place to start. After the success ofFuneral, expectations were high for a follow up. But really, how could any band be expected to repeat that level of achievement twice in a row? And who can fault a band for setting their own standards so high? If there's one criticism ofNeon Bible(named after author John Kennedy Toole's first novel), it's that it's notFuneral. But any other band would considerNeon Biblea towering achievement, for the simple reason that it is. "Keep the Car Running" displays all of the trademarks of the Arcade Fire's best work, building to a crescendo by adding layers and layers of synths to a deceptively simple tune. "Intervention", meanwhile, is easily the biggest-sounding song they've yet recorded, exploding with pipe organ over strummed guitars, strings and a choir. Occasionally, lead singer Win Butler risks being lost behind all of this noise, particularly as his voice has lost some of the strained intensity that madeFuneralso affecting (and in fact, on "(Antichrist Television Blues)" he even sounds a bit like 80's-era Springsteen). But there's no denying thatNeon Bibleis a stellar album, from a band worth discovering.--Ted Kord
Postage & Packaging:£1.21 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
How do the Arcade Fire follow-up not just one of the best debut albums ever, but possibly ... more
also one of the best indie albums of all time? Well,Neon Bibleis a good place to start. After the success ofFuneral, expectations were high for a follow up. But really, how could any band be expected to repeat that level of achievement twice in a row? And who can fault a band for setting their own standards so high? If there's one criticism ofNeon Bible(named after author John Kennedy Toole's first novel), it's that it's notFuneral. But any other band would considerNeon Biblea towering achievement, for the simple reason that it is. "Keep the Car Running" displays all of the trademarks of the Arcade Fire's best work, building to a crescendo by adding layers and layers of synths to a deceptively simple tune. "Intervention", meanwhile, is easily the biggest-sounding song they've yet recorded, exploding with pipe organ over strummed guitars, strings and a choir. Occasionally, lead singer Win Butler risks being lost behind all of this noise, particularly as his voice has lost some of the strained intensity that madeFuneralso affecting (and in fact, on "(Antichrist Television Blues)" he even sounds a bit like 80's-era Springsteen). But there's no denying thatNeon Bibleis a stellar album, from a band worth discovering.--Ted Kord
Postage & Packaging:£1.21 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
How do the Arcade Fire follow-up not just one of the best debut albums ever, but possibly ... more
also one of the best indie albums of all time? Well,Neon Bibleis a good place to start. After the success ofFuneral, expectations were high for a follow up. But really, how could any band be expected to repeat that level of achievement twice in a row? And who can fault a band for setting their own standards so high? If there's one criticism ofNeon Bible(named after author John Kennedy Toole's first novel), it's that it's notFuneral. But any other band would considerNeon Biblea towering achievement, for the simple reason that it is. "Keep the Car Running" displays all of the trademarks of the Arcade Fire's best work, building to a crescendo by adding layers and layers of synths to a deceptively simple tune. "Intervention", meanwhile, is easily the biggest-sounding song they've yet recorded, exploding with pipe organ over strummed guitars, strings and a choir. Occasionally, lead singer Win Butler risks being lost behind all of this noise, particularly as his voice has lost some of the strained intensity that madeFuneralso affecting (and in fact, on "(Antichrist Television Blues)" he even sounds a bit like 80's-era Springsteen). But there's no denying thatNeon Bibleis a stellar album, from a band worth discovering.--Ted Kord
Postage & Packaging:£1.21 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
How do the Arcade Fire follow-up not just one of the best debut albums ever, but possibly ... more
also one of the best indie albums of all time? Well,Neon Bibleis a good place to start. After the success ofFuneral, expectations were high for a follow up. But really, how could any band be expected to repeat that level of achievement twice in a row? And who can fault a band for setting their own standards so high? If there's one criticism ofNeon Bible(named after author John Kennedy Toole's first novel), it's that it's notFuneral. But any other band would considerNeon Biblea towering achievement, for the simple reason that it is. "Keep the Car Running" displays all of the trademarks of the Arcade Fire's best work, building to a crescendo by adding layers and layers of synths to a deceptively simple tune. "Intervention", meanwhile, is easily the biggest-sounding song they've yet recorded, exploding with pipe organ over strummed guitars, strings and a choir. Occasionally, lead singer Win Butler risks being lost behind all of this noise, particularly as his voice has lost some of the strained intensity that madeFuneralso affecting (and in fact, on "(Antichrist Television Blues)" he even sounds a bit like 80's-era Springsteen). But there's no denying thatNeon Bibleis a stellar album, from a band worth discovering.--Ted Kord
Postage & Packaging:£1.21 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: A hugely lovable, brilliant album Disadvantages: You can't get enough of it!
...craft in a church-turned-recording studio, Neon Bible has burst forth, a beautiful, innocent gem of an alternative album. In typical Arcade Fire fashion each song transports the listener to a completely different world. Glorious layers of instumentation, from acoustic guitars to hurdy gurdies, church organs to arcordians, giving the album a huge, orchestral feel. Highlights of the album include the unrelenting, foot stomping 'Black Wave/Bad Vibrations' ... .../>
3. Neon Bible
Possibly the darkest song on the album, with an almost mantra-like chant of 'Neon bible'. Strings swell over a consistent, unchanging drumbeat. A very brief song, but nonetheless brilliant.
4. Intervention
'Intervention' begins with a huge blast of church organ, giving it a very baroque, sombre tone. The organ continues throughout the song, and it builds to a huge creschendo of crashing cymbals, ... more
Arcade Fire's sophmore album, 'Neon Bible', leaves their debut in the dust. After the band spent six months of hard craft in a church-turned-recording studio, Neon Bible has burst forth, a beautiful, innocent gem of an alternative album. In typical Arcade Fire fashion each song transports the listener to a completely different world. Glorious layers of instumentation, from acoustic guitars to hurdy gurdies, church organs to arcordians, giving the album a huge, orchestral feel. Highlights of the album include the unrelenting, foot stomping 'Black Wave/Bad Vibrations' with its phoenomenal sing along chorus, and 'Intervention' with it's ominous use of church organ and thought provoking lyrics. The album, as one may guess from the title, dwells on the themes of religion, a tangible progression from the overpowering theme of death and afterlife in their debut, 'Funeral'.
Track By Track...
1. Black Mirror An ominous, mash of guitars, pianos and harmonies, the opening track swells with swathes of discontentment at today's 'TV Culture'.
2. Keep The Car Running An upbeat song musically for a downbeat theme; Butler sings of the end of the world. Again, in typical Arcade Fire fashion, the depth of the instrumentation is huge.
3. Neon Bible Possibly the darkest song on the album, with an almost mantra-like chant of 'Neon bible'. Strings swell over a consistent, unchanging drumbeat. A very brief song, but nonetheless brilliant.
4. Intervention 'Intervention' begins with a huge blast of church organ, giving it a very baroque, sombre tone. The organ continues throughout the song, and it builds to a huge creschendo of crashing cymbals, swathes of strings and barked vocals. My personal favourite song off of the album.
5. Black Wave/ Bad Vibrations This 'song' is, as the title suggests, an amalgamation of two songs. Both very sombre in tone, the opening of the track sees Regine take the vocals, and her distinct voice adds an air of 'tweeness' to the song. Quite out of the blue the second half of the song crashes in, with a huge blast of distortion and a foot stomping drumbeat. Another standout song on the album, this song makes you think, but also want to dance.
6. Ocean of Noise A notably quieter song than the previous on the album, with Butler singing in very deep, hushed tones, reminiscent of Leonard Cohen. As the song progresses the instrumentation and also the energy builds, and again swells to a huge climax.
7. The Well and The Lighthouse This song is the most similar to their earlier material, notably sounding like "Laika" from their debut, but with more guitar and strings added.
8. (Antichrist Television Blues) The most religiously oriented track on the album, tying ideas from 'Black Mirror' and 'Intervention' into the thematic denoument of the album.
9. Windowsill A more sparsely instrumented track, but still very effective. This song dwells upon the TV culture, and is very bleak lyrically, with Butler sining 'World War Three when are you coming for me?'. My favourite song lyrically on the album.
10. No Cars Go This song is a retake of a song on the Arcade Fire EP. It sounds essentially the same but with a larger range of instrument giving a deeper sound. Personally I prefer this version to the one on the EP as it sounds richer and flows better.
11. My Body Is A Cage An extremely downbeat ending to the album. Sparsely instrumented, bleak, and quiet, this song delivers the final aspect of album, completing the spiritual catharsis that this album brings. Swells of downbeat, macarbe, funeral organ finish the album, and bring the perfect ending.
An amazing album, and as far as I can see it is flawless, there is no weak link. Buy it, or regret it!
Product Information for "Neon Bible (+DVD) - Arcade Fire (The)" »
Product details
Title
Neon Bible (+DVD)
Performer
Arcade Fire (The)
Genre
Rock & Pop
Sub Genre
Alternative
Release Date
05/03/2007
Original Release Year
2007
Label / Distributor
Mercury / Universal Music
Pieces in Set
1
Studio / Live
Studio
Format
Performer
EAN
602517236745
Catalogue Number
1723674
Additional notes
Album Notes
The sophomore release from Canada's premier alt folk-rock multi-instrumentalists is the eagerly anticipated follow up to 'Funeral,' one of the suprise smash hits of 2005. Described as "like standing by the ocean at night" by lead singer Win Butler, 'Neon Bible' is a collection of huge, multi-layered masterpieces which include an incredible range of textures and instruments, including a full Hungarian orchestra and a military choir which easily surpasses its predecessor in terms of originality, scope and accessibility. Includes the single 'Keep The Car Running.'
Titles on disc 1
1.
Black Mirror
2.
Keep The Car Running
3.
Neon Bible
4.
Intervention
5.
Black Wave
6.
Ocean Of Noise
7.
Well And The Lighthouse
8.
Building Downtown (Antichrist Television Blues)
9.
Windowsill
10.
No Cars Go
11.
My Body Is A Cage
Ciao
Listed on Ciao since
27/02/2007
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