Review:

on 2011-02-20 CharlesMartel Said:

Arcade Fire's second album was hotly anticipated. The new poster boys of the indie bandwagon jumpers therefore faced a difficult task. They needed to make an album which was sufficidently different from their debut to avoid accusations of having run out of original ideas; it needed to be sufficiently avant-garde to keep the hipsters happy; and it needed to be sufficiently good to avoid accusations of what Americans refer to as the sophomore slump.

Of course, when events like this build up a head of steam, people are not going to wait around to hear the album in reality before coming to conclusions. Snippets get leaked, advances, promos and the like get put out before the official release date. Torrents appear on the net and it doesn't take long. But I still could not understand why people feel they have to rush into reviews of this album before it even came out? The hype surrounding it was bad enough, and even reached the point that tracks off it were played on Radio 1 when it first came out - Arcade Fire going mainstream. And sure enough, there is true single material here in "Keep the Car Running" which is actually danceable in a quirky sort of way.

Unlike many, I waited. In fact, I waited until long after the album had been released and the initial interest had died down. I wanted to come to this in the cold light of day - to appreciate it on its merits and on its merits alone. I did not want to be caught up in the hoo-ha and excitement about its release. I followed my usual approach of downloading tracks to check them out and then coming to an independent conclusion.

What we have here is an album by a band who have matured since their first offering. The band have obviously realised the interest their first album had created and were well aware of the potential pitfalls posed by their third. This measured approach is typified by "No Cars Go" which sounds so much fuller and more rounded than the version which came out on their EP a few years previously.

Yet all the tracks on here seem so much better, and so much more accessible than their first album. Take "Windowsill" which builds on their earlier work and yet brings some new emphasis to the table. The use of strings and the oft-mentioned church organ, while not unique to Arcade Fire, demonstrates the band's ability to bring various influences and style to bear in making their music. It is as if the band took what little criticism of their first album their was, particularly about it being obtuse, and opened up their style to a more casual approach by the listener.

Yet I feel there is still more to come from Arcade Fire. They appear to have set themselves on a path which would suggest that they are positioning themselves in the wake of bands such as the Waterboys and Triffids of old, and puts them head to head with bands like the Guillemots who are prepared to step outside the box of traditional musical thought and into a realm where the potential for true greatness lurks. While "Neon Bible" builds on potential of their first album, it does not smack the listener into thinking that this is truly a great album. That is probably because it is not. Perhaps what they need is to produce a poor third album, and then come back with an absolute classic fourth, an album to cement their place in musical history. They are not there yet, and this album reiterates the potential without actually fulfilling it. But there remains the nagging question that, ultimately, they may fail in that objective.
Rating: 7/10

Review:

on 2007-03-26 dscanland Said:

OK, I listened to Neon Bible on the way to work this morning and was escorted by an instant classic. Seriously, one listen told me that 10-20 years down the road, this album will still be listened too. I'm thinking their little performance with David Bowie led them to listen to his almost perfect catalog. You can hear some of that influence here. Seriously, Neon Bible IS worth the hype. Pick it, download it, get any way possible! NOW!
Rating: 9/10

Review:

on 2007-03-21 hstisgod Said:

Absolutely the first album I've seen on this site unanimously loved. I didnt feel gung ho about their previous release, but with all these trustworthy cats pushing the envelope in my direction, I'm definitely going surfing for some MP3's.
Rating: 9/10

Review:

on 2007-03-18 Symphony Said:

The kings took back the throne. See what I did there? Spectacular release
Rating: 9/10

Review:

on 2007-03-16 green_clash Said:

Phenomenal album. I love the orchestrations in each song. It's a very big and dramatic album that is good on all sides. The sensational instrumentation works very well with the thought provoking lyrics about religion and problems in the world we are dealt with everyday. Each song can be enjoyed but there are some stand out tracks. Mr. Schmitt's favorite song, "No Cars Go", which was featured on the band's old EP, is breathtaking and is easily one of the best songs on the album. "Intervention" was the one that stuck out for me first with it's great use of the pipe organ and the shocking lyrics about wasting life working for the church. The album is very varied and it seems to never drag. You'd expect me to criticize the length and the limited variations of "(AntiChrist Television Blues)" but the lyrics are so enthralling and interesting that I can't help but love it. A problem I've heard from others is that the album is often too big and that there isn't a space that's soft and calming to get your breath back from the huge songs. But I believe songs like the title track "Neon Bible" and the opener "Black Mirror" offer enough 'calm before the storms'. It's also a very accessible album but has a lot of depth. Some songs don't stand out like others I have already mentioned but they're still enjoyable and they keep the album moving at a great pace and consistency. The album closes with "My Body Is A Cage" which wraps the album up perfectly. Melancholy lyrics mixed with a building tension in the instruments convey the feeling of the album flawlessly.
Rating: 9/10

Review:

on 2007-02-28 dscanland Said:

Who will be the first to submit a review of one of the most anticipated albums of the year? Always hard to review something that so many people are watching. Score is for what it should be. Come on people. Let's do this right.
Rating: 9/10