Arcade Fire – Neon Bible

There was a brief period of time where one probably thought Arcade Fire couldn’t possibly match Funeral ever again. I mean, even I remember listening to this album and wondering if it was too angry, too angst-filled, too bitter? And obviously, back then, that was many people just over-thinking such amazing music way too early. A few years later, after making one of the best albums of 2010, Neon Bible is definitely, a magnificent album on its own.

I still remember listening to these crashing, pounding waves through my speakers in my small studio. I always think of the huge atmospherics on “Black Mirror” as the sound of the ocean beating against a heavy wind as everything comes pouring down. The song’s atmospherics are definitely significant but the keyboard’s repetitive pound, Win Butler’s soaring singing and the ending strings’ explosion is for sure, HUGE, too. There was always a certain beauty to it and I love the way it introduces the album in a dark and booming way. I probably played it over 100 times in 2007, and many times over and over and even still now, it’s worth it every time.


When it comes to closers, like Arctic Monkeys and few others, Arcade Fire are masters of them. Speaking about Funeral, that album’s closer is majestically gorgeous and even the proper ending on The Suburbs is an interpolation of that opener’s melody with poignant, lasting words; in short, both are awesome. Well for Neon Bible, they bellow with a traditional organ that shifts through heavy pedal tones and the pounding of a soft drum before everything explodes around the 2:10 mark. The production of a big open space allows the organ to reign throughout and while the thump is always the focus, the pure largeness of the ending overtakes you, like a massive wave. It’s hard to say really, but maybe this is their best closer? – Bryan