Thoughts on:Arcade Fire--Neon Bible

I came to the Arcade Fire late, which means that I missed the barrage of hype that "Funeral" received, but also missed the live performances that made people so excited in the first place.

With that in mind, I think it's easy to let the band's creative instrumentation and live energy cloud one's judgment. In the end, the Arcade Fire are just a rock band, and should be evaluated as such. Strip a song like "Crown of Love" of its bells and whistles, and it's nothing Travis couldn't have produced back in the day. Add to this the annoying songwriting tick of the quirky outro, as heard on songs like "Wake Up", and you have a band that's maybe not all it's cracked up to be.

On the other hand, Funeral's two key tracks, "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" and "Rebellion (Lies)" were unmistakably brilliant. They were so good that I don't begrudge the band the hyped they've received thus far. Anthemic and triumphant, these songs showed the power that the group was capable of.

The first preview of "Neon Bible" was "Intervention", a showcase for church organ and lyrical melodrama. It's another big song, but also a bit of a red herring. Rarely does the rest of the album approach it in its directness. This is an album composed primarily of mood pieces. Thus, first single "Black Mirror" is more representative. There are subtle hooks, but it's more notable for the oppressive atmosphere of doom and gloom it creates. Elsewhere, the title track is more of a whimper than a song, while "Keep the Car Running" is similarly subdued.

On the other hand, the rerecorded "No Cars Go" is unabashedly huge, finishing on a sweeping outro that is one of the record's highlights. Along with "The Well and the Lighthouse" and "Antichrist Television Blues", "No Cars Go" is proof that this is a band that shines when it's not trying to be subtle.

"No Cars Go" Live:

So let's get to the real issue with this record: the lyrics. There's an almost painful sense of earnestness, of smugness even, that's practically boiling over here. On "Antichrist Television Blues", Win Butler wears a line like "Any idea where I was at your age? I was working downtown for the minimum wage" as a badge of honor the way only a former rich kid can. The vocal phrasing on a song like "Intervention" sounds stilted because Butler is so set on delivering the meaningful message he's crafted, he forgets how each syllable might fit into the song. Not convinced? Listen to the acoustic version of the song from the band's KCRW sesssion. The lyrics are not as potent, but they live more comfortably within the composition. The end result of these lyrical stumbles is a general lack of humor or wit that would make Bono in the 80s envious.

Listen to "Antichrist Television Blues":

[Download the MP3 Here]

I wanted to like this record more than I actually did. "Neon Bible" gave me few reasons to return after my initial couple of listens. Arcade Fire's flaws are born of the best intentions, so it feels unfair to completely write them off. But after slaving away in that office downtown, you might not want to spend your hard-earned money on such a joyless and ultimately forgettable collection of songs.

Verdict: Buy Selected Songs on iTunes