Arcade Fire scores with newest album

By Meg Walsh

Published March 6, 2007

I don't know if you know this, but Win Butler is freaking huge. At 6-feet-5-inches tall, he towers above the tiny Conor Obersts of the alternative music scene. Chances are you do know his larger-than-life band, Arcade Fire. The band's unimaginably successful debut album, Funeral, made Arcade Fire a hipster household name, much to the dismay of many elitist-indie snobs. But let's face it, you can't go wrong when your albums feature the hurdy gurdy.

The husband-wife co-founders Butler and Régine Chassagne use unconventional vocals and a plethora of unique-sounding instruments (Chassagne plays accordion, keyboards, mallet percussion and the aforementioned hurdy gurdy) to give indie rock something actually independent of popular influence.

Funeral was independent label Merge Record's biggest success to date and will probably only be beaten by the amazement that is Neon Bible.

Only two years after Butler and Chassagne started the gang, they were touring with U2 and appearing on stage with David Bowie. Now they have catapulted themselves from the indie underground to instant fame with Neon Bible.

The self-produced Neon Bible was pronounced "in the works" almost eight months ago, and every minute has been full of anticipation for most. The wait was so worth it.

The album begins as all albums should: with something familiar and interesting. "Black Mirror" is reminiscent of the steady beat of "Rebellion (Lies)" from Funeral but is more somber with borderline spooky vocals. The first U.K. single, "Keep The Car Running," is an upbeat one with the folky feel Arcade Fire has pretty much invented for itself. The song picks the album up after the darker "Black Mirror" and gets the listener excited about the rest.

The high point in an album full of them is "Intervention." It begins with an organ and Butler sings with strong emotion in his voice, making the track feel quite powerful. The music and lyrics are simple, as are the repeated monotone xylophone notes, but the string and horn sections give this song a grandiose feel when combined with Butler's mighty voice.

Although Funeral was regarded as a mostly somber album (the band named it so because many of the band members had to deal with deaths during production), Neon Bible has an overall feeling of hope. It isn't twee, but it isn't "Une Annee Sans Lumiere" either.

Seven months after Funeral was released, Arcade Fire found itself on the cover of the Canadian Time Magazine. Less than a year later, the band has given us its next work of art. It is clear that Arcade Fire is destined for something great. Let's just hope the scene snobs can forgive it for getting popular.