Arcade Fire
Neon Bible
Merge

The Arcade Fire heated up in 2005 with its debut album, “Funeral”, featuring the anthem, “Wake Up”, which went from a stadium, hand-waving chant to a Motown-inspired coda and was chosen as the song U2 played every night before taking the stage during the “Vertigo” tour. Now, the Montreal-based
eclectic band ups the ante even more with “Neon Bible”, reaching, at times, for epic U2-Springsteenian sonics and more-often-than-not acheiving that aim while remaining true to its own chamber-pop (as it’s been called) styling.

Named after a novel by John Kennedy Toole’s first novel, “Neon Bible” delves into darkness for social commentary and life observation on tracks like “Anitchrist Television Blues” and “Windowsill”, yet also lets the light of hope pour through. Many numbers are swathed in strings and woodwinds, taking on a grand sweeping quality.

The band shifts moods and rhythms with coloring textures for the inviting rock glisten of “Keep the Car Running” and the churchy blues of “Intervention”, while voices are on the rise atop a building beat, sweeping strings and punchy horns for the cascading “No Cars Go”.

Perhaps many of the tracks are overthought, but so was Phil Spector’s masterworks too, weren’t they? Nonetheless, “Neon Bible” finds Arcade Fire continuing to blaze a unique musical path of distinction.