Review: The Arcade Fire – Neon Bible

These days I don’t really take the time to talk about an album unless it’s captured me in a big way. There are so many new releases every week that it can be hard to stay afloat and really give each the time they deserve to be absorbed well.

Neon Bible had a bit of an advantage because of a preexisting love of their last album, Funeral, combined with plenty of publicity. From playing two of their new songs (Intervention and Keep The Car Running) on Saturday Night Live right before the release to Idolator‘s persistent hype, the Arcade Fire crew was hard to ignore.

That said, I can’t help but plug Neon Bible for myself, because saying it lives up to the hype hardly does the album justice. From start to finish, Win Butler and company get innovative with instruments and sound effects, channeling equal parts David Bowie, Talking Heads, Neutral Milk Hotel and Springsteen, but still making it their own by throwing in more fresh and unique sound than you could shake a stick at (does that even make sense?).

As Pitchfork noted, the lyrics aren’t anything hot, but I’m not much of a lyrics guy in the first place, so that’s fine with me. The ‘Fork put it well: “Butler’s words, however, have always carried less meaning than the way he sings them and the sound in which his band envelops them.”

I highly recommend this album to, well… anyone. Those with less broad tastes may find it a bit hard to digest at first, but those records are often the ones that stick with us the longest. I know I won’t be getting tired of it any time soon.