'Neon Bible' tops charts
By Stuart Poulter
With the release of their sophomore album, "Neon Bible," Canadian indie ensemble Arcade Fire has managed to surpass the critical acclaim achieved with their debut, launching themselves into the morbid state of the sociological, the political and even the divine.
The songs of "Neon Bible" speak of the mundane realities of the modern world, ripe with rebellious undertones, apocalyptic imagery and consolation in fading values. The album debuted March 6 at No. 2 on the U.K. and the U.S. charts and defines itself with reverberating guitar riffs, melodramatic harmonies, large-scale orchestration and refined song writing.
From resounding violinist Sarah Neufeld to Richard Parry's crazed, beat-pumping keyboard-playing to Win Butler's hauntingly evocative lyrics, each band member brings their own style and energy to the psycho-religious ferocity that rings out in "Neon Bible."
Coming from relative obscurity three years ago with their debut album, "Funeral," Arcade Fire has brought a powerful and sublime blend of alternative rock to the music scene. The band is made up of seven Montreal-based musicians led by frontman Butler and his wife, backup vocalist Chassagne.
As evoked in such songs as "Keep the Car Running," "Intervention" and "Anti-Christ Television Blues," Arcade Fire touches on the pent-up anger and energy of a generation disillusioned by war, religious hysteria and mass consumerism.
Filled with bleak images of desperation, Arcade Fire continues the freethinking legacy of such musical giants as Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, basing songwriting in the struggles of common yet defiant people.
In the song "Windowsill," the words, "Don't want to live with my father's debt / Don't want to fight in a holy war / I don't want to live in America no more" ring out in rejection of social expectation, while achieving a level of understanding of post-9/11 American angst absent from most popular music today.
While most mainstream music fans may find it hard adapting their tastes to Arcade Fire's tone, the band's not-so-subtle desire to appeal to our everyday struggle amid chaos remains an uplifting and inspiring message. Many critics have already hinted at album-of-the-year status for "Neon Bible."
GRADE: A-
Contact Stuart Poulter at spoulter@scu.edu.