Sunday, April 01, 2007
Arcade Fire's Neon Bible has tickled my senses. And for those of you that don't know... I'm not ticklish.
I fell in love with Arcade Fire's debut album Funeral about a year ago. I love the mess of it like the steaming tea kettles, layers of strings, triangle chiming, big fat piano chords and above all, the thematic LP. Funeral has a theme of home, mortality, familiarity and mourning. Sound depressing? For some reason it isn't.
Neon Bible is delightfully intoxicating. Many of the same components of Funeral are present but the theme is different. In fact, I haven't quite sorted it out yet, but I get the impression that the theme is that of disillusionment with faith. Listening to it is like reading a stranger's personal journal.
To me, this album feels very Bowie-esque. It shouldn't be surprising since Bowie is a major fan of Arcade Fire. Check out this performance of Bowie joining the group for a show a few years back (apologies for Heather Graham's enthusiastic camera shots - it is midly distracting). At some point, Bowie declared Arcade Fire's Funeral the best album of the year in 2005. I don't know about you, but if Bowie said he was a fan of mine, I'd be really happy.
To sharply contrast the Bowie sound, there is one song on Neon Bible that sounds like Bruce Springsteen's 'Born to Run' album. I don't know how that happened but it works for them.
For a sneaky peek of a Neon Bible single, try Black Mirror.
I fell in love with Arcade Fire's debut album Funeral about a year ago. I love the mess of it like the steaming tea kettles, layers of strings, triangle chiming, big fat piano chords and above all, the thematic LP. Funeral has a theme of home, mortality, familiarity and mourning. Sound depressing? For some reason it isn't.
Neon Bible is delightfully intoxicating. Many of the same components of Funeral are present but the theme is different. In fact, I haven't quite sorted it out yet, but I get the impression that the theme is that of disillusionment with faith. Listening to it is like reading a stranger's personal journal.
To me, this album feels very Bowie-esque. It shouldn't be surprising since Bowie is a major fan of Arcade Fire. Check out this performance of Bowie joining the group for a show a few years back (apologies for Heather Graham's enthusiastic camera shots - it is midly distracting). At some point, Bowie declared Arcade Fire's Funeral the best album of the year in 2005. I don't know about you, but if Bowie said he was a fan of mine, I'd be really happy.
To sharply contrast the Bowie sound, there is one song on Neon Bible that sounds like Bruce Springsteen's 'Born to Run' album. I don't know how that happened but it works for them.
For a sneaky peek of a Neon Bible single, try Black Mirror.
# posted by tfoxfan @ 11:37 AM 
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Bowie blends right in there, doesn't he? That's pretty cool.
I was totally blown away by their performance of Rebellion (Lies) on the Much Music awards -- feels a bit like watching U2 perform one of their iconic hits (pick one) when they were just exploding in the mid-'80s. There's a certain intensity that is almost impossible to duplicate, especially in music that isn't inherently "heavy" (heavy bands can just lean on their speed, volume and distortion as stand-ins for real intensity). Anyway, pretty amazing, even without Bowie.
I've been into Neon Bible too, really loving The Well and the Lighthouse, Black Mirror, and Windowsill, with a bunch I like, and room to warm up to the few that I didn't immediately like. You might also enjoy this early version of Intervention (played live on a radio show) -- it's subtle and mellow compared to the huge pipe organ dominating the album version, but they're both incredible.
I was totally blown away by their performance of Rebellion (Lies) on the Much Music awards -- feels a bit like watching U2 perform one of their iconic hits (pick one) when they were just exploding in the mid-'80s. There's a certain intensity that is almost impossible to duplicate, especially in music that isn't inherently "heavy" (heavy bands can just lean on their speed, volume and distortion as stand-ins for real intensity). Anyway, pretty amazing, even without Bowie.
I've been into Neon Bible too, really loving The Well and the Lighthouse, Black Mirror, and Windowsill, with a bunch I like, and room to warm up to the few that I didn't immediately like. You might also enjoy this early version of Intervention (played live on a radio show) -- it's subtle and mellow compared to the huge pipe organ dominating the album version, but they're both incredible.
Jer,
That is an incredible performance on the MuchMusic awards show. I kept waiting for the marching band to wake up...and then they did. But, I realize now that the anticipation of the marching band just built up the climax of the song even though the song was well on it's way to a delightfully stunning peak anyway. What a brilliant idea.
This performance reminds me of U2 but almost more of a guy like Bruce Springsteen. The Boss just gives'r for each song, each note. It's really intense. He's got this one blood vessel on the side of his neck that always seems ready to just burst. I wonder if he needs a full body massage at the end of the show, but to wind down.
I like this band more all of the time, despite some idiosyncratic songs because they're willing to make mistakes and be unapologetic about the risks their taking. Reminds me of those early Radiohead days. Man, where are those guys?
That is an incredible performance on the MuchMusic awards show. I kept waiting for the marching band to wake up...and then they did. But, I realize now that the anticipation of the marching band just built up the climax of the song even though the song was well on it's way to a delightfully stunning peak anyway. What a brilliant idea.
This performance reminds me of U2 but almost more of a guy like Bruce Springsteen. The Boss just gives'r for each song, each note. It's really intense. He's got this one blood vessel on the side of his neck that always seems ready to just burst. I wonder if he needs a full body massage at the end of the show, but to wind down.
I like this band more all of the time, despite some idiosyncratic songs because they're willing to make mistakes and be unapologetic about the risks their taking. Reminds me of those early Radiohead days. Man, where are those guys?
Oh, I'm glad you loved it too. I'm not sure how "live" it really is, because the sound is almost perfection, but who cares? A fantastic performance.
Agreed about the idiosyncrasies -- I found several songs on the last album to be pretty much unlistenable. Neon Bible sounds like a more complete, consistent album to me, without sounding all the same. And it's not too accessible -- no need to worry that you'll burn out on it too quickly, because some if it is fairly challenging listening.
Curious to hear what you think of that mellow version of Intervention, having heard the album version first.
Agreed about the idiosyncrasies -- I found several songs on the last album to be pretty much unlistenable. Neon Bible sounds like a more complete, consistent album to me, without sounding all the same. And it's not too accessible -- no need to worry that you'll burn out on it too quickly, because some if it is fairly challenging listening.
Curious to hear what you think of that mellow version of Intervention, having heard the album version first.
The mellow version of "intervention" doesn't work for me. What I love about them is their booming passion and that especially means the pipe organs. The lead singer seems to be struggling to restrain himself, which is not his forte. That said, thanks for sharing it... love to see how artists interpret their own tunes over and over again.
I wondered if you might feel that it was weak compared the album version. I had been listening to the mellow version for months before the album came out, so I grew kinda attached to it...to the point where the the new version seemed almost brash and over-the-top at first. Now it has eclipsed the earlier one for me.
Btw, AF is performing at Deer Lake Park in Burnaby on May 24th. It's general seating, but may be a decent show given their live performances I've seen on TV to date. Any interest to join? :)
A bit hesitant now on that invite since it's an outdoor scene and there is no permission for lawnchairs. Me prego, no interest. Another time perhaps.
Well, I didn't exactly whip out my credit card at first mention, either...I'm sure it would be a great show, but logistically not idea. Some day, maybe?
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