Neon Bible

I hated "Neon Bible" the first time I heard it. I liked Arcade Fire, I was jamming to quite a few of their tunes, but something about "Neon Bible" really put me off. But something kept bringing me back. Well, ok, I know exactly what kept bringing me back. 'Keep The Car Running' and 'No Cars Go' are exceptional tracks, possibly the two best of the entire Arcade Fire discography, but the rest...it wasn't clicking with me. Then randomly one day I threw it on, just for old times sake, and it hit me. The only reason I was having issues with the rest of the album was because of my expectations, it isn't high powered and energetic like the two tracks it is best known for, those are the exceptions. The rest of the album is a sometimes mellow, sometimes emotionally charged venture through someones life, and the tracks I fell in love with were simply a part of that life.In my experience, "Neon Bible" is the best album Arcade Fire has produced and will be hard, if not impossible, to top. There is something very natural, very genuine about the experience that cannot simply be duplicated. This is why I would highly recommend "Neon Bible" to music lovers everywhere, no matter your tastes, because I believe there is something for everyone.

Although I thought Arcade Fire's previous album, "Funeral," dragged a bit in places ("Crown of Love," "In the Backseat") and suffered from some tempo changes that sounded forced, it contained some of the most heartfelt songs I had heard by anybody in a long time, especially "Neighborhood #1" and "Rebellion (Lies)." This was clearly a band that was a cut above almost everyone else, and I eagerly awaited their follow-up. I'm happy to report that "Neon Bible" grabbed me immediately, and hasn't let me go. The Bowie/Byrne/U2/Springsteen comparisons are all very apt, but the songwriting is strong enough to give this band an identity all its own.For me, "Neon Bible" is part three of an accidental trilogy, in which part one was Radiohead's "OK Computer" and part two was Wilco's "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot." In the distant future, these three albums will tell people a lot about what the end of the 20th century, and the beginning of the 21st, felt like for those who lived it. "OK Computer" looked back on the ghosts of the 20th century (who mostly take the form of space aliens) and "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" captured that claustrophobic moment right around the time of the 2001 terrorist attacks, which it eerily foreshadowed with its "twin towers" album cover and a song called "Ashes of American Flags." (The album was slated to be released on September 11th, but delayed due to problems with the record company.)And now we have "Neon Bible," which looks straight ahead into the murk of the 21st century. The cover art, with its depictions of children on a stage playing trumpets and reading from big, important-looking books, captures the feeling perfectly: Collectively, we are like those children, making grand gestures but not really knowing what we are doing. Yes, that includes you, Mr. President. The album has been criticized by many for lyrics that they claim are too obvious and music that is too grandiose for its own good, but we need an album like this once in awhile. We need musicians who don't always hide their feelings behind wordplay (which is so often a smokescreen for not having anything to say anyway). Win Butler walks a fine line here, with lyrics that spell out the major themes of the album but still provide plenty of subtlety and mystery for those who care to look for it.The songs themselves are outstanding from start to finish. The opener, "Black Mirror," is all doom and gloom, set to a thumping beat. Win Butler sounds like a crazed preacher who is calling for damnation to rain down upon us all, because maybe we deserve it. But the mood lightens with the second song, "Keep the Car Running," and from then on, the album alternates darkness and light in a manner that is reminiscent of Love's "Forever Changes." "Antichrist Television Blues" completely lives up to its title, and "Intervention" is another Big Statement that does not disappoint. A more subtle favorite is "The Well and the Lighthouse," which is sort of a parable set to a beat that is like a speeded-up version of "Black Mirror," but this time moving toward a much more hopeful conclusion.Many listeners will hear "Neon Bible" as a tremendous downer, but then, there are those who say the same thing about Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon." Largely it's just a matter of taste whether you like these albums or not, and that's okay. Although they have little in common musically, they are similar in a way. The beauty of the music overcomes the angst expressed in the lyrics, and the end result is exhilarating, and yes, even hopeful. The children pictured in the "Neon Bible" CD booklet may not know what they are doing, but they are still children. It's not too late for them to be saved.[Note: I have the "deluxe packaging" version of this disc. It comes in a little box that has a pretty cool hologram on the cover, in which the pages of the book appear to turn as you look at it from different angles. Inside, there is a lyric booklet with the pictures I've mentioned, which is probably also contained in the standard version of the CD. There are also a pair of little flip books, one of which depicts a book that is flipping pages (kind of ironic for a flip book, now that I think of it), while the other depicts the synchronized swimmers from the CD booklet splashing in the water. Honestly, I don't see the point of the flip books, but if you want the hologram, the deluxe version may be worth the higher price.]

This is without a doubt one of my favorite albums of all time. It boldly, and cleverly addresses very sensitive subjects with intelligent lyrics and combines them with their own unique sound and style. That being said this album is not for everyone, while it is highly enjoyable to me I would not classify this as a feel good album. It has a lot of emotion packed into it and at times it will try to creep you out and at other times it may make you want to cry but that is the beauty of this album. It is not afraid to creep you out or make you want to cry because that will just make its messages more effective and arcade fire is amazingly good at using unique sounds to bring out unique feelings. At first there were only a few songs on this album I really loved but the more I listened to it I began to appreciate the whole thing. This album can really grow on you and it is definitely worth a listen, especially antichrist television blues. It is also very great on vinyl, very high quality art and packaging, I was very pleased.

The deluxe edition of Neon Bible is cool. It comes in a little box with two flip books, a separate slip for the CD, and of course, the liner notes (CD booklet).Concerning Neon Bible itself: I think Win Butler said it best himself: Neon Bible is best listened to at night by the ocean. It's very very different from Funeral, their debut album. I'd say the only similarity Bible has with it's predecessor is that you still rock out, even with this new sound. When you listen to it, don't think "What happened to the sound of Funeral?" Different album, different sound.My favorite tracks from the album are "Ocean of Noise" (the words, the last few minutes - superb), "Intervention" (spine-tingling), "No Cars Go.""Keep The Cars Running" is a good song too. I just wish it was longer.

Are you a fan of Arcade Fire? Do you have the other Arcade Fire titles in your music collection? - whether your answer is yes or no here, doesn't really matter - Then you should add this one, as well. If you are unfamiliar with Arcade Fire and somehow ended up here to look at and/or buy this album, I would say it is a solid effort for this band. Neon Bible makes a good starting point, or simply an addition to a more recent release of theirs. The sound is not entirely the same from one album to the next, but it stays true to their style and is very listenable and enjoyable.

"Neon Bible" from 2007 is probably my favorite Arcade Fire album. It contains some of the group's strongest songs and it has no weak songs.It has, like the debut album, melody, drama and good variation in the compositions and arrangements.Four singles were taken from the album; "Black Mirror", "Keep the Car Running", "Intervention" and "No Cars Go", songs that are actually quite different. "Black Mirror" is a melodic rocker, a bit in a Velvet Underground style. "Keep the car running" is another rocker, but less melodic but with a large number of instruments including a very noticeable mandolin. "Intervention" is the big highlight for me. Dramatic church organ, amazing melody and lyrics worth listening to. There is on Youtube a Video for the song with pictures from Sergei Eisenstein's iconic 1925 film, "Battleship Potemkin" - very powerful and moving. The last "No Cars Go" is almost techno - In the best version.You could actually highlight most numbers; Another great favorite of mine is "Windowsill"; again a song with both drama and melody.Wim Butler is a fine and personal leadsinger, but it is also a pleasure to hear Régine Chassagne and Sara Neufeld mostly on harmony vocals, for example on "Neon Bible" and "The Well and the Lighthouse".An album that will stand the test of time

I don't think that there were many other albums released in 2007 which were as eagerly anticipated as Arcade Fire's second full-length album, Neon Bible. The huge success of 2004's sensational Funeral left many people approaching this album with very high expectations and, juding by the reactions and reviews, not that many people were. Unfortunately, although there are at least three excellent songs on this album (Intervention, No Cars Go, My Body Is A Cage), at least the same number of very good tracks and with Intervention we have a contender for song of the year, to me Neon Bible didn't completely deliver on the great promise showed by Funeral. Nearly, but just not quite.This isn't a very instantly accessible album. To really appreciate the indivudual character and the complexity of each track, you will have to devote serious amounts of your time listening and re-listening to it otherwise there are a few songs on this album which have a tendency to either sound samey or, at least, follow a certain formula which is repeated throughout Neon Bible. Don't get me wrong, this is certainly a good album and the dynamics and subtleties of each song reveal themselves in time, but I can understand why some of the reviews I have read have been lacking in enthusiasm for this album as a whole.It would be interesting how somebody who listened to Neon Bible without ever hearing Funeral would feel about this album. Without a point of reference or comparison to their debut, this piece of work would probably stand alone quite respectably and, had Win Butler's Arcade Fire not been already catapulted onto the international stage, Neon Bible would have undoubtably done it for them. That's the measure of an album a cut above the ordinary, and Neon Bible is certainly that - you'll just have to forgive me for being slightly disappointed that it didn't quite live up to my personal expectations.

Quite disappointed with this vinyl. I like the album but unfortunately the pressing I received was horribly distorted/crackling more or less throughout all three sides. Cleaning/wiping down did not help so returning for a refund. To make things worse, the price has now doubled what I paid and Amazon refuse to replace! I'm sure I'll try again somewhere down the line to get hold of this at a decent price.

NEON BIBLEUntil recently I didn't much care for the sound of a church organ. It brought back memories of being dragged along by my mother to our local place of worship each Sunday morning and evening as a boy of 8 or 10 when I felt I should have been at home, playing.Arcade Fire have changed my view of the instrument. It's not that Neon Bible devotes that much time to music from the big pipes - but where it is used, it's used well. If only Mr Williams could have given me as much pleasure when he was pressing down on the ivory all those years ago.But there's much more here. Keep The Car Running is high tempo - check out the UNSTAGED version on U Tube - it looks like it could have been filmed in a school canteen or, perhaps more appropriately, a church hall. Whatever; clearly a lot of energy was put into the performance.With its Eddy Cochran-esque opening, (AntiChrist Television Blues) is my personal favourite but I have to mention No Cars Go and its thrilling climax. I would happily follow drummer Jeremy Gara into ANY battle as long as he was beating out the tune that ends this track.Neon Bible is a very good album from, in my humble opinion, Canada's finest band.Davy R

What a treat, album of the year by miles. Darker and more intense than its joyous predecessor. In some ways it's a bit like a concept album, but don't let that put you off.Chronicles a fantastic moment for the band... ie where to next, world domination that lasts briefly, like Talking Heads ala " Stop Making Sense", or the start of an era like U2 .Any way, buy it and enjoy, its fantastic

Live is where a lot of this album comes alive. I found it lacked the "colour" of the first album. So while there's undoubtedly several classics on this album, it didn't quite get the 5 stars from me unlike their other 2 albums. Still it's the fire and they're immense so buy it.

I must confess that I have only just discovered Arcade Fire - and what a find! For me it is like Echo & the Bunnymen and Talking Heads thrown into a pot and mixed around with a huge mix of other sounds - out comes a fantastic album full of urgent, dark, intelligent music. If you haven't got this yet, don't wait any longer!

Not as great as other albums, kind of feels like an experiment trying to not sound like Funeral but having not found the way like in Suburbs yet. Worth listening, just hard to appreciate it as much when you know AF have done so much better in other albums! :-)

Glad with the vinyl. Well-packaged. I love Arcade Fire, in the beginning this audio content came along as chaotic, but now the music is really growing on me (=.

Antichrist television blues has got to be one of the best songs from this amazing band. Gives Springsteen a run for his money any day. Very good record although it does take some listening to, to really appreciate. A second listening confirmed it for me that this band are really something.

Great

good

Given as a requested present so cannot give anopinion on the product itself as i haven't listened to it. Recipient very pleased.

Neon Bible is a darker album for arcade fire but a nice mixture of sounds. Very good over all.It was delivered as expected and in great condition.

One of the greatest albums I know.