Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

Nearly two-and-a-half years after the release of their critically-and-commercially acclaimed breakthrough, Arcade Fire has returned with another powerful collection of masterfully orchestrated pop songs. Recorded mostly in a church the band purchased in Montreal, Neon Bible (the title comes from John Kennedy Toole’s lesser-known novel) is full of emotion, redemption, and a sense of desperation. Themes of escape and conflict are littered all over the record. From the paranoia and fear expressed in "Keep the Car Running," to a struggle with the mind in the closer, "My Body Is a Cage," there is an overwhelming feeling of impending doom. The circumstance even turns violent between lovers in "Ocean of Noise," but as in any tragic tale, there is hope for a resolution and a knowledge that nothing lasts forever. Obviously, there are also religious overtones and references in just about every song. At times, faith is questioned, as in the title track when Win Butler sings "Not much chance for survival if the Neon Bible is true." In "The Well and the Lighthouse," Butler finds resurrection living in a lighthouse after he pleads, "I'm serving time all for a crime I didn't commit/You want the truth? You know I'd do it all again/Left for dead, heaven is only in my head." Reverence isn’t just expressed through words. The ending of "No Cars Go" suggests ascension, and the expiration of "My Body Is a Cage" echoes a spiritual release. While the band’s playing is tremendous, Butler truly steals the show on this record, yielding its haunting and isolated atmosphere. He fits an inordinate amount of words into a verse like a novelist, and the listener can sense he's on the brink of chaos at every moment. He edges ever closer to Springsteen during "Black Wave/Bad Vibrations," when he reveals, "Been eating in the ghetto on a 100 dollar plate." On "(Antichrist Television Blues)," which may or may not contain 9/11 references, he pleads, "You know I'm a God-fearing man" and "Lord, would you send me a sign, "cause I just gotta know if I'm wastin" my time!" "Intervention" showcases the band at its most straightforward, and features a huge organ backdrop that leaves the listener imagining snow falling through the church's stained-glass windows as you stand inside on cold concrete. It's during this track that Butler comes closest to covering the themes of immortality from 2004's Funeral, as he sings "Working for the Church while your family dies." The massive success of Arcade Fire has come to the surprise of just about everyone, including the band. They were forced to re-route most of their upcoming North American tour due to demand and the band even recently appeared on Saturday Night Live. The truth is, no one performing music today sounds like them, and few can communicate the beauty of pain. While they might be getting set to undergo a popularity explosion, they haven’t lost touch with themselves. [www.arcadefire.com]