Canadian indie band The Arcade Fire are following up their well-received and MTV2's #1 album of 2005 album Funeral with their latest album, Neon Bible. Blending dark vocals with a myriad of brooding instruments (including a pipe organ), genuinely unique sounds and gothic undertones, have they got another success on their hands?
With a large dynamic range and diverse selection of instruments, the production is almost orchestral (indeed, an entire Hungarian orchestra was brought in for the production) - a refreshing change from the tightly compressed trend of so much other indie music these days.
The energies of the tracks are as varied as the sounds within them, with near-euphoric crescendos leading to more downbeat melodies and chilled-out drum beats. The album is about as far from homogeneity as one could possible get.
The theme of religion and struggle extends beyond the title of the album - the lyrics speak of decay and strife, whilst the grandeur of church organs and the orchestra provide a juxtaposed backdrop for the altogether darker themes. Like an hymn for the forgotten and depressed, the vocals are vaguely reminiscent of The Cure whilst the music is like The Polyphonic Spree, if The Polyphonic Spree were a goth band.
Notable tracks include 'Keep The Car Running', with its uplifting vocals and epic crescendo, 'Intervention', with the pipe organ and superb lyrics, and the catchy 'No Cars Go', but - as is the sign of most great albums - it's difficult to pick out tracks in particular, as it's a composite work rather than a series of individual songs - and as a composite work it works extremely well.
Neon Bible is a very well constructed, deep and powerful album which will only get better with repeated listening. All this, and there are some chart-worthy singles in there too. Keep an eye out for this one in record stores from the 6th March this year.
What next?More by Arcade Fire? More album reviews? More indie, or rock?