Review of the New Arcade Fire Album: Neon Bible

There's something oddly unsettling about Neon Bible, the sophomore effort from Canadian, experimental rockers the Arcade Fire. From the cover art illustration of the titular, evil tome to the ominous first notes of opening track "Black Mirror," listeners are made well aware that they are in for a darker, more stirring experience than heard on the band's 2004 debut, Funeral.

Not to say that any of this is bad. Much to the contrary. Funeral's theme was so overwhelmingly fixated on tragedy, death and the repercussions of premature love that fans couldn't have accepted anything less than an equally pessimistic album.

The main differences between the two albums begin with narrative. While the band's debut told a coherent story about a series of deteriorating neighborhoods, Neon Bible's songs seem to stand alone as critiques of various aspects of society.

"Black Mirror" criticizes a political climate of Orwellian surveillance and careless warmongering. The fairytale imagery of the track ("Mirror, mirror on the wall/ show me where them bombs will fall") breathes fresh air into a subject matter that has grown increasingly stagnant over the past few years. Waves of ambient sound, orchestral flutters and the precisely slammed chords of guitar and piano add to the urgent mood of the song.

The instrumental differences between this album and Funeral are abundant as well. Whereas the latter was comprised of layer upon layer of orchestral arrangements and energized, rock instrumentation, Neon Bible takes a more minimalist approach.

The title track perfectly displays these differences. Quiet guitar picking with sporadic hints of a string section surround cautionary whispers from lead singer Win Butler. The product is a defeatist's lament about scripture taken out of context.

The most surprising aspects of Neon Bible are the apparent homages to Bruce Springsteen. If Brandon Flowers of the Killers was temporarily inspired by the Boss while writing and recording Sam's Town, Butler was, at times, possessed by his still-living spirit. Songs like "Keep the Car Running" and "(Antichrist Television Blues)," with stripped down performances dominated by acoustic and folk instruments, might as well be Springsteen B-sides.

"(Antichrist Television Blues)" is the clearer of the two examples. Shuffling guitar chords and notes plunked out on a piano score Win's thoughts on Christian guilt and the working world. "Don't wanna work in a building downtown/ Parkin' the cars in the underground/ The voices when they scream, well they make no sound," Win pleads in a voice that could convincingly be passed off as Springsteen.

Neon Bible is the type of album that can equally divide a band's fan base. Many will prefer the avant-garde story telling and faster pacing of Funeral. An equal number of listeners will likely fall in love with the grand departure from a highly acclaimed critical album.

Either way, the Arcade Fire took a big risk reinventing their sound on this album. Chances are the move it will pay off big. Kudos to them.

4.5 of 5